Enter an employee’s length of service to find the statutory minimum notice period under the Employment Act — the notice that applies whenever the employment contract doesn’t specify its own.
Statutory minimum notice period
| Length of service | Minimum notice |
|---|---|
| Less than 26 weeks | 1 day |
| 26 weeks to less than 2 years | 1 week |
| 2 years to less than 5 years | 2 weeks |
| 5 years or more | 4 weeks |
This table applies only when the contract of service is silent on notice. Most written contracts specify their own notice period — usually 1 week to 1 month for rank-and-file staff, longer for managers — and that contractual figure overrides the statutory table as long as it’s not shorter than what the table requires.
Pay in lieu of notice
Either party can end the employment immediately by paying the other a sum equal to the salary that would have been earned during the notice period, instead of serving it. This works both ways: an employer can dismiss on the spot by paying it, and an employee can resign on the spot by paying it.
Waiving notice
Either party can also waive part or all of the notice period, but only with the other party’s written consent — it isn’t automatic just because one side offers.
This tool gives statutory minimums only. It doesn’t cover notice during probation (which follows the contract, or defaults to 1 day if silent), or special termination scenarios like misconduct dismissal without notice.