Only non-British and non-Irish workers with digital immigration status use a share code for a Right to Work check UK share code process, the code is 9 characters beginning with W and valid for 90 days, and you must complete the check before work starts. So why do so many compliant-looking files fail when someone asks what HR did on the day a code didn't work?
That's the gap worth closing. A successful screen result is easy to file. A rejected code, a mismatched photo or a restriction nobody passed to the rota is where your process either holds up or falls apart without anyone noticing. I'd treat the share code as a test of process resilience, not as a simple data entry task. Digitisation hasn't removed risk, it's moved it from spotting a forged document to routing people correctly, recording evidence properly and knowing what to do when the service says no.
Table of Contents
- Who Can Use a Share Code and Which Route to Use
- How to Run a Share Code Check Step by Step
- Evidence to Keep and When Checks Must Be Repeated
- Handling Invalid Codes and Failed Checks
- Audit Trail Pre-Start Review and Next Steps
Who Can Use a Share Code and Which Route to Use
A share code applies to a non-British and non-Irish worker with digital immigration status, including eVisa holders and EU, EEA or Swiss citizens with EU Settlement Scheme status. As GOV.UK guidance on checking a job applicant's right to work explains, that worker generates a code and gives it to you with their date of birth, and you enter both into the Home Office service before employment begins.
The resulting profile shows whether the person may work, the permitted types of work and any time limit. British and Irish citizens generally can't obtain a right to work share code, so you route them to eligible original documents or another prescribed route instead. Don't build one workflow and force everyone through it.
You've got three recognised routes. Use a manual document check where that applies, the Home Office online check for digital status, or a certified digital verification service provider check where that route is prescribed. The share code belongs only to the online route. If you're still clarifying what counts as evidence, our guide to what is proof of right to work in the UK sets out the basics your recruiters should know before they ask for anything.
Getting the route right matters because a correct check completed before the start date establishes your statutory excuse. The stakes are clear in the Home Office illegal working penalties codes of practice, which set the current maximum civil penalty at £60,000 per illegal worker, and EEA citizens and eligible family members with pre-settled status generally need a check at the start of employment with no follow-up check under the June 2024 guidance change.
Right to Work Route by Applicant Status
| Applicant status | Permitted route | Evidence to keep | Follow-up check |
|---|---|---|---|
| British citizen | Eligible original document (manual check) or other prescribed route | Copy or record of the document check | None required |
| Irish citizen | Eligible original document such as an Irish passport (manual check) | Copy or record of the document check | None required |
| Non-British, non-Irish worker with digital status (eVisa) | Home Office online check using share code and date of birth | Profile or confirmation produced by the service | Required before time-limited permission expires |
| EU, EEA or Swiss citizen with EU Settlement Scheme settled status | Home Office online check using share code and date of birth | Profile or confirmation produced by the service | None for settled status |
| EEA citizen or eligible family member with pre-settled status | Home Office online check using share code and date of birth | Profile or confirmation produced by the service | Check at start of employment, no follow-up under June 2024 guidance |
| Applicant with unclear or non-digital status | Seek guidance from GOV.UK before any work starts | Written record of the enquiry and outcome | None until GOV.UK guidance confirms the route |
These are UK rules. If you're hiring into an EU member state, that country's own employment and right to work requirements apply, and they don't map neatly onto the Home Office process. Organisations without a local entity sometimes assess EOR options for international hiring from We Are Distributed to understand how employment can be structured elsewhere, but that doesn't replace a UK check for UK employment. Identify the route first, then ask for a code only where it's the right route.
How to Run a Share Code Check Step by Step
A share code check is only as reliable as the process around it. Follow each step in order, and pause the start if the code, profile or person cannot be matched with confidence.
The Eight Steps That Create a Defensible Record
Confirm the route. Establish that the applicant has digital status and that a share code check is the correct route. A passport alone may not tell you which check to run, so resolve the route before relying on a document or starting the online process.
Ask for a right to work code. The applicant generates a code on GOV.UK for employment. The Home Office employer's guide to right to work checks states that right to work share codes are 9 characters long and begin with the letter W. If the code does not begin with W, stop and ask the applicant to generate one for the correct purpose.
Use the right service. Enter the code and the applicant's date of birth in the Home Office right to work online service. A right to rent or general immigration status service answers a different question, so a result from the wrong service cannot confirm the right to work check.
Read the whole profile. Check the name, permitted type of work, restrictions such as working-hour limits, and any time limit on permission. The headline result is not enough. Restrictions can affect whether the role is permitted and how the work is scheduled.
Match the profile to the person. Compare the profile photo with the applicant in person, or follow the Home Office live video route for a remote check. If the profile belongs to someone else, even a correctly completed online check has not established this applicant's right to work.
Record the check properly. Save the profile or confirmation and record the check date, result, checker and outcome. Include the employer name accurately. A screenshot without the date or status details may leave the team unable to show what was checked.
