Home-based work in Uzbekistan: contracts, pay and safety

A home-based worker makes goods or provides services for an employer from home or another personally owned or rented premise. The employer needs a written employment contract, a hiring order and registration in the Unified National Labour System (UNLS). It must check safety, provide materials, pay for the work and reimburse contractually agreed expenses under the Labour Code (Article 443) and Cabinet regulations.

In brief:

• a person may become a home-based worker from age 16 (Article 444); the minimum is 18 where full individual material liability is required;
• a paper contract must be registered in the UNLS within five working days, and termination within three working days;
• the assignment must fit within the monthly working-time norm, but the worker sets the schedule, so night, weekend and overtime premiums do not apply;
• annual leave is at least 21 days (Article 449);
• before work starts, the employer should align the contract, premises, assignment, equipment, acceptance, pay, reimbursements and occupational safety as one process.

Updated: 05 September 2026

Eligible work, workers and premises

What counts as home-based work

Home-based work is not a casual label for any work performed from home. It is a distinct form of employment. Under an employment contract, a home-based worker makes goods or provides services on the employer’s orders at the worker’s home, in premises belonging to the worker or a family member, or in premises rented by the worker.

It differs from remote work in how the work is organised. A remote employee performs an employment function outside a place controlled by the employer and interacts through information networks (Article 452). A home-based worker completes a production assignment or service at home, usually involving the transfer of raw materials, equipment and a finished result.

A domestic worker is also a different category. That person serves the personal needs of an individual employer, for example as a nanny, gardener or driver, without a connection to business activity. Such personal household services (Article 514) are governed by a separate regime.

An employer may also engage a self-employed person as a home-based worker: this is expressly permitted for employers. Self-employed status or a civil contract does not by itself create employment protections. If the parties have in substance agreed on an employment function, subordination and wages, they should use an employment contract and comply with employee protections.

This article covers home-based work, not every move away from the office. The article on changing employment terms explains when an existing employee can move to another arrangement and how to document an addendum. Use it when a current employee is to become a home-based worker.

Who may be hired as a home-based worker

A home-based worker must have reached the statutory age, have suitable premises and possess the required skills or undergo training. The employer selects the particular work with regard to the person’s skills and health. For a person with a disability, it must also consider the recommendations of the medical-social expert commission.

The minimum age is 16 if the work does not require full individual material liability. Where the worker will receive valuables and the nature of the work requires a full individual material liability agreement, the minimum age is 18. The general restrictions and mandatory medical examination rules also apply to a minor.

Family members may assist the home-based worker without employer consent (Article 447). They do not become the employer’s employees and receive neither wages nor employment protections from it. The home-based worker remains responsible to the employer for the entire result, so acceptance procedures and quality requirements should cover all work delivered.

How to check the premises and the work

Before signing the contract, the employer must confirm that the process can be carried out at home and that the premises allow the assignment to be performed safely. A dwelling does not have to be reclassified as non-residential, but that exception does not remove sanitary, fire and technical requirements. It must remain fit for habitation; home-based work is expressly exempt from the general restriction on industrial use of housing (use of premises, Article 9 of the Housing Code).

The employer may not assign licensable work at home or use power-driven, energy-intensive or technically complex equipment, hazardous chemical components, or technology whose special safety rules cannot be monitored in domestic conditions. Some otherwise permissible tasks require regulatory approvals (Article 445) from the fire and sanitary authorities and the State Labour Inspectorate.

The secondary legislation identifies these prohibited groups:

The employer should record the assessment in an internal report stating the address, premises, work, equipment, raw materials, risks, required approvals and protective measures. The report does not replace an authority’s approval, but records why the employer authorised the work at that location. Regulatory officers may enter the working part of private premises only with the owner’s and worker’s consent; access for the employer’s representatives should be agreed in the employment contract.

Contract and hiring documents

What the employment contract must contain

The employer and home-based worker enter into a written contract. The general mandatory terms (Article 104) include the place and function of employment, start date, pay, the term and grounds for a fixed-term contract, any individual working-time arrangement, guarantees for special conditions and the nature of the work. For home-based work, the contract should specify the address and define a measurable assignment result.

