Statutory Notice Period Calculator
Enter how long you've worked for your employer and your weekly pay — see the minimum notice they must give you and what that notice period is worth in wages.
How it works
Statutory minimum notice FROM your employer (Employment Rights Act 1996 s.86): nothing in the first month; 1 week once you've worked a month; then from 2 years' service, 1 week PER FULL YEAR, capped at 12 weeks for 12+ years. Example: 7 full years → 7 weeks' notice; 20 years → still 12 weeks.
A worked example with the pay side included: enter 5 years and 8 months of service and £600 a week. Only COMPLETE years count, so the entitlement is 5 weeks' notice — the 8 months are ignored — and the notice period is worth 5 × £600 = £3,000 in wages. At the other end of the scale, someone with 18 months' service gets 1 week (they sit in the "one month to two years" band, where the per-year accrual has not yet started).
Notice FROM you to your employer is different: the statutory minimum is a flat 1 week regardless of service — anything longer must come from your contract. Contracts can extend either side's notice beyond the statutory floor but can never cut it below.
Where contract and statute differ, the LONGER period wins. A senior employee with 3 months' contractual notice but only 2 years' service gets 3 months (contract beats the 2-week statutory figure); a long-server with 11 years but a contract saying "1 month" gets 11 weeks, because the contract cannot undercut the statutory floor. The statutory table is a minimum, never a substitute for reading the contract.
During statutory notice you're entitled to normal pay (or statutory guarantee rules if work dries up). PILON (payment in lieu of notice) lets the employer end employment immediately and pay the notice as a lump sum — since 2018 PILON is always taxed as earnings, not as tax-free termination payment. Redundancy pay is separate and comes on top; use our redundancy calculator for that.
Common mistakes with this calculation: counting partial years (only full years accrue a week); assuming notice pay and redundancy pay are the same thing (they are separate entitlements, and notice pay is owed on top of any redundancy payment); and assuming the employee owes the same notice as the employer — statutorily the employee's duty is a flat single week, however long they have served, unless the contract says otherwise.
FAQ
How much notice does my employer have to give me?
The statutory floor: 1 week if you've served between one month and two years, then one week per complete year of service up to a maximum of 12 weeks. Ten years' service = 10 weeks; twenty years = 12 weeks (the cap). Your CONTRACT can promise more — many senior roles carry 3 months — and the longer of the two applies. These minimums also apply in redundancy: notice pay is owed in addition to any redundancy payment.
What is PILON and how is it taxed?
Payment In Lieu Of Notice: the employer ends your employment immediately and pays you what you would have earned over the notice period as a lump sum. Since April 2018, PILON (technically PENP) is always subject to income tax and National Insurance like normal salary — it cannot be squeezed into the £30,000 tax-free termination exemption. Only genuine ex-gratia/redundancy elements above notice pay can use that exemption.
Do I get paid if I'm put on garden leave?
Yes — garden leave means you remain employed on full pay and benefits through the notice period but are told to stay home; your restrictive covenants and duties (like not working for a competitor) continue because you're still an employee. It differs from PILON, where employment ends at once. Employers can only use garden leave if the contract allows it or you agree; otherwise they must let you work your notice or pay in lieu.
How much notice do I have to give my employer?
The statutory minimum from employee to employer is a flat 1 week once you have been employed for a month — it does not grow with service the way the employer's obligation does. In practice most contracts extend this (a month is common, longer for senior roles), and the contractual figure then binds you. Check your contract before resigning: the statutory week is only the floor.
Do partial years of service count towards my notice?
No — the statutory table counts complete years only. Someone with 5 years and 11 months of service is entitled to 5 weeks' statutory notice, exactly the same as someone with 5 years and 1 day. If you are close to completing another year, the anniversary date can genuinely matter: crossing it adds a full week of notice (until the 12-week cap is reached at 12 years).
How do I work out what my notice period is worth in money?
Multiply the notice weeks by your normal weekly pay: 7 full years of service at £500 a week is 7 × £500 = £3,500 of wages your employer must cover, whether you work the notice, are placed on garden leave, or receive it as a lump sum through PILON. During statutory notice you are entitled to normal pay, so the calculator's output is the minimum value of the period, before tax.
Is notice pay taxed?
Yes, in every form. Pay for notice you actually work goes through payroll as ordinary wages. A lump-sum PILON has been taxed the same way since April 2018 — income tax and National Insurance apply, and it cannot shelter inside the £30,000 tax-free termination exemption. Only genuine ex-gratia or redundancy elements paid on top of notice entitlements can use that exemption.