Services / Pay As You Go
What if you only need us three times a year?
Pay as you go HR support for small businesses, with no retainer.
Based in Caterham, Surrey, and working across London, the South East and the UK.
Some businesses need HR most weeks. Plenty need it twice, badly, and then not again for months. If that is you, buy the hour, the document or the case, and nothing else.
Got one question rather than a project? Call 07557 982407, Monday to Friday 9 to 5, or email hello@whatifhr.co.uk. The first conversation is free.
£125 an hour
+ VAT, recorded in 15 minute blocks
- Ten hours up front
- £1,000 + VAT, used within three months. Works out at £100 an hour.
- Two days or more
- £650 a day + VAT.
- Documents and cases
- Priced per piece, from £130.
Where most people are
You need HR occasionally, and every quote is a monthly fee
Have you looked at HR support, seen a twelve month contract and closed the tab? Most of what is sold to businesses your size assumes you want a subscription, when all you wanted was an answer.
We would rather you bought an hour and went away happy than signed up for something you use twice.
What people buy this way
- 1
One contract, before somebody starts on Monday.
- 2
An hour to talk through a probation that is not working out.
- 3
A handbook, once, then nothing for a year.
- 4
Someone to check a letter before it gets sent.
Three ways to buy
By the hour, by the document or by the case
All fixed and agreed before anything starts. No minimum, no notice period and nothing to cancel. Prices + VAT.
By the hour
£125 an hour
For a question, a second opinion or a letter checked before you send it. Recorded in 15 minute blocks, so a ten minute answer costs ten minutes.
- One hour
- £125
- Ten hours up front, used within three months
- £1,000
- Two days or more
- £650 a day
By buying, you agree to our Master Terms.
By the document
from £130
Written for your business, not filled in from a template. Two rounds of changes included, about a week for a single document.
- A single policy
- £130
- Employment contract
- £250
- Contract review
- £250
- Freelancer agreement
- £250
- Staff handbook
- £750
By the case
from £650 a case
A live disciplinary, grievance, absence or performance issue, run from the first call to the outcome. One day minimum, then by the half day, estimated before we start.
- A formal case, first day
- £650
- Each extra half day
- £325
- Investigation and appeal, typically
- £975 to £1,950
How it works
Nothing to sign, and you know the cost first
- 1
Tell us what has come up
A free 20 minute call, or an email if that is quicker. We will say which of the three ways suits it, and roughly what it will take.
- 2
You get the price first
A document is a fixed fee. Hourly work and cases are estimated before we start, and we tell you if they are going to run over.
- 3
It gets sorted
You get the answer, the document or the process, plus what to do next. Then nothing happens until you get in touch again.
Being straight with you
The point where this costs you more
Pay as you go is the cheaper option right up until it is not. Past roughly fifteen hours a year, the monthly fee costs less and you stop watching the clock before you ring.
We will tell you when you cross that line, because a client who feels overcharged does not come back.
£150 a month
HR Buddy, the first tier of Retained HR Partner
Fifteen hours at £125 comes to £1,875. HR Buddy is £1,800 for the year and includes up to about two hours of advice a month on a fair-usage basis, the law changes that apply to you flagged, and a quarterly check-in.
You can move across whenever it makes sense, and we do not backdate the months in between.
See the retained plansWho this is for
Owners who need HR sometimes, not every week
- A handful of people and a quiet yearUnder ten employees, nothing much happens, and when it does you want one good answer rather than a relationship.
- You have someone doing HR alreadyAn office or ops manager who handles most of it and needs a senior voice on the hard third of it.
- You want to try before committingBuy an hour, see whether you like how we work, then decide about anything ongoing. Plenty of clients start here.
Straight answers
Common questions
Can't see your question?
Ask us directly. We reply the same working day.
Book a free 20-minute callor email hello@whatifhr.co.uk
Is there a minimum spend?
No. The smallest thing you can buy is fifteen minutes at £31.25 + VAT, and plenty of first conversations do not get billed at all. There is nothing to sign and nothing to cancel.
What happens to the ten hours if we do not use them?
They run for three months from the day you buy them. We will tell you when you are getting close, so you can use them or let them go with your eyes open. If you would rather not risk it, pay for hours as you use them at £125.
How quickly can you answer?
Same working day where we can, and always within one working day. If something is urgent, ring rather than email.
Will you push us onto a monthly fee?
No, and we will tell you when a monthly fee would be cheaper for you. Around fifteen hours a year is the point where it stops being worth paying by the hour.
Can we switch to a retainer later?
Yes, whenever it suits you. HR Buddy is the first tier of Retained HR Partner at £150 a month, and you keep the same person who already knows your business.
Good to know
Before you pick up the phone
Three common questions, answered in plain English.
Send us your what-ifs.
Twenty minutes, no charge, no obligation to buy anything afterwards. Tell us what has come up and we will tell you what it takes to sort it.
All prices exclude VAT. This page is general information, not legal advice. What If HR Ltd. Surrey, London, South East England and remote UK.