The special contract terms cover the whole production cycle (Article 446):

• who supplies equipment, inventory, components, raw materials and semi-finished products, when, and under which documents;
• how the worker receives materials and delivers finished products, and who checks quantity and quality;
• material liability for property and defective output;
• each party’s occupational-safety and working-condition duties;
• leave, social insurance and pension arrangements;
• reimbursement for personal equipment and energy, water and communication costs;
• repair of transferred property;
• inventory checks and the conditions for employer representatives to enter the premises;
• when and how the worker must report an inability to complete the order because of an outage of electricity, water or gas, or another circumstance beyond the worker’s control.

The contract may be paper or electronic and must be made in at least two copies (Article 106). One copy goes to the worker, who separately acknowledges receipt on the employer’s copy. A seal is used only if the employer has one.

If the worker receives access to a trade secret, a generic “confidentiality” clause is not enough. The employer must obtain a signed acknowledgement of the protected information and the protection regime, create the conditions needed to observe it, and state the obligations and post-termination period of non-disclosure in the contract.

How to document hiring and registration

Hiring a home-based worker follows the general employment stages: information and familiarisation, agreement and signature, the hiring order, the employment record and registration. The Code combines these hiring stages (Article 122), so an employer cannot merely hand over an order and pay for the output.

Before signature, the candidate must be informed about the work and conditions, internal employment rules, the collective agreement and relevant local policies. This pre-contract procedure (Article 123) applies even where the employee never attends the office.

Formation, amendment and termination of the contract require mandatory registration (Article 109). The UNLS Regulation sets the deadlines for paper contracts and termination. A special homeworking act also requires employment, civil-law and works contracts with home-based workers to be registered on the Tax Committee’s electronic-contract portal.

The general candidate-document list, employment records and risks of allowing work before documentation are covered in hiring an employee. HR teams should use it to add the general hiring process to the home-based worker’s special contract.

Equipment, working time and pay

Who supplies equipment and pays expenses

As a general rule, the employer supplies and delivers raw materials, components and semi-finished products of the required quality. The home-based worker should not buy them independently for an employment assignment. The employer normally accepts the result at the work location and signs a report stating quantity and quality. Once accepted, the result must be paid for regardless of resale.

Equipment, tools and inventory may be provided for free use, rent or financial leasing. A consignment note and the appropriate written agreement document the transfer. The enterprise must provide property fit for the assignment and give safety instructions. These methods of transfer do not replace the employment contract.

A written full individual material-liability agreement is used where property is provided for free. The worker keeps the property safe and reports risks to it; the employer provides instructions and training. Inventory and revaluation take place annually with the worker present.

The employer installs, connects and tests the equipment at the work location. It pays for preventive maintenance, adjustment and repairs where a breakdown is not the worker’s fault. At the end of employment, the property is returned under a consignment note. These equipment obligations should also appear in the contract and servicing schedule.

Where the worker uses personally owned property or property rented from a third party, the employer reimburses depreciation and operating expenses in the amount and manner agreed by the parties. This right to property reimbursement (Article 293) should be supported by a calculation and reports.

Cabinet Regulation No. 146 covers depreciation of working property, electricity, substantial water use, gas, work-related communications, and freight as reimbursable expenses. The contract sets the amount and method, and each reimbursement needs a report. Depreciation of the premises, furniture and low-value property is excluded; qualifying equipment depreciation is reimbursed at least once every three months.

Energy, water, gas and communication expenses are generally reimbursed monthly when the employer accepts the output. The electricity formula treats each appliance separately. Freight costs are reimbursed only where their business need is substantiated.

Example. A machine rated at 0.5 kW operates for 0.4 hours per item, and the assumed household tariff is UZS 1,000 per kWh. Energy per item is 0.5 × 0.4 × 1,000 = UZS 200. For 300 accepted items, reimbursement is UZS 60,000; separately calculated workplace lighting is added.

How to record working time and leave

The home-based worker decides the length of the working day, schedule and routine. The employer controls the assignment rather than physical attendance: the standard time for the monthly volume must not exceed normal or reduced working hours. Because the worker allocates time independently, all completed work is paid at the ordinary rate (Article 448), without night, weekend, public-holiday or overtime premiums.

This does not remove record-keeping. The employer records each assignment with its standard time, rate, worker expenses, deductions, accrued remuneration and amount paid. This assignment-by-assignment record links the working-time norm to the acceptance report and payroll record.

