🇬🇧 UK Notice Period Calculator — Work Out Your Last Day
Enter the date you hand in (or receive) notice and the notice length — 1 week, 4 weeks, 1 month, or the statutory minimum — and get your exact last day of employment, with working days and bank holidays counted.
Uses the standard UK counting rules: notice starts the day after it's given; weeks end on the same weekday; months end on the corresponding date.
Statutory minimum only (ERA 1996 s.86) — if your contract sets a longer notice, the longer one applies. Use the first option with your contractual length instead.
Your notice period
How a UK notice period is counted
Rule
Detail
Day 1 of notice
The day after notice is given (ACAS). Hand in notice on Monday → notice runs from Tuesday.
Notice in weeks
Ends on the same weekday N weeks after the day notice was given. 1 week's notice given Monday → last day the following Monday.
Notice in months
Ends on the corresponding date in a later month. 1 month's notice given 5 June → last day 5 July. No matching date (e.g. 31 Jan) → last day of the following month.
Weekends & bank holidays
Count towards the notice period — it's calendar time, not working days.
Last day on a non-working day
Employment still ends that date; your final day physically at work is the working day before.
💷 Want the money side instead — what those weeks of notice are worth, or pay in lieu (PILON)? Use the UK Statutory Notice Pay Calculator.
Worked examples (2026)
Example 1 — 4 weeks' notice
You hand in your notice on Friday 7 August 2026 with 4 weeks' notice. Day one of your notice period is Saturday 8 August, and the period ends 4 × 7 = 28 days after the day you gave notice — on the same weekday: your last day of employment is Friday 4 September 2026.
Example 2 — 1 month's notice
You resign on Wednesday 12 August 2026 with one month's notice. One month's notice ends on the corresponding date next month, so your last day is Saturday 12 September 2026. That's a Saturday — your final day actually in work would be Friday 11 September, but you're employed (and paid) up to the 12th.
Example 3 — no corresponding date
You give one month's notice on 31 January. February has no 31st, so the period ends on the last day of February (28th, or 29th in a leap year).
Example 4 — statutory redundancy notice
You've worked 6 full years and your employer makes you redundant on Monday 5 October 2026 with statutory notice. Six complete years = 6 weeks' notice, so your last day is Monday 16 November 2026 (6 weeks later, same weekday).
4 weeks vs 1 month — they are not the same
“4 weeks” is always exactly 28 days. “1 month” runs to the same date next month — 28 to 31 days depending on the month. On longer notice the gap grows: “12 weeks” is 84 days, while “3 months” can be up to 92 days. If your contract says weeks, count weeks; if it says months, use the corresponding-date rule. When an offer letter and a staff handbook disagree, the document with contractual force (usually the signed contract/offer letter) governs — ask HR to confirm in writing.
The statutory minimum notice (ERA 1996, s.86)
Service
Employer must give
You must give
Under 1 month
None
None
1 month – under 2 years
1 week
1 week
2 – under 12 years
1 week per complete year
1 week
12 years or more
12 weeks (cap)
1 week
These are floors, not defaults: most contracts require more (one month is common; senior roles often three). Whichever is longer — contractual or statutory — is what applies to the party giving notice.
Things that change your real leaving date
Payment in lieu of notice (PILON): if your contract has a PILON clause, your employer can end employment immediately and pay you for the notice instead — your leaving date becomes the day they invoke it.
Garden leave: you stay employed to the calculated end date (still paid, still bound by your contract) but don't attend work.
Agreed early release: you and your employer can agree in writing to shorten notice — common when you have a start date elsewhere.
Holiday during notice: booked or agreed annual leave can be taken during notice and doesn't extend it; employers can also require you to use up leave during notice with the proper 2-days-notice-per-day-of-leave warning.
Sickness during notice: the notice period still runs; what you're paid during it depends on your sick-pay terms and whether contractual notice exceeds the statutory minimum by a week or more (a quirk of ss.87–91 ERA 1996 — see our notice pay guide).
Probation: shorter contractual notice (often 1 week) usually applies during probation — but never less than the statutory minimum once you pass one month's service.
Frequently asked questions
When does my notice period actually start?
Per ACAS guidance, a notice period normally starts the day AFTER you give notice, not the day itself. So if you hand in your notice on Monday, day one of your notice period is Tuesday — and one week's notice would make the following Monday your last day.
Does a notice period include weekends and bank holidays?
Yes. A notice period is measured in calendar time, so weekends and bank holidays count towards it. They only matter for which days you actually work: your last day of employment can fall on a non-working day, in which case your final working day is the last working day before it.
Is 4 weeks' notice the same as 1 month's notice?
No. Four weeks is always exactly 28 days, while one month runs to the same date in the next month (the "corresponding date" rule) — which is 28 to 31 days depending on the month. Over a 3-month notice period the difference between "12 weeks" and "3 months" can be several days, so check the exact wording in your contract.
How is 1 month's notice counted if there is no matching date next month?
One month's notice ends on the corresponding date in the next month — notice given 5 June ends 5 July. If there is no corresponding date (for example one month from 31 January), the period ends on the last day of the following month (28 or 29 February).
What if my last day of notice falls on a weekend?
Your employment still legally ends on that date — the notice period is calendar time. In practice your final day in work is simply the last working day before it, and you remain employed (and paid) through to the end date.
How much notice do I have to give by law in the UK?
The statutory minimum for an employee resigning is 1 week once you have at least one month's service — it does not increase with length of service. Most contracts require more (commonly one month). An employer dismissing you must give 1 week after one month's service, rising to 1 week per complete year from 2 years, capped at 12 weeks.
Can my employer make me leave before my notice period ends?
Only if your contract allows payment in lieu of notice (PILON) — paying you what you would have earned for the remaining notice instead of you working it — or puts you on garden leave, where you stay employed and paid to the end date but do not attend work. Otherwise, ending your employment early without pay for the notice owed can be wrongful dismissal.
What happens if I leave without working my full notice?
You would be in breach of contract. In practice most employers do not sue, but they can refuse to pay for time not worked, may deduct losses where the contract allows, and it can cost you a good reference. It is almost always better to agree an earlier leaving date in writing.
Estimate only — not legal advice. Date counting follows ACAS/GOV.UK guidance (notice runs from the day after it's given; corresponding-date rule for months). Working-day counts use Monday–Friday and England & Wales bank holidays for 2025–2027; Scotland and Northern Ireland have different bank holidays. Your contract can set different terms — check it, or confirm with ACAS.