Finish before the start date. Complete the check before work begins. If the result is unclear or unconfirmed, delay the start rather than treating an incomplete check as sufficient.
Diarise the follow-up. If permission is time-limited, set a follow-up date and assign an owner when completing the first check. A date-of-birth entry in the wrong format can interrupt the check. A missed follow-up, however, can leave a longer compliance gap.
The short video below shows new HR administrators what the online check looks like before they handle a live starter.
Practical rule: If another team member cannot reconstruct who was checked, what work was permitted, when the check took place and what action is due next, the record is incomplete.
Keep the profile, check date, checker name, permitted work, restrictions and follow-up date together against the candidate or employee record. Add notes about failed attempts there too. They can explain a delay between an offer and a confirmed start, and help a colleague take over without repeating the same failed steps. A saved image alone does not show whether the code was misread, entered into the wrong service or applied to the wrong person.
Evidence to Keep and When Checks Must Be Repeated
Don't confuse how long a code lasts with how long permission lasts. They're different clocks, and mixing them up causes both unnecessary rechecks and missed follow-ups.
The Home Office employer's guide to right to work checks states that share codes are valid for 90 calendar days from the date they are issued, can be used repeatedly in that period only for the purpose they were generated for, and must be replaced with a new right to work code once they expire. A code created to prove status to a landlord can't be substituted for an employment check.
Permission works differently. Someone can give you a fresh code today while holding permission that ends soon, so you still need a follow-up check shortly before that permission expires. Equally, an expired code doesn't mean permission has expired, it only means the applicant must generate another code before you can run a new check.
The recognised routes have applied since 1 October 2022, when employers returned to the prescribed framework, as set out in the Home Office employer's guide to right to work checks, which also confirms employers generally don't need retrospective checks for EU, EEA or Swiss citizens employed on or before 30 June 2021 and aren't responsible for ensuring they applied to the EU Settlement Scheme.
The checklist below summarises the evidence fields I'd expect to see on every completed digital check.
Evidence to Keep After a Share Code Check
| Evidence item | What to confirm | How long to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Check date | Date the online check was completed, before work started | Duration of employment plus two years |
| Profile or confirmation | Name, permitted type of work and any restrictions shown | Duration of employment plus two years |
| Code status at check | Code was valid at the time and used for the right to work purpose | Recorded with the check date |
| Follow-up date | Date permission ends for time-limited status | Until the follow-up check is complete |
| Checker name | Person who completed the check and the outcome | Duration of employment plus two years |
Keep the record for the duration of employment plus two years, and align that rule with your wider retention schedule rather than leaving expiry dates in individual inboxes. Our guidance on employee records retention periods in the UK can help you organise those rules consistently across HR files.
The code is a credential, the record is the evidence. The check date and the result matter more than the code itself.
I wouldn't keep rechecking people on an arbitrary cycle either. Repeat a check where permission is time-limited and a follow-up is due, or where a new check is otherwise required. Excessive, inconsistent rechecking wastes time and can make applicants feel they've been singled out, while a missed expiry leaves you exposed. The control you need is a reliable follow-up date attached to the right people, not a blanket reminder sent to everyone.
Handling Invalid Codes and Failed Checks
When a share code fails, can your team tell whether it was mistyped, issued for the wrong purpose or applied to the wrong person? Digital checks can encounter technical problems, so employers need a consistent exception process. Treating every failure alike can delay a start unnecessarily, while allowing work to begin before eligibility is confirmed creates a different risk.
Suppose a recruitment coordinator is preparing agency starters and three codes are rejected. Two arrive through broken email links; the third was generated for the wrong purpose. Without an attempt log, these failures look identical. Record the time, error and action for each attempt, and HR can distinguish a transmission problem from a purpose mismatch, request the right correction and identify which start dates remain achievable.
Share Code Problems Actions and Records
| Problem | Likely cause | Action | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code rejected as invalid | Typing error, or code expired after 90 days | Ask the applicant to generate a new employment purpose code | Failed attempt, time and code status |
| Code issued for another purpose | Code generated for a different service | Request a code created for the right to work check | Purpose mismatch noted |
| Result does not match the person | Incorrect date of birth or wrong profile | Reconfirm date of birth, escalate if still mismatched | Escalation and outcome |
| Emailed link broken | Link incomplete or corrupted in transit | Ask the applicant to copy the code manually | Issue type noted |
| Service unavailable | Technical problem with the online checking service | Do not start work, retry and use the Home Office escalation route | Date of outage and retry log |
| Permission shows restrictions | Limit on hours or type of work | Apply the restriction to the rota and contract | Restriction recorded in the employee record |
Follow the same sequence for each failed check. Confirm that the applicant selected the employment purpose, request a newly generated code if needed, then verify the date of birth directly with the applicant. Record each attempt, including what failed and what HR did next. If the service remains unavailable or the result still does not match, follow the GOV.UK contact guidance for the online right to work service and note any reference or response received.
