The statutory minimum notice your employer must give — and what it's worth in pay. Per the Employment Rights Act 1996, section 86.
Statutory minimum notice — your contract may give more.
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1 month up to under 2 years | 1 week (employer) |
| 2 years up to under 12 years | 1 week per complete year (employer) |
| 12 years or more | 12 weeks (employer cap) |
| Employee resigning | 1 week after 1 month (does not rise with service) |
| Pay basis | Normal full pay — no weekly cap |
This is the statutory minimum. A contract can require longer notice, in which case the contractual period applies. Source: GOV.UK — Notice periods.
The statutory minimum is one week if you've worked between one month and two years, then one week for every complete year, capped at 12 weeks (so 12 years' service or more gives 12 weeks). Your contract may require more, in which case the longer period applies.
The statutory minimum for an employee is one week once you've been employed for at least one month, and it does not increase with length of service. Your contract will often require more — commonly one month for many roles.
No. Notice pay is your normal full weekly pay for each week of notice. The statutory weekly-pay cap (£751 in 2026/27) applies to redundancy pay, not to notice pay.
Instead of working your notice, your employer can pay you the wages you would have earned during the notice period. PILON is generally taxable as earnings.
No. An employer can dismiss without notice (summary dismissal) for genuine gross misconduct. Statutory notice applies to ordinary dismissals, including redundancy.