Notice Period Calculator: How to Work Out Your Last Day in the UK

Work out your notice period and last working day with confidence. This guide explains contractual and statutory notice in the UK, how to count the dates with worked examples, and what happens with probation, holiday, garden leave, pay in lieu and resigning by email.

By Tony Musso on Sun Oct 25 2026

Working out your notice period sounds simple until you're sitting with a calendar trying to decide whether "one month" ends on the 14th or the 15th. Get it wrong and you might tell a new employer the wrong start date, or leave a few days early and end up in an awkward conversation about pay.

This guide shows you how to calculate your notice period and last working day in the UK, with worked examples you can follow date by date. It covers how contractual and statutory notice fit together, notice during probation, holiday, garden leave and pay in lieu of notice. It applies to England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has its own employment law. It's general information rather than legal advice, so check your contract and GOV.UK or Acas if anything is unclear.

Contractual notice vs statutory minimum notice

Two sets of rules apply, and the longer one wins.

Contractual notice is whatever your contract or written statement says. It's often one week, one month or three months, and it can be different for you and your employer.

Statutory minimum notice is the legal floor. Your contract can give more but never less.

Who gives notice	Length of service	Statutory minimum
Your employer	Less than one month	No statutory minimum
Your employer	At least one month but less than two years	One week
Your employer	Two years to under 12 years	One week for each complete year
Your employer	12 years or more	12 weeks
You	One month or more	One week

So if your contract says one month but you've worked there for seven complete years, your employer must give you at least seven weeks. Your own minimum stays at one week however long you've been there, unless your contract asks for more.

If your contract says nothing about notice, the statutory minimums apply as a starting point. Our guide to UK employment law covers the wider set of rights that sit alongside notice.

How to count your notice period

There are three steps.

Find your notice length. Look in your contract, written statement or staff handbook. If you can't find it, ask HR in writing.
Work out when notice starts. Notice usually starts the day after it's given. If you hand in a letter on a Friday, day one is normally the Saturday. Some contracts set their own rules, for example that notice must end on the last day of a month, so check yours.
Count forward. Weeks are counted in whole weeks from the start day. Months are counted as calendar months, so notice starting on the 16th usually ends on the 15th of the following month.

Your last working day is the last day you're due to work within that period. If your notice ends on a weekend or a day you don't normally work, your last working day will be earlier, but you're still employed and paid until the notice period ends.

Worked example 1: one week's notice

Amir works Monday to Friday and has one week's notice in his contract. He hands in his resignation on Friday 6 November 2026.

Notice starts: Saturday 7 November 2026
Notice ends: Friday 13 November 2026
Last working day: Friday 13 November 2026

Worked example 2: one month's notice

Lucy's contract says one month. She emails her resignation on Friday 15 January 2027.

Notice starts: Saturday 16 January 2027
Notice ends: Monday 15 February 2027
Last working day: Monday 15 February 2027

If her new job starts on Tuesday 16 February, the timing works with no gap.

Worked example 3: statutory notice from an employer

Dev has four complete years of service and a contract that only promises one week's notice. His employer gives him notice on Monday 1 March 2027. Statutory notice is four weeks, which is longer than his contract, so four weeks applies.

Notice starts: Tuesday 2 March 2027
Notice ends: Monday 29 March 2027
Last working day: Monday 29 March 2027

If you're working out your own dates, our resignation letter tool works out your last working day from your notice period for you, and puts the date in the letter.

Notice during probation

Many contracts set a shorter notice period during probation, often one week. The statutory minimums still apply, so once you've been there for a month, your employer must give at least one week. If you've been there for less than a month, there's no statutory minimum, so the contract decides. For what to expect when probation ends, read our probation review guide.

Holiday during your notice period

You keep building up holiday while you work your notice. When you leave, you should be paid for any statutory holiday you've earned but not taken. If you've taken more holiday than you've earned, your employer may be able to deduct the difference from your final pay, but only if your contract allows it.

You can ask to take holiday during your notice, which can bring your last working day forward. Your employer doesn't have to agree. They can also require you to use holiday during notice, as long as they give you enough warning. GOV.UK sets out the notice they must give for this.

Garden leave and pay in lieu of notice

Garden leave means you're still employed and paid for your notice period, but told to stay away from work. You usually can't start another job until it ends, and you may be asked not to contact clients or colleagues. Your employer generally needs a clause in your contract to do this.

Pay in lieu of notice (PILON) means your employer ends your employment straight away and pays you for the notice instead. Your employment ends on the day you're told, not at the end of the notice period. Pay in lieu is taxed like normal pay. If your contract doesn't allow it, ask for the details in writing and check with Acas.

Resigning by email

In most jobs, an email resignation is fine, as long as your contract doesn't require a signed letter or another format. A few points help:

Say clearly that you're resigning and give your last working day.
Send it to your line manager, and copy in HR if that's usual where you work.
Keep a copy and ask for a written acknowledgement.
If you want to leave earlier than your notice allows, ask politely in the same email. Your employer can agree to shorten it, but doesn't have to.

Leaving without working your notice is a breach of contract. Employers rarely take action, but it can affect your reference, so it's better to agree any changes in writing. If you need to put something else in writing before you go, our work letter templates can help.

Ready to hand in your notice? Our tool builds a clear, professional resignation letter and works out your last working day from your notice period.

Write your resignation letter