- UK Employment Law · 2026
Notice Period Calculator UK — Work Out Your Last Working Day
If you’re handing in your notice today — or being handed one — this notice period calculator UK gives you the exact number of weeks that apply to your situation and your last working day, based on the Employment Rights Act 1996. Getting this wrong has real consequences: hand in your notice too early and you might breach your contract; give an employee less than the statutory minimum and you’re exposed to a wrongful dismissal claim. Below the calculator, you’ll find the legal framework behind the results, guidance on what to include in the weekly pay figure for PILON, and three worked examples.
Calculate minimum notice required when leaving or ending employment based on UK statutory law
What Does the Notice Period Calculator Calculate?
The Notice Period Calculator has two modes, because the rules are different depending on which side of the notice you’re on.
Employee mode is for workers who are resigning. Enter your contract notice length and the date you plan to hand in your notice. The calculator tells you exactly how many weeks’ notice you owe, whether that’s driven by statute or your contract, and shows a three-point timeline: notice date, midpoint, and last working day.
Employer mode is for businesses dismissing an employee. Enter the employee’s complete years of service, their weekly gross pay, the contractual notice length, the dismissal reason, and the date notice is given. The calculator returns the statutory minimum under ERA 1996, the applicable notice period (whichever is higher — statutory or contractual), an estimated gross PILON cost in GBP, and a last working day timeline.
Both modes are grounded in ERA 1996, Section 86.
What notice periods actually are: A notice period is the 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 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 employment tribunal risk.
How to Use the Notice Period Calculator
Employee mode — resigning:
- Years employed (slider or input): Enter how long you’ve worked there. This doesn’t change your statutory minimum (always 1 week) but is recorded for reference and affects the explanatory text.
- Contract notice (weeks): Enter the notice period written into your employment contract. If your contract states months, convert to weeks — 1 month is roughly 4.3 weeks, 3 months is 13 weeks.
- PILON clause: Select Yes, No, or Unknown. This changes the explanatory text to tell you whether your employer can pay you instead of requiring you to work your notice. It doesn’t change the notice period length.
- Notice start date: Enter the date you plan to hand in your notice — today’s date is filled in by default.
Hit Calculate and the calculator shows your notice period in weeks, which rule governs (statute or contract), and your last working day.
Employer mode — dismissing:
- Years of service: Enter complete years only — 7 years and 4 months counts as 7.
- Weekly gross pay (£): Enter basic weekly salary plus any regular contractual payments. See the “What to include in weekly gross pay” section below before entering this figure.
- Contract notice (weeks): The notice period in the employee’s contract.
- Dismissal reason: Select from the dropdown. Gross misconduct produces zero notice; all other reasons use the standard statutory table. If you need to calculate notice for an employee who has resigned but not yet served their notice period, select Resignation.
- Dismissal date: The date notice is being given.
The result shows statutory notice, contractual notice, which applies, and an estimated gross PILON cost.
How Much Notice Do I Have to Give When I Resign in the UK?
When you resign, UK law requires a minimum of one week’s notice regardless of how long you’ve worked there. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(2)] Your contract may require more — if it does, the contract governs. The calculator above works out your specific notice period and last working day based on whichever figure is higher.
The one-week statutory minimum is fixed. A worker resigning after 20 years of service owes exactly the same statutory minimum as someone who joined last month — [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(2)] only the contract can require more. This is the most common source of confusion about notice periods: people assume their years of service increase what they owe their employer. They don’t. The statutory service-based scaling applies only to what employers owe employees, not the other way around.
If your contract says four weeks’ notice, you owe four weeks. If it says three months, you owe three months. The statute simply sets the floor at one week — contracts can go above it but can’t go below it. If you have no written contract, or your contract is silent on notice, the one-week statutory minimum applies.
One practical point: your contract notice period and your employer’s agreement to release you earlier are two different things. You may owe 13 weeks contractually, but if your employer agrees to let you go at week four, or invokes a PILON clause to pay you instead of requiring attendance, that’s a separate arrangement. The calculator shows what you legally owe; what actually happens is negotiated.
UK Notice Period Law: What ERA 1996 Requires
The governing law for minimum notice periods in the UK is the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996), Section 86. It sets out two separate rules — one for employees resigning, one for employers dismissing.
Employee notice on resignation: The statutory minimum is one week, regardless of length of service. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(2)] Years of service do not increase this figure. The contract can require more, but the law sets only a one-week floor.
Employer notice on dismissal: The statutory minimum scales with continuous service. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1) — the following thresholds apply:]
- Less than one month’s service: no statutory notice entitlement [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1)(a)]
- One month to less than two years: one week [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1)(b)]
- Two or more complete years: one week per complete year, up to a maximum of twelve weeks [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1)(c)]
Where a contract provides longer notice than the statutory minimum, the contract governs. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(3)] The contract can exceed the statutory table, but it cannot fall below it — any contractual term attempting to provide less than the statutory minimum has no effect; the statute applies instead.
