Notice Periods in the UK: Your Rights, Pay in Lieu and How to Hand In Your Notice

Your notice period in the UK is whichever is longer: the notice stated in your employment contract, or the statutory minimum set by law. The statutory minimum for employees is one week after one month of continuous service, rising to one week per full year of service up to a maximum of twelve weeks. Most UK contracts specify one month for standard roles and three to six months for senior positions. Your employer can ask you to leave before your notice period ends, but they must pay you for the full period either way — through pay in lieu of notice (PILON) or garden leave.

This guide covers what you are legally entitled to, what your contract can and cannot override, and how to hand in your notice without damaging a relationship you may need later.

What Is a Notice Period?

A notice period is the length of time between telling your employer you are leaving (or being told you are being dismissed) and your final day of employment. During this period, the employment contract remains in force — you continue to be paid, continue to accrue holiday, and remain bound by your contractual obligations.

Notice works in both directions. You owe your employer notice when you resign. Your employer owes you notice when they dismiss you, and the statutory minimum they owe increases with your length of service, while what you owe them typically does not.

What Is the Statutory Minimum Notice Period in the UK?

Statutory notice is the legal floor. It applies when your contract is silent on notice, or when your contract specifies less than the statutory minimum — in which case the statutory minimum applies regardless of what the contract says.

Notice your employer must give you

So an employee with seven years of continuous service is entitled to a minimum of seven weeks' notice from their employer. An employee with fifteen years is entitled to twelve weeks — the cap does not rise beyond that.

Notice you must give your employer

The statutory minimum you owe your employer is one week, once you have been continuously employed for one month or more. It does not increase with service. In practice, almost all contracts require more than this, and the contractual figure is what applies.

What Is a Typical Notice Period in the UK?

Statutory minimums are rarely what people actually work. Contractual notice periods are almost always longer, and vary by seniority and sector.

Long notice periods cut both ways. They give you security if you are dismissed, but they can make you less attractive to a new employer who needs someone to start quickly. If you are job hunting with a three-month notice period, mention it early in the process rather than at offer stage — and factor it into your job search strategy from the start.

How Do You Find Out Your Notice Period?

Check these in order:

1. Your employment contract — the notice clause is usually in the first two pages, often under a heading like "Termination" or "Notice."
2. Your written statement of employment particulars — UK employers must provide this on or before your first day, and it must state notice periods.
3. Your staff handbook — sometimes notice is set out here rather than in the contract itself, though the contract takes precedence.
4. Statutory minimums — if none of the above specify a notice period, or if they specify less than the statutory minimum, the statutory figure applies.

If your contract says one week but you have six years' service, your employer must still give you six weeks. A contract cannot reduce your statutory entitlement. It can, however, increase it — and if it does, the contractual figure is what applies.

What Is Pay in Lieu of Notice (PILON)?

Pay in lieu of notice — commonly shortened to PILON — is when your employer ends your employment immediately and pays you the wages you would have earned during your notice period, instead of having you work it.

PILON is lawful when your contract contains a PILON clause. Most modern UK contracts do. If your contract has no PILON clause and your employer terminates immediately without your agreement, that is technically a breach of contract, though the practical remedy is usually the same payment.

What PILON should include

A PILON payment should reflect what you would actually have received had you worked your notice:

• Basic salary for the full notice period
• Accrued but untaken holiday pay
• Contractual benefits where the contract specifies them — this varies, and some contracts limit PILON to basic salary only
• Pension contributions, depending on the contract wording

Since April 2018, all PILON payments are subject to income tax and National Insurance, regardless of whether your contract has a PILON clause. The previous distinction that allowed some notice payments to be paid tax-free no longer applies.

PILON vs Garden Leave: What Is the Difference?

Both remove you from the workplace during your notice period, but they are legally distinct and the difference matters.

Employers typically use garden leave when they want to keep a departing employee away from clients, colleagues, or confidential information — particularly when the employee is joining a competitor. From the employee's perspective, garden leave is paid time off, but it delays when you can start your next role.

