Notice period calculator: statutory minimum versus contract.
Resignation on your desk, or a dismissal to plan? Enter the dates, get the statutory minimum and compare it with the contract, with the working shown.
Statutory minimum versus contract, with the working shown
5 weeksapplicable notice: the statutory minimum
The working
- Service from 2021-03-10 to 2026-07-28 = 64 complete months (5 complete years)
- 1 week per complete year: 5 years = 5 weeks
- Statutory minimum = 5 weeks
- No contractual notice entered. The applicable notice is the statutory minimum: 5 weeks
Worth knowing
- A contract can only add to the statutory minimum, never cut it. If the contract says less, the statutory minimum still applies.
- Notice PAY is its own calculation (and payment in lieu or garden leave are contract clauses). This tool works out the notice PERIOD only.
- Dismissal needs a fair reason and a fair process, whatever the notice arithmetic says: gross misconduct, fixed terms and redundancy each have their own rules. Acas guidance and advice come before action.
Rules basis: employer notice of 1 week from 1 month to 2 years' service, then 1 week per complete year from 2 to 12 years, capped at 12 weeks; employee resignation minimum of 1 week after a month's service. Reviewed 28 July 2026 · next review due by 28 July 2027 · Source: GOV.UK statutory notice periods
The authorityCross-check any answer with GOV.UK: notice pay, payment in lieu, garden leave and dismissal process all have their own rules beyond the notice period itself. ↗What is the statutory notice period in the UK?
When an employer gives notice, the statutory minimum runs on length of service: one week from a month to two years, then one week for each complete year, capped at twelve weeks from twelve years. When an employee resigns, the statutory minimum is one week once they have been employed more than a month, however long they have served. The calculator above works both directions from the actual dates.
The contract sits on top, never underneath: the applicable notice is whichever is longer, and a clause offering less than the statutory minimum simply does not apply. Notice pay, payment in lieu and garden leave are separate questions with their own rules: the period is the start of the answer, not all of it.
What matters
Start with the rule
When an employer gives notice, the statutory minimum runs on length of service: one week from a month to two years, then one week for each complete year, capped at twelve weeks from twelve years. When an employee resigns, the statutory minimum is one week once they have been employed more than a month, however long they have served. The calculator above works both directions from the actual dates.
Write down the decision
Keep the policy, dates, calculation inputs and decision together so another person can understand what happened.
Check the current source
The calculator above works out the notice period. A lawful dismissal also needs a fair reason and a fair process: take advice before acting on dismissal, redundancy or alleged gross misconduct.
A practical checklist
For a small team, a short repeatable process beats an impressive policy nobody follows.
- Confirm the start date and the date notice is given
- Read the contractual notice clause
- Take the greater of contractual and statutory notice
- Check payment in lieu and garden-leave terms
- Add accrued holiday and redundancy calculations separately
- Record the termination reason and process
Where software helps, and where it does not
HollyHR can keep the relevant people record, dates, documents, leave and working pattern in one place. It cannot decide a legal, medical or employee-relations question for you.
The calculator above works out the notice period. A lawful dismissal also needs a fair reason and a fair process: take advice before acting on dismissal, redundancy or alleged gross misconduct.
Check the source, not just our summary
Rules and product pages change. These are the first-party references behind this page.
Questions people ask
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a practical summary for UK small teams. Check the linked official guidance and take qualified advice for a specific or disputed case.
Why keep the source with the calculation?
Rates and rules change. Recording the inputs, date and source makes the answer reviewable instead of becoming an unexplained number in a spreadsheet.
Can HollyHR track this?
HollyHR can hold the underlying employee, working-pattern, leave and document records. It does not present itself as a legal-advice engine.
Proper HR, without the big-system palaver.
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Keep reading: Holiday entitlement calculator (leavers) · Redundancy meaning