> Automate UK right to work checks from your ATS, HR or onboarding software. Send the share code by API and get the gov.uk result, PDF and recheck date back.

Web version: https://checksharecode.co.uk/guides/automate-right-to-work-checks · Last updated: 2026-09-30

# How to automate right to work checks

Short answer

You can automate the right to work check for anyone who proves it with a share code. gov.uk has no API, so the check runs through a service that fills in the gov.uk employer form for you. Your software sends the share code, date of birth and company name, and gets back the result, the gov.uk PDF and the date to check again.

## What you can automate

Which check applies depends on how the worker proves their right to work, and not every route can be automated.

Which right to work checks can be automated
| Who | What they give you | How to automate it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Most people who are not British or Irish, including eVisa and EU Settlement Scheme holders | A share code from gov.uk/prove-right-to-work | The Home Office online check, run through an API such as Check Share Code |
| British and Irish citizens with a valid passport or Irish passport card | Their passport or passport card | Identity verification from a certified identity service provider |
| Anyone who can only show original documents | Documents from the Home Office lists | It can’t be: someone checks the originals by hand |
| People waiting on a Home Office application or appeal | Their application or appeal reference | It can’t be: you ask the Home Office Employer Checking Service |

## An automated check, step by step

1.  1
    
    ### Ask for the share code in your onboarding form
    
    Collect the share code and date of birth where you already collect the worker’s details. A share code is 9 characters and lasts 90 days.
    
2.  2
    
    ### Send it to the API
    
    POST the share code, date of birth and your company name to /api/check. The check runs on gov.uk and answers in under 15 seconds.
    
3.  3
    
    ### Act on the result
    
    ACCEPTED or REJECTED comes back with the conditions and any restrictions. A code gov.uk can’t find, or a date of birth that doesn’t match it, comes back as NOT\_FOUND or DOB\_MISMATCH, so you can ask the worker to check their details.
    
4.  4
    
    ### Confirm the photo is the person
    
    The response includes the photo gov.uk holds. Compare it with the worker, in person or on a video call, as the Home Office guidance asks.
    
5.  5
    
    ### Store the evidence
    
    Save the gov.uk PDF and the date of the check against the worker. Keep them while they work for you and for two years after they leave.
    
6.  6
    
    ### Schedule the follow up check
    
    If their permission to work ends, recheck\_date says when to check again. Put it in your scheduler. When it is null, no follow up check is needed.
    

## The API call

One request per worker. With a sandbox key it answers instantly and never touches gov.uk, so you can build every branch before going live. Every field is in the [API reference](https://checksharecode.co.uk/docs/api/check).

```
const res = await fetch('https://checksharecode.co.uk/api/check', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.CHECKSHARECODE_API_KEY}`,
    'content-type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    share_code: 'AB1CD2EF3',
    date_of_birth: '1990-01-01', // YYYY-MM-DD
    company_name: 'Acme Ltd',
  }),
});

const result = await res.json();
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${result.error.code}: ${result.error.message}`);
console.log(result.outcome); // "ACCEPTED" or "REJECTED"
```

## Checking a lot of people

For a backlog, a batch of follow up checks or onboarding at volume, use [asynchronous checks](https://checksharecode.co.uk/docs/api/check-async). The request answers at once with an id. We run the check, retry it if gov.uk fails, and post the signed result to your [webhook](https://checksharecode.co.uk/docs/webhooks) when it is done.

## Where teams build it in

### Applicant tracking systems

Run the check when a candidate accepts an offer and show the result on their profile.

### HR and payroll software

Check before the start date and keep the evidence with the employee record. Each of your customers can use their own company name.

### Staffing and healthcare agencies

Check nurses, carers and locums before they first start work, and again on the recheck date gov.uk gives you.

### Gig and platform work

From 1 October 2026 more non-employees need checking. [Who the new duty covers](https://checksharecode.co.uk/right-to-work-checks-gig-agency-workers).

## What stays with you

Automation doesn’t move the legal duty. You are still responsible for checking the right person before they start work and for keeping the evidence. The Home Office guidance is the authority on what counts as a valid check: [Employer’s guide to right to work checks](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide/employers-guide-to-right-to-work-checks-26-june-2025-accessible). This guide is not legal advice.

## Questions

### Can right to work checks be automated?

Yes, for anyone who proves their right to work with a share code: the Home Office online check can run from your software through an API. Checks for British and Irish citizens can be automated with a certified identity service provider. Checks of original documents stay manual.

### Can HR software automate right to work checks?

Yes. HR, ATS and payroll software can call a right to work check API from its backend when a new starter enters their share code, then store the result and the gov.uk PDF on their record.

### Is there a gov.uk API for right to work checks?

No. gov.uk only offers the online form at gov.uk/view-right-to-work. Check Share Code runs that form for you. It is independent and not affiliated with the Home Office.

### Does it work for healthcare and care workers?

Yes. The check is the same in every sector. Agencies placing nurses, carers and locums can use asynchronous checks with a webhook, so each result lands on the worker’s record.

### What does it cost?

10 live checks a month are free, with no card. Pro is £14 a month for 100 checks. Checks that fail on gov.uk’s side are not charged.

## On this page

[What you can automate](#what) · [An automated check, step by step](#steps) · [The API call](#code) · [Checking a lot of people](#volume) · [Where teams build it in](#where) · [What stays with you](#duty) · [Questions](#faq)

## Related

[Right to work check API](https://checksharecode.co.uk/right-to-work-check-api) · [How to check a share code by hand](https://checksharecode.co.uk/guides/how-to-check-a-share-code)

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## Automate your first check in the sandbox

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