Annual leave is included in a schedule approved by the employer in agreement with the home-based worker. Where legislation, a collective agreement or the employment contract gives longer leave, the longer period applies. The remaining general leave rules continue to apply.

This section covers only the home-based worker’s special arrangement. The article on working time explains general hour limits, reference periods, public holidays and leave rules. Use it when calculating standard time for an assignment.

How to pay a home-based worker

Home-based work is generally paid on a piece-rate basis for completed services or output meeting quality requirements. The parties agree norms and rates based on normal working time, and remuneration must be comparable to the same work at the employer’s facility. If the norm is met, pay may not be below the statutory minimum wage and has no upper limit (Article 450).

A piece rate is calculated from the daily or hourly tariff rate and the output norm or standard time. The Code expressly provides both calculations (Article 277). The contract should define the unit of output, rate, quality requirements, acceptance document and payment date.

Example. The hourly tariff rate is UZS 30,000 and the output norm is five items per hour. The piece rate is 30,000 / 5 = UZS 6,000 per item. If the employer accepts 120 conforming items, piece-rate wages are 6,000 × 120 = UZS 720,000. Electricity and property reimbursements are calculated separately where the contract provides for them.

Payment may be made when each completed assignment is delivered or at regular intervals; the contract may provide an advance. If the ordinary payroll cycle is chosen, wages are paid twice each month (Article 253), generally no more than 16 days apart. Acceptance cannot postpone payment until resale: accepted conforming output must be paid for regardless of its later sale.

If the worker misses the norm through the employer’s fault, pay is at least average wages in proportion to time worked. For a cause beyond both parties’ control, the employee retains at least two thirds (Article 265) of the tariff rate; where the worker is at fault, pay follows actual output. Downtime caused by the employer is paid at average wages, a cause outside both parties at not less than two thirds, and worker-caused downtime is unpaid (downtime pay, Article 266).

A defect caused by a hidden flaw in material or otherwise not caused by the employee is paid as conforming output. A partial defect caused by the worker is paid at a reduced rate according to usability; a complete worker-caused defect is unpaid (Article 267).

Taxes, deductions, payslips and liability for late payment are covered in the article on wages. Payroll teams should use it after selecting a piece-rate or time-based system for the home-based worker.

Safety and contract termination

Which occupational-safety duties continue

Work in a dwelling does not remove the employer’s occupational-safety duties. It must provide safe conditions and equipment, timely wages, social insurance against occupational accidents and mandatory employer civil-liability insurance. These general employer duties (Article 25) apply together with the special homeworking contract.

The employer assesses risks in the premises, informs the worker, supplies personal protective equipment, monitors conditions, arranges sanitary and medical support, training, insurance and accident investigation. The full employer-duty list (Article 359) applies with adjustments for a workplace outside the company’s premises.

Every new worker must receive occupational-safety instruction and safe-method training; a person who has not completed instruction and knowledge testing may not start work (Article 362). Where the worker is in a statutory category, such as a minor, a person of pensionable age, a person with a disability or a person in adverse conditions, the employer pays for a mandatory medical examination (Article 360).

The employer must insure its civil liability within 15 working days of state registration. It notifies the insurer of a change in risk within five working days and an occupational accident within three working days. These insurance deadlines apply to employers of home-based workers as well.

Occupational accidents and work-related diseases require mandatory investigation (Article 366). An event at home may qualify if it occurred while duties were being performed. A loss of capacity for at least one day requires an N-1 accident report. Its details must be entered in the UNLS within three working days.

How to terminate the contract and return property

A home-based worker’s contract may end on the general grounds in the Labour Code and on additional grounds expressly included in the contract. A special ground cannot be invented after a dispute arises. It must be stated in the contract (Article 451) in advance and applied without reducing mandatory protections.

Before termination, the employer inventories property, accepts remaining raw materials and finished output, records the property’s condition and completes a return consignment note. If the order changes, transferred property is returned and the lease is terminated or amended under the prescribed process.

On the termination date, the employer pays unpaid wages, compensation for unused leave and other amounts due. If the worker was not working that day, payment is made within three days (Article 172) after the worker requests settlement.

The employer cannot automatically deduct the whole amount of damage from final pay. Damage not exceeding average monthly wages may be recovered by an order issued within one month (Article 347) after discovery. A larger amount or a missed deadline requires court proceedings.

