Notice period calculator

Notice is asymmetric, and most people do not realise by how much. Your employer owes you one week for every complete year of service up to twelve. You owe them one week, however long you have worked there.

This calculator applies section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and shows the date your employment would end. It also flags something most notice calculators miss: because statutory notice counts towards continuous service, working it can take you past a work anniversary and increase your redundancy pay.

Who is giving notice?

Optional. If your contract says more than the statutory minimum, enter it here.

Optional. Enter it to see notice pay as well.

Notice pay is taxed as ordinary earnings, and the £30,000 termination exemption does not apply to it.

How to use the notice period calculator

  1. Choose who is giving notice The amounts are completely different. An employer owes one week per year of service; an employee owes one week regardless.
  2. Enter your employment start date The start of your continuous employment with this employer.
  3. Enter the date notice is given Notice normally runs from the day after it is given, unless your contract says otherwise.
  4. Add contractual notice if longer Your contract may require more than the statutory minimum, and the longer period is the one that applies. Anyone with under twelve years of service and a one-month clause is almost certainly on contractual notice.
  5. Check whether you cross an anniversary If the result warns that your service increases during notice, run the redundancy calculator using the later end date — it may be worth a week’s pay or more.

Worked examples

Common questions

Can my employer dismiss me without notice?

Only for gross misconduct, or where you have under a month of service. Summary dismissal still requires a proper investigation and a fair procedure — calling something gross misconduct does not remove that.

What is pay in lieu of notice?

Being paid for your notice instead of working it. Your employer needs a contractual right to do it, and the payment is taxed in full as earnings — the £30,000 termination exemption does not apply to it.

What is garden leave?

Serving your notice away from the workplace, still employed and still paid. You remain bound by your contract and generally cannot start another job. Your employer needs a contractual right to require it.

Can I leave without giving notice?

Technically that is a breach of contract, though employers rarely pursue it. What they cannot do is withhold pay for work you have already done as a penalty — deductions need a contractual right or your written agreement.

Does holiday build up during notice?

Yes. Your employer can also require you to take accrued leave during your notice period, provided they give notice of at least twice the length of the leave.

How much is notice pay after tax?

Notice pay is taxed as ordinary earnings — income tax and National Insurance, exactly as if you had worked those weeks. The £30,000 termination payment exemption does not apply to it, whether you work your notice or are paid in lieu. Tick the after-tax box above to see the net figure.

What am I paid during notice?

Normally your usual pay. Where your pay varies, or where you are off sick or on family leave during notice, statutory rules can require a minimum based on average weekly earnings.

Guides on this subject

Figures on this page are checked against primary sources and dated. They are not legal, tax or financial advice.

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