Notice period calculator: statutory minimum versus contract.
The applicable notice is usually the greater contractual or statutory entitlement, with separate rules and risks in specific situations.
What is the statutory notice period in the UK?
For an employee dismissed after at least one month, statutory minimum notice is normally one week up to two years' service, then one week for each complete year from two to twelve years, capped at twelve weeks.
A contract can provide more notice. Gross misconduct, fixed terms, payment in lieu and redundancy each need their own careful check.
What matters
Start with the rule
For an employee dismissed after at least one month, statutory minimum notice is normally one week up to two years' service, then one week for each complete year from two to twelve years, capped at twelve weeks.
Write down the decision
Keep the policy, dates, calculation inputs and decision together so another person can understand what happened.
Check the current source
Notice is only one part of a lawful termination. 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 start date and complete years of service
- Read the contractual notice clause
- Compare contractual and statutory minimums
- 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.
Notice is only one part of a lawful termination. 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.
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Keep reading: Redundancy meaning · People records