Gross misconduct is the only dismissal reason that extinguishes the notice obligation entirely. A genuine gross misconduct dismissal allows the employer to end employment immediately, with no notice period and no PILON payment owed. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(6) — confirm this provision extinguishes both statutory and contractual notice simultaneously.] “Gross misconduct” is not defined in the ERA; it derives from common law and ACAS guidance. [VERIFY-LAW: confirm gross misconduct is not defined in ERA 1996; see ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures (2015, revised)] Employers who categorise conduct as gross misconduct when it doesn’t meet that threshold risk a wrongful dismissal claim.
Redundancy follows the same statutory notice table as any other dismissal. There is no special notice entitlement for redundancy under ERA 1996 s.86 — the same service-based scale applies. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1) — the section makes no distinction for redundancy.] Redundancy pay (a separate entitlement under ERA 1996 Part XI) runs alongside the notice entitlement, not instead of it.
Contractual notice: what your contract says
Most employment contracts specify a longer notice period than the statutory minimum. Typical contractual notice periods by seniority 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 only. 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 without a contractual right to do so — or more precisely: they can make the payment, but without a PILON clause in the contract, doing so is technically a breach — even though the financial outcome for you is identical. [VERIFY-LAW: non-contractual PILON = breach of contract — confirm against relevant case law; see Abrahams v Performing Right Society [1995] ICR 1028 or equivalent]
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 — the same as regular wages. There is no tax-free element on PILON. [VERIFY-LAW: Finance (No.2) Act 2017, PENP rules effective 6 April 2018 — confirm no subsequent changes to PENP rules post-2018; verify at HMRC Employment Income Manual EIM13874 or gov.uk/guidance/employment-income-manual]
The basic formula: PILON = (Basic weekly pay × notice weeks). PILON must include any regular contractual payments you normally receive — not only basic salary. Regular overtime, contractual bonuses, and shift allowances that form part of your normal pay must be factored in.
The results from this calculator are estimates based on the information you enter. For compliance decisions, verify with a qualified employment law professional or official government source.
Special Situations That Change the Rules
Garden leave
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.
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. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(6)]
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.
The reality of your working arrangement matters more than what the contract says. If you regularly work set hours and have an ongoing relationship with the employer, you may well have employee status even if your contract says otherwise. If you are unsure, 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.
Notice Period Calculator Examples: 3 Real Scenarios
Example 1: Employee Resigning on a 13-Week Contract
A marketing executive with 6 years’ service resigns to start a new job. Her contract requires 13 weeks’ notice. She needs to confirm her last working day before accepting a new start date.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Years employed | 6 |
| Contract notice | 13 weeks |
| PILON clause | Yes |
| Notice start date | 7 July 2025 |
Calculation: Statutory minimum (ERA s.86(2)): 1 week. Contract notice: 13 weeks. Higher of the two: Math.max(1, 13) = 13 weeks. Last working day: 7 July + (13 × 7 days) = 6 October 2025.
Calculator result: 13 weeks — Contract applies — Last working day: 6 Oct 2025.
What this means: Her years of service are irrelevant — the 1-week statutory minimum applies regardless, and her 13-week contract is what actually governs. If her employer invokes the PILON clause, she could leave earlier and receive 13 weeks’ gross pay instead. That gross pay is fully taxable; what she receives net will be less. She should confirm with her employer before locking in a new start date.
Example 2: Employer Dismissing for Redundancy — PILON Cost
A warehouse team leader with 7 years and 4 months of service is being made redundant. His contract specifies 8 weeks’ notice. His gross weekly pay is £583.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Years of service | 7 (complete years — 7 yrs 4 months floors to 7) |
| Weekly gross pay | £583 |
| Contract notice | 8 weeks |
| Dismissal reason | Redundancy |
| Dismissal date | 14 July 2025 |
Calculation: Complete years: Math.floor(7.33) = 7. Statutory notice: Math.min(Math.max(7, 1), 12) = 7 weeks. Contract notice: 8 weeks. Higher: Math.max(7, 8) = 8 weeks (contract applies). PILON gross cost: £583 × 8 = £4,664. Last working day if notice served: 8 September 2025.
Calculator result: 8 weeks — Contract applies — PILON ≈ £4,664 gross.
What this means: The contract (8 weeks) exceeds the statutory minimum (7 weeks), so the contract governs. The £4,664 PILON figure is gross — the employer will also owe employer NIC on this. At the current employer NIC rate of 15% (effective 6 April 2025), that’s approximately £700, making the all-in cost closer to £5,364. [VERIFY-LAW: Confirm current employer NIC rate against HMRC NIC rates page] The employee will receive less than £4,664 net after income tax and employee NIC deductions. Redundancy pay — a separate entitlement — runs alongside this notice payment.
Example 3: Gross Misconduct — Zero Notice
An office manager with 9 years’ service and a 13-week contractual notice period is summarily dismissed for gross misconduct.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Years of service | 9 |
| Weekly gross pay | £750 |
| Contract notice | 13 weeks |
| Dismissal reason | Gross misconduct |
| Dismissal date | 22 July 2025 |
Calculation: Dismissal reason = gross misconduct → statutory notice = 0. Total notice = 0. PILON cost: £750 × 0 = £0. No timeline generated.