General grounds, notice periods, the termination order and final settlement are covered in dismissal. Use it where the contract ends on a general Labour Code ground rather than a special homeworking clause.

Changes and employer checks

What changed in 2025–2026

• Decree UP-126 of 4 August 2025 allowed service, agriculture and construction businesses with up to 50 employees to document the formation and termination of electronic employment contracts in the UNLS through Face ID from 1 September 2025.
• Decree UP-126 of 4 August 2025 introduced, from 1 January 2026, the review of employment-law breaches recorded through the UNLS without the employer’s participation and the issuance of electronic administrative decisions.
• Cabinet Resolution 796 of 17 December 2025 required all types of employee leave and civil-law contracts to be registered in the UNLS from 1 January 2026. For home-based work, this expands record-keeping beyond registration of the employment contract itself.

What the employer should verify

Before the first assignment, the employer should have one evidentiary file covering suitable work and premises, required approvals, the written contract, hiring order, registrations, an assignment with a time norm, property-transfer documents, acceptance reports, payroll and reimbursement calculations, safety instruction and insurance. The State Labour Inspectorate monitors compliance (Article 535) with employment law, occupational safety, employer-liability insurance and the rights of persons with disabilities.

A responsible officer who breaches employment or occupational-safety law may be fined 5–10 BRVs (Article 49 of the Code of Administrative Liability); one BRV is the base calculation unit, so the site displays 2.200.000–4.400.000 UZS. A repeated breach within one year carries 10–15 BRVs (4.400.000–6.600.000 UZS), and a breach involving a minor carries 10–20 BRVs (4.400.000–8.800.000 UZS).

Example. At the current BRV, the first fine ranges from 2.200.000 to 4.400.000 UZS: the lower end is five times one BRV, and the upper end ten times one BRV. The site tokens update both amounts automatically whenever the BRV changes.

The worker chooses the labour-disputes commission or a court; this is the worker’s choice (Article 545). The commission application period is six months (Article 554). In court, reinstatement claims have three months, an employer’s damage claim one year, and most other employment claims six months; no time limit applies (Article 560) to harm to life or health.

The employer’s main protection is not an isolated work-from-home clause, but a consistent document trail from the premises assessment through acceptance of the result and return of property.

Frequently asked questions

How does home-based work differ from remote work?

A home-based worker makes goods or provides services on the employer’s order at home or another personally owned or rented premise. The contract usually describes the assignment, materials, equipment, acceptance and expenses. A remote employee performs an employment function away from the employer and interacts through information and communication networks. The Labour Code gives these arrangements different special terms, so the label in the contract must match how the work is actually organised.

Can a home-based worker use a works contract?

Homeworking may also be organised through a civil-law contract, but that model must not conceal employment. If a person personally performs a continuing employment function, follows the employer’s rules and receives wages, an employment contract and employee protections are required. A works contract may suit a one-off result without an employment arrangement. The special act requires both employment and civil-law contracts with home-based workers to be registered on the Tax Committee’s portal.

May family members help the home-based worker?

Yes. Employer consent is not required where the home-based worker organises performance under the contract. No separate employment relationship arises between the employer and family members. The employer accepts the whole result from the home-based worker, who remains responsible for work and services completed with family assistance. Access by relatives to hazardous equipment or trade secrets should be considered when choosing the technology and information-protection arrangements.

Are night and weekend premiums payable?

The special premiums do not apply because a home-based worker allocates working time independently. All completed work is paid at the ordinary rate. The employer may not impose an excessive assignment: the standard time for the monthly volume must fit within normal or reduced working hours. The volume, standards and dates should be recorded in each production assignment and acceptance report.

Who pays for electricity, water and personal equipment?

The employer reimburses expenses where they relate to the production assignment and the contract provides for them. Electricity uses equipment power, standard operating time and the household tariff; water and gas use technical norms and tariffs. Depreciation is reimbursed for working equipment but not for the premises or furniture. The parties should agree the amount, frequency and supporting documents in advance, and document each reimbursement by a report.

What happens after an accident at home?

The home-based worker should notify the employer immediately. The employer arranges an investigation if the event is linked to employment duties, prepares an N-1 report where the statutory loss-of-capacity threshold is met, and enters the data in the UNLS. It also notifies the insurer within the required period. A home address does not exclude the incident from occupational reporting; its connection to the assignment and the circumstances of work determine the outcome.