Statutory notice pay entitles you to at least one week's notice for each complete year of continuous employment — starting after one month's service and capped at 12 weeks. Your employer must give you this notice, or pay you in lieu of it. The Employment Rights Act 2025 made no changes to notice period rules. Your contract may provide more than the statutory minimum. Updated June 2026.
Source: Employment Rights Act 1996, s.86; acas.org.uk/notice-periods.
Calculate your notice period
Use the free notice period calculator to find your statutory minimum entitlement. Enter your employment start date and the date your employment is due to end for an instant result. No sign-up required.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Royal Assent 18 December 2025) made no changes to the statutory notice period rules under Employment Rights Act 1996, s.86. The formula — one week per complete year of service, minimum one week after one month's service, maximum 12 weeks — remains fully in force and unchanged.
However, two ERA 2025 changes affect the broader context of ending employment. From 1 January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims will reduce from two years to six months, which will affect how employers approach dismissal with notice. And fire-and-rehire dismissals become automatically unfair in most circumstances from 1 January 2027. For the full picture of ERA 2025 changes, see the Employment Rights Act 2025 hub.
Frequently asked questions
How much statutory notice must an employer give?+
Employers must give at least one week's notice for each complete year of continuous employment, up to a maximum of 12 weeks. This minimum applies once you have at least one month's service. An employee with 5 years' service is entitled to at least 5 weeks' notice. Your contract may provide more — the statutory figure is the minimum. Source: Employment Rights Act 1996, s.86; gov.uk/contract-types-and-employer-responsibilities/notice-period.
How much notice must an employee give?+
After completing at least one month's continuous employment, an employee must give their employer at least one week's notice. This statutory minimum does not increase with service. Your employment contract may require a longer notice period — check your contract. Source: Employment Rights Act 1996, s.86(2); acas.org.uk/notice-periods.
What is payment in lieu of notice (PILON) and is it taxable?+
Payment in lieu of notice (PILON) is a payment made instead of the employee working their notice period. The employer pays the wages the employee would have received during the notice period, and the employment ends immediately. Since 6 April 2018, all PILON is fully taxable as Post-Employment Notice Pay (PENP) under Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, sections 402D–402G — income tax and Class 1 National Insurance apply in full. The £30,000 termination payment exemption does not apply to PILON. This applies whether or not the employment contract contains a PILON clause; the old distinction between contractual and non-contractual PILON was abolished by Finance (No. 2) Act 2017. Source: ITEPA 2003, s.402D–402G; gov.uk/termination-payments-and-tax-when-you-leave-a-job; acas.org.uk/notice-periods.
Does the Employment Rights Act 2025 change notice period rules?+
No. The Employment Rights Act 2025 made no changes to the statutory notice period rules under Employment Rights Act 1996, s.86. The formula (1 week per complete year of service, minimum 1 week after 1 month's service, maximum 12 weeks) is unchanged. Source: Employment Rights Act 2025; acas.org.uk/notice-periods.
What pay and rights am I entitled to during my statutory notice period?+
During the statutory minimum notice period you are entitled to receive your full normal weekly pay, even if you are on sick leave, maternity or paternity leave, or other approved absence. This statutory minimum notice rights protection applies regardless of what your contract says about sick pay or other reduced-pay absences. It covers the statutory minimum period only — if your contractual notice is longer, ordinary absence pay rules apply to the excess. Source: Employment Rights Act 1996, s.87–91; acas.org.uk/notice-periods.
What is the difference between wrongful dismissal and unfair dismissal?+
Wrongful dismissal is a contractual claim: it arises when an employer terminates employment in breach of contract — typically by failing to give the correct notice period or payment in lieu of it. It does not require any minimum qualifying service. Unfair dismissal is a statutory claim under the Employment Rights Act 1996: it requires two years' continuous employment in 2026 (reducing to six months from 1 January 2027 under ERA 2025) and focuses on whether the employer had a fair reason and followed a fair procedure. Both claims can arise from the same dismissal. Source: Employment Rights Act 1996, s.86 (wrongful dismissal — notice); s.94 and s.108 (unfair dismissal); acas.org.uk/notice-periods.