Calculator result: 0 weeks — Summary dismissal — No notice or PILON required.
What this means: A genuine gross misconduct dismissal extinguishes both the statutory and contractual notice entitlement. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(6) — confirm this applies to contractual notice simultaneously.] The employer still owes wages for days worked up to the dismissal date. The critical caveat: “gross misconduct” must meet the legal threshold. Employers who use this label to avoid paying notice when the conduct doesn’t qualify are exposed to a wrongful dismissal claim.
FAQ
How much notice do I have to give when I resign in the UK?
The legal minimum is one week, regardless of how long you’ve worked there. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(2)] Your employment contract may require more — one month, three months, or longer — and if it does, that contractual figure governs. If your contract is silent on notice, or you have no written contract, the one-week statutory minimum applies. Years of service don’t increase what you owe.
How much notice must an employer give before dismissing an employee?
The statutory minimum depends on how long the employee has worked there. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1)] Employees with less than one month’s service have no statutory entitlement. From one month to two years, the minimum is one week. From two years onwards, it’s one week per complete year of service, capped at twelve weeks — so an employee with 8 years of service is entitled to at least 8 weeks’ notice. If the contract specifies longer, the contract governs.
Can my employer make me leave immediately when I resign?
Yes, but only if they agree to pay you in full for your notice period (PILON). If there is no PILON clause in your contract, asking you to leave immediately without paying you would be a breach of contract. [VERIFY-LAW: non-contractual PILON = breach of contract — confirm against relevant case law; see Abrahams v Performing Right Society [1995] ICR 1028 or equivalent] If you are happy to leave immediately and your employer wants to end it early, both parties can agree to waive the notice period entirely — but this requires mutual agreement, not a unilateral instruction from your employer.
Does my notice period include weekends and bank holidays?
Yes. A statutory notice period runs continuously and includes all calendar days — weekdays, weekends, and bank holidays. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 — confirm notice runs on calendar days with no exclusion for weekends or bank holidays] If you give 4 weeks’ notice on a Monday, your last day is the Sunday 4 weeks later (your last working day would be the Friday before that). This applies to both the statutory minimum and any contractual notice period unless your contract explicitly states otherwise.
Can my employer change my notice period during employment?
Only if you agree to it. Your notice period is a contractual term, and changing it requires your consent. An employer cannot simply impose a shorter notice period on you — that would be a unilateral change to your contract, which you can reject or treat as a breach. [VERIFY-LAW: confirm unilateral variation to notice term = breach of contract under UK employment law] Any changes to notice periods should be agreed in writing and signed by both parties.
Is PILON (payment in lieu of notice) taxable?
Yes — PILON is fully subject to income tax and National Insurance Contributions. [VERIFY-LAW: Finance (No.2) Act 2017, PENP rules effective 6 April 2018; verify at HMRC Employment Income Manual EIM13874] Before April 2018, non-contractual PILON could sometimes be paid under the £30,000 termination payment exemption. That changed in April 2018 — all PILON is now taxable regardless of whether the contract includes a PILON clause. The gross figure the calculator shows is not what the employee receives.
Does redundancy affect how much notice I'm owed?
No — the same statutory notice table applies to redundancy as to any other dismissal. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1) — the section makes no distinction for redundancy] There is no enhanced notice period for redundancy under ERA 1996. What redundancy does trigger separately is a statutory redundancy pay entitlement, which is a different calculation based on age, weekly pay (capped), and years of service. Notice and redundancy pay are parallel entitlements — both apply.
Can an employer dismiss me without any notice?
In two circumstances, yes. First, if you’ve been employed for less than one month, there’s no statutory notice entitlement. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(1)(a)] Second, if you’ve committed a genuine act of gross misconduct, your employer can end employment immediately without notice or PILON. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.86(6)] Outside those two situations, dismissing without notice (or without PILON in lieu) means the employer is in breach of contract — which exposes them to a wrongful dismissal claim in the civil courts, regardless of unfair dismissal qualifying period.
What does continuous service mean for notice period calculations?
Continuous service means an unbroken period of employment with the same employer, starting on your first day. Time on maternity leave, paternity leave, sick leave, or agreed career breaks does not break continuity. [VERIFY-LAW: ERA 1996 s.212 and s.212(3) — confirm these absences preserve continuity of employment] If you resign and are later rehired by the same employer, the clock typically resets — unless the gap is covered by specific legal protections such as TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings) regulations. [VERIFY-LAW: Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, reg.4 — confirm TUPE preserves continuity for relevant transfers]
I am on a zero hours contract — do I have a notice period?
Possibly. You have statutory notice rights only if you qualify as an employee (not merely a worker). Many zero hours arrangements are structured to avoid full employee status. The reality of your working arrangement matters more than what the contract says. If you regularly work set hours and have an ongoing relationship with the employer, you may well have employee status even if your contract says otherwise. Call ACAS on 0300 123 1100 for free advice on your specific situation.
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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.