Answers · UK 2025/26
How much notice am I entitled to if I am made redundant?
You are entitled to at least the statutory minimum notice period -- one week per full year of service up to 12 weeks -- or your contractual notice period if longer. Your employer can choose to pay in lieu of notice (PILON) instead of requiring you to work it, but must still pay for the full notice period.
Full answer
The statutory minimum notice period an employer must give an employee being made redundant (or dismissed for most other reasons) depends on how long the employee has worked for that employer: after one month of continuous service but less than two years, the statutory minimum is one week's notice; after two complete years, it rises to one week for each complete year of service, up to a maximum of 12 weeks after 12 or more years of continuous service. This statutory minimum is a floor, not a cap -- many employment contracts specify a longer contractual notice period than the statutory minimum, particularly for more senior roles, and where the contractual notice period is longer than the statutory minimum, the employee is entitled to whichever is longer, not simply the statutory figure. During their notice period, whether working it or not, an employee being made redundant is entitled to their normal pay and benefits to continue as if they were still working, and if their pay varies (for example, due to overtime, commission or shift patterns), specific statutory rules on 'normal working hours' calculations apply to work out the correct amount owed for each week of the notice period. Many employers, rather than requiring the employee to physically work through their full notice period once redundancy has been confirmed, choose to make a payment in lieu of notice (PILON) instead, ending the employment relationship immediately but still paying the employee the equivalent of their full notice period's pay as a lump sum, which (as covered in the separate PILON tax answer) is always fully taxable as earnings, regardless of how the underlying employment contract is worded. Employees who believe they have not received their correct notice period or notice pay can raise this with ACAS or, ultimately, an Employment Tribunal.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.