The Notice Period Calculator works out your last working day from the date you hand in your notice and the notice length your contract requires, in days, weeks, or months. It also counts the calendar days and working days in the period and, if you add your annual salary, estimates the gross pay the notice period represents.
How It Works
The notice period is added to the resignation date using calendar arithmetic in UTC, so time zones never shift the answer: days add directly, weeks add in seven-day blocks, and months use true calendar months (a month from 31 January lands on the last day of February, not 3 March). If your contract counts notice from the day after resignation, the "start next day" option shifts the window accordingly, with the final day pulled back so the total period length stays the same. Working days count Mondays to Fridays inside the window.
Parameters
| Input | Required | Meaning | |---|---|---| | Resignation date | Yes | The date notice is given | | Notice period | Yes | Length of notice | | Unit | Yes | Days, weeks, or months | | Start next day | No | Begin counting the day after resignation | | Annual salary | No | Enables the estimated notice pay figure |
Worked example
Resign on Sunday 1 March 2026 with four weeks' notice counted from the resignation date: the last working day is 29 March 2026, the window spans 29 calendar days inclusive, and it contains 20 working days. At an annual salary of 7,250. With "start next day" enabled instead, the window runs 2 March to 29 March, keeping a 28-day notice span. Which convention applies is set by your contract's wording, typically "notice runs from the day after it is given" or the reverse, and one day of difference is the most common source of last-day disputes.
Calendar days versus working days in contracts
Most contracts state notice in calendar weeks or months, not working days, which is why this calculator counts both but anchors on calendar arithmetic. Where a contract does say "20 working days' notice", convert carefully: that is four calendar weeks under a Monday-to-Friday pattern, plus any public holidays your jurisdiction inserts (the calculator does not hold a holiday calendar, so add those by hand). Also check whether your employer can require garden leave or pay in lieu of notice (PILON): both change what "last working day" means in practice, the first keeps you employed but away from work, the second ends employment immediately with a payment.
Untaken leave and the last day
Accrued but untaken holiday is usually either taken inside the notice period (which can move your last physical day in the office earlier without changing the employment end date) or paid out with the final settlement, depending on the contract and jurisdiction. Keep the two dates distinct when you communicate: your employment end date (this calculator's output) and your last day attending work. Final pay typically includes salary to the end date plus the leave payout or minus any overtaken leave, subject to written agreement.
Limitations
The calculator performs date arithmetic on the inputs you give. It does not know your contract's counting convention, public holidays, probation terms, statutory minimums in your jurisdiction, or whether PILON or garden leave applies. Treat the result as the planning date and confirm it in writing with HR in your resignation letter.
Writing the resignation letter so the date is agreed
State three things in the letter itself: the date of the letter, the notice period you are giving by reference to your contract clause, and the resulting last working day as you calculate it, inviting HR to confirm or correct it. That single paragraph prevents the most common end-of-employment dispute, two different last days used by employee and payroll. If the employer proposes an earlier release or garden leave, get the variation in the reply, in writing, with its effect on pay and leave stated. Your calculator result is the opening position; the confirmed letter exchange is the record that final pay will follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does notice start on the day I resign or the next day?
Both conventions exist and the contract decides. The calculator defaults to counting from the resignation date and offers the next-day start as an option; check the wording of your clause and mirror it.
Why is the estimated pay based on 365 days?
It pro-rates annual salary by calendar days in the notice window (salary / 365 x calendar days), a common payroll approximation. Your payslip may differ if your employer pro-rates by working days or monthly fractions instead.
Can my employer waive part of my notice?
Yes, by agreement, or by paying in lieu where the contract allows. Neither can be assumed unilaterally: get any shortened period confirmed in writing so the end date and final pay are undisputed.