Guide

Redundancy notice period UK: how much notice you must get

Updated 2026-08-15

Redundancy is a dismissal, so the section 86 minimums apply in full. The notice period comes on top of consultation, not instead of it.

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The notice you must receive

An employee made redundant must get at least the statutory minimum notice: one week per complete year of service, from one week to a 12-week cap (gov.uk: redundancy rights). If the contract gives longer notice, the longer period applies. Ten years' service means at least ten weeks' notice, whatever the contract says.

Consultation is separate from notice

Consultation happens before notice is served, and for collective redundancies (20 or more at one establishment within 90 days) there are minimum consultation windows of 30 days (20 to 99 redundancies) or 45 days (100 or more) before the first dismissal takes effect. Individual notice periods then run from when notice is actually given. An employer who serves notice on day one of consultation has usually got the order wrong.

Notice pay, PILON and garden leave in a redundancy

Working the notice: full pay as normal, and you are entitled to reasonable paid time off to look for work once you have two years' service.
Payment in lieu of notice (PILON): the employer ends employment at once and pays basic salary for the notice period instead. Taxed as earnings. See our PILON guide.
Garden leave: you stay employed and paid but away from work until the notice period ends. See notice period vs garden leave.

Notice pay and statutory redundancy pay are different money

Statutory redundancy pay (capped weekly pay, age-banded multipliers, two years' service to qualify) is a separate entitlement from notice pay, and both are due. Use gov.uk's redundancy pay calculator for that figure; this site calculates the notice side.

Collective consultation thresholds and time-off rights are stated as at this page's updated date; verify on gov.uk before relying on them in a live redundancy process.

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Questions, answered directly

How much redundancy notice should I get?

At least one week if you have between one month and two years of continuous service, then one week for each complete year, up to 12 weeks from 12 years' service. That is the statutory minimum; a longer contractual notice period applies instead if you have one.

How much notice for redundancy after 10 years?

At least 10 weeks from the employer: the statutory scale gives one week per complete year of service, capped at 12 weeks. A longer contractual notice period applies instead if you have one.

Can I be paid off instead of working my redundancy notice?

Yes, if the employer offers payment in lieu of notice (PILON) or you agree to it. The payment covers the pay you would have earned in the notice period and is taxed as normal earnings.

Sources

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