Summarise with AI
How much notice is required
| Length of service | Minimum notice from the employer |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | None required by statute |
| 1 month to 2 years | 1 week |
| 2 to 12 years | 1 week for each complete year |
| 12 years or more | 12 weeks (the cap) |
So an employee with five complete years is entitled to five weeks; one with fifteen years is entitled to twelve, because the statutory entitlement stops increasing at twelve.
Statutory vs contractual
The statutory period is a minimum. A contract can give more and frequently does, particularly for managers and senior staff. Where the two differ, the longer applies — a contract cannot reduce notice below the statutory floor.
Worth noting alongside this: from 1 January 2027 the qualifying period for unfair dismissal drops to six months under the Employment Rights Act 2025, which changes the risk profile of dismissals well before the two-year point most employers currently work to. See our guide to the Act.
Pay during the notice period
Notice is normally worked and paid as usual. Where the contract allows, an employer may make a payment in lieu instead. Either way the final pay must include everything owed for hours worked plus any accrued but untaken statutory holiday.
Getting the accrued holiday balance right at the leaving date is the part that most often goes wrong, especially for irregular-hours staff accruing at 12.07% — our offboarding feature keeps the hours and holiday records that final pay is calculated from. The employer side of this — how notice interacts with dismissal, PILON and gross misconduct — is covered in notice periods and dismissal.
