Reviewed by Mustafa Bilgic
Founder, WebCalculator
Notice period rules from the Employment Rights Act 1996 (section 86). Statutory weekly pay cap of £751 for 2026/27 from GOV.UK. Estimates only — not legal advice.
Under section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, UK employers must give a minimum notice period based on your length of service — one week per year, capped at 12 weeks. Enter your service length and weekly pay to see the statutory notice you are owed and what it means in gross and take-home pay.
Statutory minimum entitlement
Section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 sets the minimum notice an employer must give. The rules are straightforward:
| Service | Minimum notice from employer |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | No statutory entitlement |
| 1 month to under 2 years | 1 week |
| 2 years | 2 weeks |
| 3 years | 3 weeks |
| 5 years | 5 weeks |
| 10 years | 10 weeks |
| 12+ years | 12 weeks (maximum) |
Your contract may specify longer notice — many employers give one month for all employees or three months for senior roles. The statutory figure is the absolute minimum the employer cannot go below.
An employer can pay you a lump sum instead of making you work your notice — this is called PILON. Since April 2018 all PILON payments are subject to Income Tax and National Insurance through PAYE, regardless of whether your contract has a PILON clause. PILON is separate from redundancy pay — the first £30,000 of a statutory redundancy payment remains tax-free, but notice pay does not.
For statutory notice pay purposes (and for statutory redundancy), weekly pay is capped at £751 in 2026/27 (up from £700 in 2025/26). If your actual weekly pay exceeds £751, the statutory calculation uses the capped figure. Your employer may still owe contractual notice based on your full pay — check your employment contract. The cap is reviewed by the government each April.
If you are being made redundant, you receive both statutory redundancy pay and notice pay. They are calculated separately. The redundancy pay calculator works out your redundancy entitlement. Remember: redundancy pay is tax-free up to £30,000, but notice pay is always taxed.
For your weekly take-home breakdown, use the salary calculator. If you are leaving due to redundancy, the redundancy pay calculator covers your statutory entitlement. And if you are starting a new role, the holiday pay calculator shows what accrued leave you may be owed.
After one month of continuous employment you are entitled to at least one week's notice. After two years you get one week per complete year of service, up to a maximum of 12 weeks for 12 or more years.
Yes. Notice pay — whether you work your notice or receive a payment in lieu (PILON) — is taxed as normal earnings through PAYE. It does not benefit from the £30,000 tax-free redundancy exemption.
PILON is a lump sum the employer pays instead of making you work your notice period. Since April 2018, all PILON payments are subject to Income Tax and National Insurance, even if your contract does not include a PILON clause.
Yes. Your contract may specify a longer notice period — for example, one month for all employees or three months for senior staff. The statutory minimum is a floor, not a cap. Always check your contract.
The statutory minimum you must give is one week, regardless of how long you have worked there. However, your contract may require a longer notice period from you — commonly one month or more.