What notice must an employer give when a fixed-term contract simply expires?

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A common misconception is that because a fixed-term contract has an agreed end date, no notice is required at all when that date arrives -- in most circumstances this is incorrect, and getting it wrong exposes an employer to a claim. **Why notice is still generally required** Unless the fixed-term contract terms specifically and validly exclude the statutory notice requirement in an appropriate way (which is only possible in limited circumstances, such as a genuinely very short fixed term where statutory minimum notice would not have started accruing in the same way), an employee on a fixed-term contract is still entitled to receive at least the statutory minimum notice period (one week for each complete year of service, up to a maximum of 12 weeks, after at least one month's employment) or any longer notice period specified in their contract, even though the contract has an agreed end date. **Task or event-based fixed terms are slightly different** Where a contract is expressed to end on completion of a specific task or event (rather than a fixed calendar date) -- for example, "this contract ends when the Smith project is complete" -- the ending of the contract on completion of that task/event can, in some circumstances, be treated differently from a simple date-based expiry, though notice requirements can still apply depending on how the contract is drafted and how much certainty existed about when the task/event would actually conclude. **Non-renewal still counts as dismissal** As with any fixed-term contract ending, the non-renewal of the contract at its expiry date is legally a dismissal, meaning that for an employee with 2+ years' continuous service, the employer must have a fair reason for not renewing (typically that the underlying business need genuinely no longer exists) and should generally follow a fair process, in addition to giving the correct notice. **Redundancy considerations at expiry** If a fixed-term contract of 2+ years is not renewed because the underlying role/need has genuinely ended (rather than simply because the fixed term expired for unrelated reasons), this can count as a redundancy situation, triggering both statutory redundancy pay entitlement and, for larger-scale non-renewals affecting 20 or more employees within a 90-day period, collective consultation obligations under the same rules that would apply to any other redundancy exercise. **Practical steps employers should take** Employers should notify fixed-term employees of an approaching contract expiry well in advance (both as good practice and, in many cases, to meet the statutory minimum notice period requirement calculated from the length of service), formally confirm the specific reason the contract is not being renewed, and consider whether redundancy pay or a fair process obligation applies given the employee's length of service and the reason for non-renewal. **Worked example** An employee has been on a series of renewed fixed-term contracts covering 3 years of continuous service at a university, working on a specific research grant. When the grant funding ends and the final fixed-term contract is not renewed, the employee is entitled to at least 3 weeks' statutory minimum notice (one week per complete year of service), and because they have 2+ years' service and the underlying need for the role has genuinely ended (the grant funding), this likely also qualifies as a redundancy situation, entitling them to statutory redundancy pay calculated in the normal way based on age, weekly pay (capped), and length of service. **Practical tip** Employers should build reminders into their contract management process well ahead of any fixed-term contract's expiry date, to ensure correct notice is given and any redundancy or fair process obligations are properly considered in good time, rather than simply letting the contract lapse on its end date without formal notice or process.

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