Notice period calculator
Calculate your UK or Canadian notice period from service and contract terms, including whether one month, four weeks or the statutory minimum applies. This is an educational estimate, not legal advice.
Employer email template
Subject: Request for final pay review
I am writing to ask you to review my final pay. Based on the information available to me, I believe the amount or deadline may not match the applicable rule. Please confirm the calculation, the pay period covered, any deductions, and the expected payment date.
Wage claim checklist
- OK Final payslip or pay statement
- OK Employment contract or handbook policy
- OK Dates worked and termination/resignation date
- OK Written request sent to employer
- OK Official state or country claim link
Statutory vs contractual notice
Your notice period is whichever is greater: the statutory minimum set by law, or the contractual notice written into your employment contract. This calculator works out both and shows you which one applies, for the UK and for Canada's Ontario baseline.
In the UK, the statutory minimum your employer must give you starts at one week after a month of employment, then rises by one week for every complete year you have worked, up to a ceiling of twelve weeks at twelve years' service. A contract can improve on this but can never undercut it. In Canada, provincial employment-standards rules set a comparable sliding scale, commonly one week per year up to eight weeks.
How the notice is served also matters. Your employer can ask you to work it, place you on garden leave — paid, but away from the workplace — or end it early with payment in lieu of notice. All three keep you paid for the full period; the difference is whether you attend work and when your employment formally ends, which can affect your continuous-service date for other entitlements.
One month's notice or four weeks' notice?
These phrases are often treated as if they mean the same thing, but they do not. Four weeks is exactly 28 days; one calendar month ends on the corresponding date in the next month and can therefore last 28, 29, 30 or 31 days. If your contract says one month, keep that calendar wording when agreeing your leaving date. If it gives a number of weeks, enter that number above and compare it with the statutory minimum.
Knowing your correct notice matters whether you are resigning or being let go — it affects your final pay, your leaving date and any payment in lieu. Download the PDF to keep a dated record of the figures.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice is my employer required to give me?+−
In the UK, the statutory minimum is one week's notice once you have been employed for one month, then one week for each complete year of service up to a maximum of 12 weeks. Your contract may give more, in which case the higher figure applies.
Can my contract give less notice than the statutory minimum?+−
No. A contract can give more notice than the statutory minimum but never less. If your contract states a shorter period, the statutory minimum still applies.
Is the notice I give the same as the notice I receive?+−
Not necessarily. The statutory minimum that your employer must give increases with your length of service, but the notice you must give them is usually a flat one week unless your contract says otherwise.
Do I get paid during my notice period?+−
Yes. You are normally entitled to your normal pay throughout your notice period, whether you work it or your employer places you on garden leave or pays in lieu of notice.
What is payment in lieu of notice (PILON)?+−
PILON is when your employer pays your notice pay as a lump sum instead of having you work the notice period. It is allowed where your contract provides for it, and the payment is normally taxable as earnings.
Can I leave before my notice period ends?+−
Only by agreement with your employer. Leaving early without consent can be a breach of contract, though in practice many employers will agree to a shorter notice or waive the remainder. Get any agreement in writing.
Is one month's notice the same as four weeks' notice?+−
No. One calendar month normally runs from a date in one month to the corresponding date in the next, while four weeks is exactly 28 days. The difference can change your final employment date and pay, so use the wording in your contract rather than assuming the two periods are interchangeable.
Legal basis and primary sources
All statutory figures are sourced directly from official government legislation and guidance. See our methodology →