UK Notice Period Calculator
Calculate the UK statutory minimum notice period an employer or employee must give, and compare it against a contractual notice period.
- Statutory Minimum4 weeks
- Contractual Notice4 weeks
Statutory and contractual notice happen to match at 4 weeks — that's what applies.
- Statutory Minimum4 weeks
- Contractual Notice Entered4 weeks
Whichever is longer — statutory or contractual — is what legally applies. Statutory minimums come from the Employment Rights Act 1996 s.86.
This is general guidance, not legal advice — some contracts or circumstances (gross misconduct, etc.) change what applies.
About the UK Notice Period Calculator
Notice periods come up at two very different moments, and this calculator handles both: an employer working out what they're obliged to give someone whose role is ending, and an employee checking what they owe before handing in their resignation. Either way, the question is the same — what's the legal floor, and does the contract actually beat it?
UK law sets a statutory minimum notice period under the Employment Rights Act 1996, but it isn't the same for both directions, and it isn't fixed — it scales with how long someone's been continuously employed. A contract can promise more than the statutory minimum, but it can never promise less; whichever number is longer is the one that legally applies.
Because this is often checked in the middle of a resignation or a difficult redundancy conversation, everything you enter — years of service, whether it's your notice or theirs — stays in the browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere, so you can work out where you stand before you've said anything to anyone.
How it’s calculated
When an employer is giving notice to an employee, the statutory minimum is one week for each full year of continuous service, up to a cap of 12 weeks after 12 years or more — so someone with 3 years' service is owed at least 3 weeks, but someone with 20 years is still only owed 12.
When an employee is giving notice to an employer, the statutory minimum is a flat one week, regardless of how long they've worked there — as long as they've been employed for at least one month. Under one month's service, there's no statutory minimum notice at all.
Whichever figure — statutory or contractual — comes out higher is what actually applies, because a contract is legally allowed to improve on the statutory floor but never allowed to undercut it. That's why this calculator asks for the contractual notice too and compares the two directly.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice does my employer legally have to give me?
At minimum, one week for each full year of continuous service, capped at 12 weeks once you've worked there 12 years or more. Your contract may specify a longer notice period, in which case the longer figure is the one that applies.
Do I have to give my employer more than a week's notice?
The statutory minimum for an employee resigning is just one week, once you've been there over a month. Many contracts require more — a month is common for professional roles — and if yours does, that contractual figure is what you're bound by, not the one-week statutory floor.
What notice period applies if my contract doesn't mention one?
The statutory minimum applies by default whenever a contract is silent on notice, or whenever the contract tries to specify less than the statutory minimum — the law sets a floor no agreement can go under.
Does my notice period increase every year I stay at the same job?
Yes, on the employer-to-employee side — it rises by a week for every additional full year of continuous service, until it hits the 12-week cap. It doesn't increase further no matter how many additional years you work after that.
Can my employer make me leave immediately and pay me instead of working my notice?
Yes, if your contract includes a payment in lieu of notice (PILON) clause, or if you both agree to it. You're still entitled to be paid for the notice period either way — the difference is whether you work it or receive the equivalent pay instead.
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