How Much Notice Do I Need to Give to Leave My Job?
If you have worked for your employer for more than one month, the legal minimum is usually one week's notice. Your employment contract, written statement, or agreed terms can require more notice, so check those first.
Use the notice period calculator to estimate the notice start date and final employment date.
The short answer
For most UK employees:
- If you have worked for less than one month, you usually do not have to give statutory notice unless your contract says you do.
- If you have worked for more than one month, you usually need to give at least one week's notice.
- If your contract says you must give more, the contractual notice period usually applies.
- Unless the contract says otherwise, notice usually starts the day after you resign.
GOV.UK says employees must give at least one week's notice after more than one month in the job, and that a contract can require written notice. Citizens Advice also recommends resigning in writing so there is no argument about the date or last day.
What to check in your contract
Look for clauses called notice, termination, resignation, probation, garden leave, PILON, holiday, deductions, or restrictive covenants.
The most important checks are:
- how much notice you must give;
- whether notice must be in writing;
- whether the notice period is different during probation;
- whether the employer can place you on garden leave;
- whether the employer can make a payment in lieu of notice;
- whether there are rules about working for a competitor.
If there is no written contract and no longer notice period has been agreed, Acas and Citizens Advice guidance both point back to the statutory minimum for employees who have worked more than one month.
What should go in your resignation email?
Keep it short and specific:
- the date you are resigning;
- the amount of notice you are giving;
- your expected last working day;
- whether you want to discuss holiday, handover, or an earlier leaving date.
You do not need to explain your whole decision unless you want to. The useful thing is clarity.
Can I give more notice than required?
You can usually offer more notice than the minimum. Citizens Advice says an employer cannot make you leave earlier just because you gave more notice; if they do, that may count as dismissal.
For employers, the practical response is to confirm the agreed last day in writing and avoid assuming the employee can be released early without agreement.
What employers should do when someone resigns
GOV.UK says employers should get the resignation confirmed in writing, tell the employee their notice period, agree the last day, and confirm whether the employee should work all or part of their notice.
For payroll and HR teams, that means checking:
- the resignation date and notice start date;
- the final employment date;
- untaken holiday;
- final pay, expenses, deductions, benefits, and pension treatment;
- P45 timing;
- system access and document retention.
Workmax helps employers keep leaver records, holiday, payroll, documents, and employee access in one place, so final pay does not depend on disconnected spreadsheets and inbox searches.
Related guides
- Can I leave my job without working my notice period?
- Does holiday count during my notice period?
- What happens to final pay when an employee leaves?
- Employer leaver checklist: resignation to final payslip
Official sources
This guide is general information for UK notice period and payroll planning. It is not legal advice. Contracts, workplace policies, settlement terms, dismissal facts, immigration status, and local circumstances can change the position.
