- UK Employment Law · 2026
Notice Period Calculator
Find out exactly how much notice you need to give — or are owed — based on UK employment law and your contract. Results in seconds.
Notice Period Calculator
Calculate minimum notice required when leaving or ending employment based on UK statutory law
What is a notice period?
A notice period is the amount of time between an employee handing in their resignation (or an employer issuing a dismissal) and the actual last day of employment. During this time, the employment contract remains fully in force — the employee continues to receive full pay, accrue holiday, and keep all benefits.
Notice periods exist to protect both sides. Employees get time to job search, arrange finances, and hand over their work properly. Employers get time to recruit a replacement and ensure continuity. Getting the notice period wrong — either by leaving too early or dismissing too quickly — can lead to breach of contract claims and unnecessary employment tribunal risk.
In the UK, notice periods are governed by two things: statutory law (the legal minimum set by the government) and your employment contract (which can be more generous but never less). You are always entitled to whichever is longer.
How to use this calculator
This calculator works for both employees and employers. Use the tabs at the top to switch between the two scenarios.
If you are an employee leaving a job: Enter how long you have been continuously employed and what your contract says your notice period is. The calculator compares your statutory entitlement with your contractual notice and tells you which applies — and shows your estimated last working day.
If you are an employer dismissing or making someone redundant: Enter the employee’s length of service and their contractual notice period. The calculator applies the statutory minimum under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and tells you the correct notice requirement, plus an estimated end date and approximate PILON cost.
Both modes also flag the most important scenarios — garden leave, gross misconduct, and probation — with plain-English explanations.
UK notice period rules — what the law actually says
Statutory notice: the legal minimum
UK law sets out the minimum notice periods in Section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. These are the absolute floor — your employer cannot give you less, and you are legally bound by whichever is higher between statute and your contract.
Employer’s statutory minimum notice (when dismissing an employee):
| Length of continuous service | Statutory minimum notice |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | None (no statutory entitlement) |
| 1 month to 2 years | 1 week |
| 2 years | 2 weeks |
| 3 years | 3 weeks |
| 4 years | 4 weeks |
| 5 years | 5 weeks |
| 6 years | 6 weeks |
| 7–11 years | 7–11 weeks (1 week per year) |
| 12 years or more | 12 weeks (maximum) |
Employee’s statutory minimum notice (when resigning): Just 1 week — regardless of how long you have worked there. However, your employment contract almost certainly requires more. Check it before you hand in your notice.
The golden rule
You must always serve whichever is longer: the statutory minimum or your contractual notice period. If your contract says 3 months and the statutory minimum is only 4 weeks, you must serve 3 months. If the statutory minimum is longer than your contract says (which sometimes happens with long-service employees on old contracts), the statutory minimum wins.Contractual notice: what your contract says
Most employment contracts specify a longer notice period than the statutory minimum. Typical contractual notice periods by seniority level are:
| Role level | Typical contractual notice |
|---|---|
| Junior / entry level | 1 month |
| Mid-level / experienced | 1–3 months |
| Senior / management | 3–6 months |
| Director / C-suite | 6–12 months |
These are guidelines. Your actual contractual notice is whatever is written in your employment contract — always check the document, not assumptions about your seniority.
PILON — Payment In Lieu of Notice
PILON means your employer pays you your notice period salary as a lump sum instead of you physically working through the notice period. This ends the employment immediately rather than waiting out the notice period.
When can PILON happen? Either when your employment contract includes a PILON clause allowing it, or when both parties mutually agree to it. Your employer cannot force PILON on you if there is no PILON clause in your contract — or more precisely, they can pay you in lieu, but doing so without a contractual right technically constitutes a breach of contract (even if the financial outcome for you is the same).
Is PILON taxed? Yes. Since April 2018, all PILON is treated as earnings and is subject to income tax through PAYE and employee National Insurance deductions — exactly the same as your regular wages. There is no tax-free element on PILON.
