Last updated: 20 October 2026 · Pay rates and vacancies change by employer and location. Always check the employer’s own careers page.
A Christmas job is one of the quickest ways to earn extra money before the end of the year. Big employers start hiring for the festive peak from September and October, and the best shifts go early.
This guide covers where to look, what pay to expect, how tax works on a temporary job, and how to avoid fake job adverts.
My tip
Before applying, I would work out which shifts fit around school hours, childcare and travel. A higher hourly rate is only useful if the journey and extra childcare costs still leave you better off. Ask about the actual shift pattern before accepting.
When to apply for Christmas jobs
Now. Most seasonal roles run from late October or November to early January. Delivery and warehouse jobs fill first, and supermarkets and shops recruit through October and November. If you can only work evenings or weekends, apply early, because those shifts are popular.
If your goal is to cover festive spending, pair your job search with my Black Friday spending plan and use the grocery savings calculator to review weekly costs.
Where to find Christmas jobs in the UK
Royal Mail
Royal Mail’s official Christmas recruitment page is advertising opportunities for Christmas 2026. Search by location and role. Some vacancies are managed by Angard Staffing, so check the partner named on Royal Mail’s own page if no suitable role appears near you. Check each advert for experience requirements and contract dates.
Pay: varies by site and shift. Evening and night shifts usually pay more. Check the advert for your local centre.
Amazon
Amazon offers seasonal warehouse roles, with availability and pay varying by location and shift. Use Amazon’s official UK hourly jobs site to check local vacancies and the rate shown in the current advert. I have not treated last year’s advertised pay or recruitment totals as confirmed 2026 figures. Delivery roles can involve a separate employer or self-employed contract, so check who you would work for.
Parcel delivery companies
DPD, Evri, Yodel and DHL need extra sorters and drivers for the online shopping peak. Some roles are employed, but many driver roles are self-employed. Read the contract carefully, and count fuel and vehicle costs before you say yes.
Supermarkets
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl all recruit temporary staff for the Christmas rush, including tills, shelf stacking, online picking and delivery drivers. Look on each supermarket’s own careers site, and ask in your local store too.
Shops and department stores
Argos, Boots, M&S, John Lewis, Primark, TK Maxx, Smyths and many independent shops hire extra sales assistants andstockroom staff. Retail can be a good fit if you want daytime shifts near home.
Hospitality and Christmas parties
Pubs, restaurants, hotels and catering agencies need extra hands for the party season. Agency work is flexible, but shifts can be cancelled at short notice.
Santa’s grottos, Christmas markets and events
Garden centres, shopping centres and Christmas markets hire elves, grotto staff, Santas and stall assistants. They’re fun roles and often weekend-only, so they fit well around a weekday job.
Work-from-home seasonal jobs
Some retailers and delivery firms hire temporary customer service advisers who work from home over the peak. Check my guide to Amazon work-from-home jobs and the Make Money hub for flexible options.
What pay to expect
Eligible workers must receive at least the applicable minimum wage. For seasonal work in the 2026/27 tax year, the rates from 1 April 2026 are:
- £12.71 an hour if you’re 21 or over (National Living Wage)
- £10.85 an hour if you’re 18 to 20
- £8.00 an hour for eligible workers under 18, and apprentices under 19 or aged 19 and over in their first apprenticeship year. Older apprentices who have completed their first year receive their age rate
Big seasonal employers often pay more than this, especially for nights, weekends and peak-week shifts. You also build up holiday pay as a temporary worker. Check how your employer pays it: eligible irregular-hours and part-year workers may receive separately itemised rolled-up holiday pay. Otherwise, ask how paid leave and any unused entitlement at the end of the contract are handled.
Tax on a Christmas job
- Employed seasonal jobs use PAYE. Tax and National Insurance are taken from your pay, like any other job.
- Watch your tax code. A second job may correctly use a BR code if your allowance is used by your main job; BR is not itself an emergency code. Temporary jobs can also start on an emergency code. Check whether the code fits your total income. Check it in the HMRC app or your personal tax account. Any overpaid tax can be refunded.
- Self-employed festive work, like delivery driving on your own account, making wreaths or selling at a Christmas market, is different. The £1,000 trading allowance applies to eligible gross trading income across all your trades in a tax year, before expenses. It does not apply to PAYE wages. Exceptions apply, and you cannot deduct the allowance and actual expenses against the same income. Read side hustle tax and the £1,000 trading allowance, or try the side hustle tax calculator.
Christmas jobs and Universal Credit
If you get Universal Credit, your award normally falls by 55p for each £1 of relevant earnings, after any work allowance you qualify for. The effect depends on when wages are received within your monthly assessment period. Check childcare, travel and other benefit changes before deciding which shifts leave you better off. See exactly how much with my Universal Credit taper calculator.
Students and Christmas jobs
Student finance rules depend on your home nation and circumstances. Check your funding body’s guidance before assuming a change in income cannot affect your support. If you’ve already left university and are repaying a student loan, repayments are taken through PAYE when your pay goes over the threshold in that pay period. Check with the student loan repayment calculator.
Avoid Christmas job scams
- Never pay to unlock a job or receive “guaranteed” work. Requests for training, uniforms or DBS checks need independent verification: legitimate costs can exist, so contact the employer through its official website and check the written terms before paying anyone.
- Apply through the employer’s official careers website, not a link in a text or WhatsApp message.
- Be wary of “earn £500 a day from home” adverts and anything asking you to receive and forward parcels or money.
- Report suspicious adverts through the fraud-reporting service listed on GOV.UK.
Christmas jobs UK: FAQs
When do Christmas jobs start hiring?
Big employers start in September and October. Most roles begin in late October or November and finish in early January.
Do I need experience for a Christmas job?
Usually not. Many warehouse, sorting and retail roles give you training. You’ll need proof of your right to work in the UK.
Can a Christmas job become permanent?
Sometimes. Employers often keep seasonal staff who are reliable, so it’s worth saying you’re interested.
Will I pay tax on a Christmas job?
Your Income Tax depends on your combined taxable income and available allowances for the tax year. You receive one Personal Allowance per person, not one per job; some people have a reduced allowance. National Insurance is assessed separately and can apply even when no Income Tax is due. If too much tax is taken because of an emergency code, you can claim it back.
Christmas jobs: summary
- Apply now. Seasonal roles fill through October and November.
- Royal Mail, Amazon, delivery firms, supermarkets and shops hire the most.
- From April 2026, the minimum wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over.
- Check your tax code, and know how extra earnings affect Universal Credit.
- Never pay up front for a job.
Featured photograph: CHUTTERSNAP / Unsplash.
Sources
Employer vacancies were checked on their official recruitment pages; rates and availability must be confirmed in the specific advert.
- GOV.UK: National Living Wage rises to £12.71
- GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
- GOV.UK: Tax codes
- GOV.UK: Trading and property allowances
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General information for the 2026/27 tax year, not personal tax, benefits or financial advice. Check HMRC and your employer for your circumstances.