Notice Period Calculator
The greater of statutory and contractual. Always.
Work out Notice Period. The greater of statutory and contractual. Always. Counts the thing everyone forgets to count.
Notice period
5 weeks
The statutory minimum applies, because it exceeds what the contract specifies. A contract cannot reduce notice below the legal floor.
The rule is the greater of statutory and contractual, and that is the part people miss. A contract cannot reduce notice below the legal minimum, but it can exceed it — so the applicable period is whichever is longer, not whichever the contract happens to state. Statutory notice typically accrues per complete year of service, which means service is rounded down. Someone at four years and eleven months is treated as four years, and a few weeks can be worth a week of notice. Payment in lieu of notice is common but not automatic — it usually requires a contractual clause. Without one, an employer offering it is technically in breach, which occasionally matters.
How the Notice Period Calculator works
Notice period as the greater of statutory and contractual, with the pay over it. A contract cannot reduce notice below the legal minimum, though it can exceed it.
Also known as: how much notice am i entitled to · statutory notice by years of service · can my contract give me less notice · payment in lieu of notice
Frequently asked questions
How much notice am I entitled to?
Whichever is longer of the statutory minimum and what your contract says. Statutory typically accrues per complete year of service up to a cap; the contract can exceed that but not undercut it.
Can my contract give me less than statutory notice?
No. Statutory notice is a floor, and a contractual clause purporting to reduce it below the legal minimum is unenforceable to that extent.
Does service round up or down?
Down, in most systems. Someone at four years and eleven months is treated as four years, which means a few weeks can be worth a week of notice.
What is payment in lieu of notice?
Paying out the notice period instead of working it. It is common but usually requires a contractual clause — without one, an employer offering it is technically in breach.
Does notice differ for resignation and dismissal?
Frequently, and contracts often specify different periods each way. Statutory minimums usually apply only to the employer's notice, with the employee's set by contract.
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