How the timeline is worked out
The timeline uses the same counting as the notice period calculator. The day you hand in your resignation is day zero and the notice runs from the next day. A notice period in months ends on the same date in the later month, or on the last day of that month if it is shorter (31 January plus one month is 28 February, or 29 February in a leap year). A notice period in weeks is seven calendar days per week, and the days option simply adds calendar days. Weekends and bank holidays count towards the notice; they do not pause it.
With weekend rollback switched on, an end date that falls on a Saturday or Sunday moves back to the Friday, because that is the last day most people are actually at work. This is a practical convention, not a legal rule: your employment, and your pay, still run to the calendar end date. Untick the box to see that date instead.
The final payslip marker sits 14 days after your final working day. It is a placeholder, not a rule. Your final pay normally arrives on your employer’s next usual payday, and it should include pay for any holiday you have built up but not taken (regulation 14 of the Working Time Regulations 1998). If you are paid monthly and leave just after payday, the gap can be close to a month.
Worked examples
- One month’s notice, weekday end. Resign on Monday 2 November 2026: the final working day is Wednesday 2 December 2026 and the payslip marker is Wednesday 16 December 2026.
- One month’s notice, weekend end. Resign on Thursday 14 January 2027: one month later is Sunday 14 February 2027, so with rollback on the final working day shows as Friday 12 February 2027 and the payslip marker as Friday 26 February 2027. Untick rollback and the end date shows as Sunday 14 February.
- Ending on a bank holiday. Resign on Friday 31 July 2026 with one month’s notice and the timeline shows Monday 31 August 2026, which is the summer bank holiday in England and Wales. The timeline does not move dates for bank holidays, so in practice your last day at work would usually be Friday 28 August, while you stay employed until 31 August. The final working day calculator flags bank holidays for you.
Adding a new job start date
If you add the date your new job starts, it appears as a final marker. A start date after your final working day leaves a gap between jobs, which is unpaid unless you have holiday pay or other money coming in the final payslip. A start date before your final working day means the two overlap, and you would need your current employer to agree an earlier leaving date. The new job start date checker shows the size of any gap or overlap and what PILON or garden leave changes.
Two things the timeline cannot know: whether your contract says notice runs from when your employer receives it (a letter posted on a Friday may not count until it arrives), and whether your employer will agree to waive part of the notice. Check the first in your contract, and get any agreement on the second in writing.
Related tools
- Leaving-a-job planner for the full pay and checklist view
- Leaving-a-job checklist for a dated action list
- Notice period calculator for the final working day on its own
- Final working day calculator
- Handover plan generator
Frequently asked questions
- What is a notice-period timeline?
- A simple visual that shows the sequence of events once you resign: resignation date, notice start, final working day, expected final payslip and (if known) new-job start date. Useful for sharing with HR, a partner, or your own planning doc.
- When should I expect my final payslip?
- Usually two to four weeks after your final working day — on the next normal payday. The timeline shows a 14-day placeholder; adjust mentally if your employer runs an unusual pay cycle.
- What is weekend rollback?
- If adding your notice period lands you on a Saturday or Sunday, most employers treat the previous Friday as your actual last working day. The timeline uses this convention by default; untick it to see the raw calendar date instead.