A result that does not match the person is a stop signal. Do not let work start until eligibility is confirmed. Do not demand extra documents from that applicant just because the digital result looks unfamiliar. Apply the same escalation route consistently, explain the delay plainly and give the applicant a clear next action. This prevents a manager's staffing pressure from turning an unresolved check into an unsupported decision.
Write down the failure, not just the eventual success.
The record should show why a start was delayed, who owns the retry and whether work was held until the issue was resolved. A successful check after a failed attempt does not explain the earlier decision on its own. Keeping both outcomes makes the process resilient when a code is misread, a link fails or a check has been run against the wrong person.
Audit Trail Pre-Start Review and Next Steps
A share code check is only as reliable as the record behind it. Spreadsheets and shared folders become difficult to control when recruitment is spread across sites, agencies and line managers. Each check needs a structured record linked to the right candidate or employee, with access to identity evidence limited and follow-up dates assigned to an owner.
The evidence pack below illustrates the material a structured digital record can organise, with each item connected to a person, a date and an outcome.
Build the Record in Dataverse
Create a right to work check record linked to the candidate or employee record in Microsoft Dataverse. Capture the check method, share code or reference where appropriate, check date, checker, result, permitted work, restrictions, follow-up date, retry history and final outcome. With auditing enabled, Dataverse can track changes to records, helping you identify who changed a date or outcome and when.
Power Apps, Power Automate and Power BI are Microsoft Power Platform capabilities that can support this process. A Power Apps form can require key fields before a starter record progresses. Scheduled Power Automate flows can remind the named owner ahead of a follow-up date, using intervals configured for your process. A Power BI view can highlight expiring permissions, overdue follow-ups and repeated failed attempts by site or recruiter. That visibility can help HR identify process or training gaps instead of treating every failed check as an applicant error.
Control access as carefully as you control reminders. Restrict identity evidence to named compliance users, while letting hiring managers see the check status and permitted work without opening sensitive documents. Assign responsibility for completing the record to the checker. These controls reduce unnecessary exposure of personal data and discourage informal evidence folders from spreading across teams.
The HR Management 365 compliance extension supports evidence capture, expiry tracking, reminders and audit within a Microsoft-based HR platform. HR Management 365 delivers a modular solution built on Microsoft Power Platform and integrated with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. Its UK-based implementation and support can help organisations configure HR processes, including right to work records, around their operating requirements. Structured fields and reminders can reduce routine administration, but they do not guarantee compliance or replace the Home Office check. HR remains responsible for ensuring the check is completed correctly and that failures are handled consistently.
Run a Six Point Pre-Start Review
Test the controls your team already uses before adding more configuration. A review of recent records can show whether the process works in practice, including when a check fails or a follow-up is due.
- List recent starters: Pull starters from the last six months and sample across sites, recruiters and worker types.
- Check dates first: Confirm each person has a dated check record completed before their start date.
- Inspect the evidence: Confirm each file contains the profile or confirmation, not just a cropped screenshot.
- Test follow-ups: Check that every time-limited permission has a follow-up date, a reminder and a named owner.
- Rehearse a failure: Take a failed-code example through the process. Confirm the team knows when to hold a start and how to escalate the issue.
- Review access: Confirm that only named users can view identity evidence and that access is removed promptly when users leave.
Use the same check standard for every hire. Nationality, accent or appearance must not prompt extra evidence requests, and an unfamiliar eVisa is not a reason to reject a candidate. Managers should send questions to HR rather than introduce extra hurdles themselves. Consistent routing, recorded escalation and clear ownership help reduce discrimination risk while maintaining the compliance standard.
For a wider manager refresher, the guide to right to work checks for UK employers brings employer duties together. Use it alongside your internal procedure, which should identify the record fields, responsible owners and escalation contacts your organisation uses.
For organisations using Microsoft systems, a practical model is a central HR record with controlled local execution. HR sets the rules, trained checkers complete the Home Office check, Power Automate manages reminders, and Power BI gives leaders visibility of overdue or failed checks. Connections with Dynamics 365 Business Central or Finance & Operations can keep employee information aligned when a candidate becomes an employee, reducing re-keying and helping payroll and operations use consistent records. The trade-off is that automation can make omissions easier to spot, but it cannot correct a wrong person-to-record match or a misread result without human review.
Speak to an HR Management 365 Specialist
HR Management 365 provides a modular human resources platform built on Microsoft Power Platform and integrated with Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 Business Central and Finance & Operations. Its hire-to-retire solution centralises HR processes, data and governance within the Microsoft ecosystem. Services include implementation, configuration and UK-based support, alongside recruitment, employee records, workflows, reporting and compliance extensions.
If share code checks are still managed through inboxes, screenshots and spreadsheets, consider how a structured Microsoft-based process could bring the evidence, follow-up reminders and audit history into one HR record. HR Management 365 can help configure processes around your organisation's recruitment and employee lifecycle requirements, while keeping HR responsible for check decisions and escalation. To discuss right to work evidence capture and record workflows, send us a message through our contact page.
