How to Work Out Your Notice Period (and Your Last Day)

If you are working out your notice period in Great Britain, you are really working out two things: how long the notice is, and which day it starts. Neither is hard once you know where each answer comes from. This guide covers England, Scotland and Wales, the way GOV.UK and Acas describe it, and it keeps the legal rules apart from simple counting so you can see which is which.

We are not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

The short answer: your contract, then the legal minimum

Start with your contract. Your contract, your written statement of employment particulars or a staff policy is where your own notice period normally lives, and GOV.UK tells people handing in notice to check their contract first (GOV.UK).

The law then sets a floor, and the floor is different depending on who is giving notice.

• If your employer ends your job, GOV.UK sets minimums by length of service: at least one week for one month to under two years of service, one week for each year worked from two to under twelve years, and 12 weeks from twelve years. It adds that your employer "may give you more than the statutory minimum, but they cannot give you less" (GOV.UK).
• If you resign, Acas says an employee who has worked at least one month must give at least one week's notice, unless an exception applies. The same page says your contract, written statement or a staff policy might ask you for more than that minimum (Acas).

So the number you need is usually written in your contract. The legal minimum is what is left if the contract is shorter, or if it says nothing.

If you only want the employer-side minimum for your length of service, the notice period calculator looks it up. It shows the statutory minimum, not the notice written in your own contract.

When does notice start?

If your contract says when notice starts, that applies. If it is silent, Acas says notice starts the day after you tell your employer you are resigning, or the day after your employer tells you in person that you are being dismissed or made redundant. If your employer tells you only in writing, the period starts once you have had a reasonable amount of time to read it (Acas). Acas gives examples: if the only notice is a letter sent by registered post, the period might start the day after, and if the person is on holiday when it lands, it might start after they have returned home.

That is the whole rule from the official source. Anything more specific, such as how a weekend or a bank holiday is treated, depends on your contract's wording, and we have not found an official rule to quote.

Worked examples: your last day, counted out

The dates below are simple counting, not a legal rule. They assume your contract says nothing about when notice starts, so the day-after rule above applies, and they count calendar days. Check how your contract words it before relying on them.

Say you tell your employer you are resigning on Monday 5 October 2026. Notice starts the next day, Tuesday 6 October. Counting that day as day one:

The 12-week row is also the longest statutory minimum an employer must give, so the same count applies if your employer tells you in person on Monday 5 October that your job is ending after twelve or more years. A "month" is different. A calendar month is between 28 and 31 days, while four weeks is always 28, so "one month" and "four weeks" are not interchangeable. Which one you have is whatever your contract says.

Other ways a notice period can play out

Not every notice period is worked in full.

• Garden leave. Your employer may ask you to stay away from work during notice. GOV.UK says that on garden leave you get the same pay and contractual benefits (GOV.UK).
• Pay instead of notice. GOV.UK says your employment can be ended without notice if "payment in lieu of notice" is included in your contract, and that your employer may still offer it even if your contract does not mention it (GOV.UK).
• An agreed shorter notice. Acas says you and your employer can agree an alternative, for example you taking leave rather than working the full notice, and advises putting any agreement in writing, such as in a letter or email (Acas).
• Not giving enough notice. If you give less than you should and your employer does not agree an alternative, Acas says you are likely to be breaching your contract, unless your employer has already seriously breached it. It lists possible consequences, such as a deduction from wages to cover an agency replacement if the contract allows it, a claim in court to recover those costs, and effects on a job reference.

If you are leaving for a competitor, your contract may contain restrictive covenants, which GOV.UK describes as terms that can stop you working for a competitor, or contacting customers, for a set period after you leave (GOV.UK). Read that clause before you accept a new job.

If you are not in Great Britain

In most of the United States, employment is at will: there is no federal statutory minimum notice for an individual termination. Check your contract.

What your contract might say differently

The notice clause is easy to read past: it can set a longer period for you than for your employer, say when notice starts, or add rules about holiday and pay. Our guide to job contract red flags covers other terms worth a second look.

Upload a contract, pick which side of the deal you're on, and get a risk score, findings that quote your contract (where the wording can be matched), and what to ask for. Try it — no account. See your two most important findings in full, no card. AI-generated analysis — informational, not legal advice.

👉 Analyze your contract free — one free analysis every 30 days, no card.

---

Keep reading

• Job contract red flagsGuide
• Notice period calculatorTool