How is PILON calculated? The basic formula is:
PILON = (Basic weekly pay × notice weeks)
Note that PILON must include any regular contractual payments you normally receive — not just basic salary. Regular overtime, contractual bonuses, and shift allowances that are part of your normal pay must be factored in.
Garden leave explained
Garden leave (sometimes written as “gardening leave”) is when your employer tells you to stay away from the workplace — and away from clients and colleagues — during your notice period, while continuing to pay you in full.
It is most common when employees are moving to a direct competitor, as employers use it to protect client relationships, confidential information, and market-sensitive knowledge.
If you are on garden leave:
- You remain employed throughout the period
- You must continue to receive full pay and all benefits
- Your holiday continues to accrue
- Post-employment restrictive covenants (such as non-compete clauses) may still apply and run from your actual last day of employment, not the start of garden leave
Garden leave does not shorten your notice period — it simply changes where you spend it.
Special situations that change the rules
Gross misconduct
If an employee is dismissed for gross misconduct — a serious act such as theft, fraud, violence, or a significant breach of trust — the employer can terminate employment immediately without notice and without paying PILON. This is called summary dismissal.
However, employers must be careful. Summary dismissal is only lawful when the conduct is genuinely so serious that it fundamentally breaks the employment contract. Even in cases of gross misconduct, a fair disciplinary process must be followed before dismissal. Getting this wrong can expose employers to unfair dismissal claims.
Probation period
Many employment contracts include a shorter notice period during probation — sometimes as little as one week, even for senior roles. Your probation notice period is set by your contract. Once probation ends and you move to your permanent contract terms, the standard notice period applies.
Importantly, probation time still counts towards your continuous service for statutory notice calculation purposes.
Zero hours contracts
Workers on zero hours contracts can have statutory notice rights, but only if they qualify as employees (not just workers) under UK employment law. The distinction turns on factors like whether there is mutuality of obligation — whether the employer is obliged to offer work and the individual is obliged to accept it. Many zero hours arrangements are deliberately structured to avoid full employee status. If you are unsure of your status, ACAS can help — call 0300 123 1100 for free, confidential advice.
Fixed-term contracts
Fixed-term employees are entitled to statutory notice if their contract is terminated early, before the fixed end date. However, when a fixed-term contract simply expires at its natural end date, no notice is technically required — the contract ends automatically. That said, good employment practice usually involves giving some advance warning.
What happens if you do not work your notice period?
If an employee leaves without working their notice: This is a breach of contract. The employer can potentially take legal action for damages equal to the cost of any additional expense caused by the early departure — such as the cost of emergency temporary cover. In practice, most employers settle for refusing to pay for the unworked days rather than going to court. However, the employee risks a poor reference or no reference at all.
If an employer dismisses without the correct notice: This is wrongful dismissal — a breach of contract. The employee is entitled to claim damages equal to the pay they would have received during the proper notice period. This is separate from unfair dismissal, which concerns whether the dismissal itself was fair, not just whether the correct notice was given.
FAQ
How much notice do I have to give when I resign?
Legally, the statutory minimum is just 1 week — regardless of how long you have worked for the employer. However, your employment contract almost certainly specifies more. For most employees this is 1 month; for senior roles it can be 3 to 6 months. You are legally bound by your contractual notice if it is longer than the statutory minimum. Check your contract before handing in your resignation.
Can my employer make me leave immediately when I resign?
What is the maximum notice period an employer must give in the UK?
Does my notice period include weekends and bank holidays?
Can my employer change my notice period during employment?
What does continuous service mean for notice period calculations?
I am on a zero hours contract — do I have a notice period?
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DISCLAIMER:
Results from this calculator are for guidance purposes only. They are based on the Employment Rights Act 1996 and standard UK employment law as of April 2026. They do not constitute legal advice. Employment situations can be complex — if you are in a dispute with your employer, or are unsure of your rights, seek advice from ACAS (acas.org.uk | 0300 123 1100) or a qualified employment solicitor. Last reviewed: April 2026.