Can Your Employer Make You Leave Immediately?

Yes — but not without paying you. An employer can end your employment on the spot, but unless you have committed gross misconduct, they must compensate you for the notice period you did not work. Being escorted out of the building on the day you resign does not reduce what you are owed.

The one significant exception is summary dismissal for gross misconduct — serious matters such as theft, violence, or serious breaches of trust. In those circumstances an employer can dismiss without notice or notice pay. Gross misconduct is a high bar and must be genuinely serious; disagreements about performance do not meet it.

If you are dismissed without notice and without notice pay in circumstances that do not amount to gross misconduct, that is wrongful dismissal — a breach of contract claim distinct from unfair dismissal.

Can You Leave Without Working Your Notice?

Legally, resigning without working your contractual notice is a breach of contract. In practice, the consequences are usually limited:

• Most employers do not pursue it. To recover anything, an employer would have to demonstrate actual financial loss caused by your early departure and take legal action to recover it. This is rare and rarely economic.
• Your employer can withhold pay for days you did not work, but cannot generally deduct a penalty beyond that unless your contract specifically provides for it.
• The reference risk is real. UK employers are not obliged to give a reference, and leaving badly can affect what you receive. Most references are now factual only — dates and job title — but a refusal to provide one at all is noticeable.
• The sector risk is real too. In small industries, how you leave gets remembered.

The better route is negotiation. Many employers will agree to a shortened notice period, particularly if you offer a thorough handover or if your replacement is already lined up. Ask before assuming the answer is no.

How Do You Hand In Your Notice?

Handing in your notice properly is straightforward, and the sequence matters more than the wording.

1. Have the offer in writing first

Never resign on a verbal offer. Wait until you have a written offer, confirmed start date, and — where applicable — satisfactory references and any background checks completed.

2. Check your contract

Confirm your notice period, whether there is a PILON clause, whether garden leave can be imposed, and whether any restrictive covenants apply after you leave. Calculate your last working day from the date you intend to give notice.

3. Tell your manager directly, in person or by call

Have the conversation before sending anything in writing. It takes two minutes and is the difference between a professional exit and a resented one. Keep it brief: you have accepted another role, you are giving your contractual notice, your last day would be [date], and you want to make the handover as smooth as possible.

4. Follow up in writing the same day

A written resignation creates a clear record of the date notice was given and your last working day. It protects you if there is later disagreement about your final pay or leaving date. See our resignation letter templates for wording covering every situation, including difficult circumstances.

5. Handle the counter-offer question in advance

Decide before you resign what you would do if your employer counter-offers. Deciding in the moment, under pressure, in a room with your manager, rarely produces a good decision. If money was the only issue, a counter-offer may resolve it — and our guide on negotiating salary covers how to assess one. If the issue was the work, the team, or progression, more money usually does not.

6. Work your notice properly

Document your handover, finish what you can, and stay professional. Your last few weeks are what colleagues will remember, and they are the people most likely to be asked about you informally in future.

What Happens to Holiday During Your Notice Period?

You continue to accrue statutory holiday throughout your notice period. Any accrued but untaken holiday must be paid out in your final pay.

Your employer can require you to take holiday during your notice period — this is common — but they must give notice of at least twice the length of the holiday they want you to take. So to require a week of holiday, they must give two weeks' notice of it.

If you have taken more holiday than you have accrued by your leaving date, your employer can deduct the excess from your final pay, but only if your contract specifically allows it.

Notice Periods and Redundancy

If you are made redundant, you are entitled to your full contractual or statutory notice, whichever is longer — in addition to any statutory or enhanced redundancy pay. Notice pay and redundancy pay are separate entitlements and one does not offset the other.

During a redundancy notice period you also have the right to reasonable paid time off to look for new work or arrange training, if you have at least two years' continuous service.

Our guide on preparing for a layoff covers what to do in the weeks before a redundancy is confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions