How this index is organised
UK employment law is broad. To keep this index usable, the material below is grouped into seven topic areas, each starting with the cornerstone authority page for the topic and listing the relevant calculators, guides and FAQs underneath. For statutory references and authoritative external resources, the employment rights hub and employment law resources page sit alongside this index as the other top-level entry points.
For the editorial standards applied to every page on this site, see the editorial policy; for the review process, see how we review content; for the publisher background, see the about page.
Employment rights
UK employment law gives workers a defined set of statutory rights, set mainly by the Employment Rights Act 1996, the Working Time Regulations 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. Rights vary by length of service: some apply from day one (discrimination protection, statutory minimum wage, paid holiday accrual), others from one month (statutory minimum notice from the employer), others from two years (statutory redundancy pay, ordinary unfair-dismissal protection).
Three pages cover the rights framework in depth:
- Employment rights hub — a cornerstone overview covering notice, garden leave, redundancy, settlement agreements, probation, holiday, final pay, PILON and resignation in plain English with statutory citations.
- Redundancy rights UK — the redundancy-specific deep dive: statutory pay, consultation, selection, appeals, notice, holiday, PILON, settlements, ACAS routes.
- Notice period rights UK — the notice-period-specific deep dive: statutory and contractual notice, employee and employer rights, garden leave, PILON, sick leave and holiday during notice, resignation.
Redundancy
Redundancy means your role is going, not that you have done something wrong. After two years of continuous service, you are entitled to statutory redundancy pay calculated by age and length of service. The first £30,000 of statutory plus any ex-gratia portion is tax-free. PILON, holiday pay and any bonus are always taxable as earnings.
The calculators handle the maths:
- Redundancy pay calculator — statutory redundancy with the £700/week and 20-year service caps applied.
- Redundancy notice period calculator — statutory minimum notice from the employer.
- Redundancy runway calculator — how long the lump sum, notice pay and savings will cover essential spending.
- Redundancy tax estimator — the £30,000 allowance applied to the package, with a rough net figure.
The supporting guides and articles:
- Redundancy rights UK — the cornerstone rights page.
- Redundancy checklist UK — day-1 to day-30 practical sequence.
- What to do with redundancy money — practical decision tree for the lump sum.
- Financial planning after redundancy — 12-month phases from the first lump sum to steady state.
- Surviving redundancy financially — 90-day practical sequence.
- Redundancy pay tax explained — the £30,000 allowance, PENP, worked examples.
- Final pay after redundancy — what is in the final pay packet and how it is taxed.
- Redundancy consultation period — 30-day and 45-day collective consultation rules and individual consultation.
Notice periods
A notice period is the warning either side has to give the other before ending employment. The longer of the statutory minimum (Employment Rights Act 1996, section 86) and the contractual figure applies. Most contracts give a longer notice for office and professional roles. The employer can choose to have you work the notice, place you on garden leave, or pay PILON.
The notice-period calculators:
- Notice period calculator — final working day from any resignation date and notice length.
- NHS notice period calculator — NHS-specific notice arithmetic with the standard NHS terms applied.
- Final working day calculator — same maths as the homepage, with bespoke SEO copy.
- Garden leave calculator — garden leave end date plus non-compete stacking.
- PILON calculator — gross payment in lieu of notice.
The supporting guides and FAQs:
- Notice period rights UK — the cornerstone rights page.
- How notice periods work in the UK — statutory vs contractual, calendar-month maths.
- What to do after resigning — first-week post-resignation playbook.
- Garden leave explained — rights, restrictions and non-compete interaction.
- PILON explained — mechanics, tax history, PENP rules since 2018.
- How long is a notice period in the UK?
- Can my employer make me work my notice?
Settlement agreements
A settlement agreement is a legally binding contract under section 203 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 that ends employment and waives the employee’s right to bring most claims, in exchange for an agreed financial package and other terms. By law, the employee must have received independent legal advice for the agreement to be binding. The employer typically pays a contribution (commonly £350-£750 plus VAT for routine cases).
Calculators and content:
- Settlement agreement calculator — combined gross value with the £30,000 allowance applied.
- What is a settlement agreement? — structure, content, and when they are used.
- Do I need a solicitor for a settlement agreement? — the statutory advice requirement and typical costs.
- Can I negotiate a settlement agreement? — the negotiable levers and how to use them.
- PILON vs garden leave — comparison commonly relevant in settlement contexts.
Resignation
Resignation is a unilateral act in UK employment law. Once you have given valid written notice, your employment will end at the end of the notice period whether the employer accepts it or not. The employer can decide how to handle the notice (working notice, garden leave, or PILON), but cannot extend or refuse the end date.
The practical resignation tools and content:
- Resignation letter generator — polished letter in three tones, ready to send.
- Resignation letter templates — six pre-written scenario letters.
- Handover plan generator — week-by-week handover personalised to your notice period.
- The complete UK resignation guide — the cornerstone pillar guide.
- What to do after resigning — first-week playbook.
- How to budget before resigning — practical pre-resignation budget setup.
- How much money should I save before quitting? — savings target before resigning.
- Can I afford to quit calculator — runway estimator with notice pay, freelance and partner income inputs.
Career change
Career change is harder and slower than the LinkedIn-influencer framing suggests, but tens of thousands of people in the UK do it every year. The standard pattern combines a skills audit, a credential gap analysis, parallel pathways alongside the current role, and a decision framework for the new direction. The calculators above can model the financial side; the articles below cover the career mechanics.
- Signs it’s time for a career change — eight diagnostic signals.
- Career change after 30 — four-line framework for mid-career changes.
- Best careers for a fresh start — eight UK sectors that welcome career changers.
- Changing career with no experience — five-step strategy for breaking in.
- Jobs that don’t require a degree — ten well-paying UK roles with entry routes.
- How to retrain for a new career — course formats, costs, timelines.
- Career burnout: when to switch — burnout versus role mismatch.
Freelancing and self-employment
Going freelance or starting a limited company is one of the most common moves after redundancy or a senior resignation. The UK structure decisions (sole trader versus limited company) shape the tax position, the admin overhead, and the client perception. Most established professional freelancers run limited companies; most starting freelancers begin as sole traders.
- How to start freelancing in the UK — practical setup from day zero to first paid client.
- Sole trader vs limited company — comparison and the income threshold where the limited company starts to win.
- Registering a limited company in the UK — step-by-step Companies House registration.
- Contractor vs employee — pay, security, IR35 and the financial reality.
- Starting a business after redundancy — using redundancy money to fund a venture.
- Going freelance after employment — the decision tree for the transition.
- Becoming a contractor after redundancy — contracting through a limited company.
- Setting up a limited company after leaving work — the four decisions before incorporation.
- Self-employment after leaving a job — sequence from resignation to first invoice.
- Freelance setup checklist — first-month checklist.
Financial planning
The financial side of leaving employment is its own discipline. The site groups the relevant tools and articles into the financial planning hub, which links 5 financial calculators (emergency fund, afford to quit, redundancy runway, final pay estimator, redundancy tax estimator) plus 11 financial articles plus 4 related calculators. For the redundancy-specific financial path, see the redundancy section above.
Authority and external resources
Where you need formal advice or a regulator’s position, the right routes are:
- ACAS — free, impartial advice. Helpline 0300 123 1100. Early conciliation is mandatory before most tribunal claims.
- GOV.UK employment — official government summaries on pay, leave, rights and dismissal.
- Citizens Advice — free advice through local bureaux and the national website.
- Employment Tribunals — official information and claim forms.
For a broader curated directory including Law Centres, the Money and Pensions Service, StepChange and other advisory routes, see the employment law resources page.
The cornerstone pages on this site
The full set of authority pages, which collectively act as the editorial spine of the site:
- About — publisher identity, scope and accuracy commitments.
- Editorial policy — research, writing and update standards.
- How we review content — the four-stage review and calculator validation process.
- Employment rights hub — cornerstone overview of all employment-rights topics.
- Redundancy rights UK — redundancy-specific deep dive.
- Notice period rights UK — notice-specific deep dive.
- Employment law resources — directory of authoritative external sources.
Frequently asked questions
- What does UK employment law cover?
- UK employment law covers the relationship between employers and employees from the start of work through to its end. Key areas include the contract of employment (statutory minimum terms, pay, hours, holiday), notice and dismissal (statutory and contractual notice, unfair and constructive dismissal, redundancy), discrimination and equality (protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010), working time (rest breaks, paid leave, the 48-hour week), and pay (national minimum wage, equal pay, deductions from wages).
- Where is UK employment law set out?
- The main statutes are the Employment Rights Act 1996 (the cornerstone for notice, dismissal, redundancy and unfair dismissal), the Working Time Regulations 1998 (holiday and working hours), the Equality Act 2010 (discrimination), the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (termination payment tax including the £30,000 allowance) and the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (collective consultation, trade unions). ACAS publishes Codes of Practice that have legal weight in tribunal proceedings.
- Do I need a solicitor to understand my employment rights?
- Usually not at the information stage. ACAS provides free guidance and an early conciliation service; Citizens Advice offers free help with most workplace issues; GOV.UK has plain-English summaries; the resources on this site cover the practical mechanics. A solicitor is normally needed only for a settlement agreement (by law, you must have independent legal advice), a tribunal claim, or a complex contractual dispute.
- How does this site fit into UK employment law guidance?
- Notice Period Calculator focuses on the practical mechanics: working out dates and figures with calculators, explaining the rules with plain-English guides, and pointing readers to ACAS, GOV.UK and Citizens Advice for formal advice. It is not legal advice. The editorial policy and review process set out the standards we apply.
- What should I do if I think my employer has broken employment law?
- The standard escalation: raise the issue in writing with your manager or HR; use the employer's formal grievance procedure; contact ACAS for free advice; initiate ACAS early conciliation if a tribunal claim looks viable (mandatory before lodging one); lodge a tribunal claim within three months less one day of the act complained of where conciliation does not resolve it.
General information about UK employment law, not legal advice. For your specific situation, contact ACAS or an employment-law solicitor.