Notice Period Calculator

Employees are entitled to at least one week's notice for each year of continuous service after their first month, up to a maximum of 12 weeks. For example, someone with 3 years of service is legally entitled to 3 weeks' notice. Employers can offer more generous contractual notice periods, but they cannot go below this statutory minimum.

If an employee has worked for less than one year, they are entitled to at least one week's notice regardless of their specific tenure. This rule applies once they have completed one month of continuous service. Any contractual notice period agreed upon in their employment contract must still be respected if it is more favorable than this one-week minimum.

Employers can choose to make an employee work their notice period or pay them in lieu of notice (PILON) if the contract allows it. If the contract does not explicitly include a PILON clause, the employer must pay the employee for the notice period they would have worked. This payment is treated as earnings and is subject to income tax and National Insurance contributions.

Employees on long-term sick leave are still entitled to their statutory notice period, which continues to accrue during their absence. The employer must give notice in writing, and the employee is usually paid their normal contractual sick pay during this time rather than full salary. The notice period cannot be reduced simply because the employee is unable to work due to illness.

Part-time employees accrue notice rights in the same way as full-time staff, based on the number of years of continuous service. For fixed-term contracts, the notice period is usually defined in the contract terms and must be at least the statutory minimum. If the contract ends early without proper notice, the employee may be entitled to compensation equivalent to the notice period they would have worked.