Notice Period Calculator

How the notice period calculator works

Put in the day you resign, how long your notice is, and whether it runs in calendar days or working days. The notice period calculator then shows your last working day and how far away it is. It also counts the working days, weekend days and holidays inside your notice. Giving a standard two weeks notice in the US? Tap the first preset.

It all happens in your browser. Nothing gets sent to us.

Two things decide how long your notice runs: your contract and the law. In most places the law only sets a minimum. Your contract can ask for more than that, but not less.

How the two weeks notice calculator counts the days

• Day one. By default, day 1 is the day after you resign. If your contract counts the day you hand in notice, check "Count the day I hand in my notice as day 1."
• Days and weeks in calendar mode. A week is 7 days. Resign on a Monday with two weeks' notice, and your last day is the Monday two weeks later.
• Months in calendar mode. A month of notice usually ends on the same date next month, so notice given on March 12 ends on April 12. Short months work too: notice given on January 31, 2027 ends on February 28.
• Working-days mode. Saturdays, Sundays and any holidays you add are skipped, and only the days left get counted. A week counts as 5 working days and a month as 22. If you enter days, it counts exactly that many working days.
• Weekend finish. In calendar mode, your end date may land on a weekend or on a holiday you listed. If it does, the tool also tells you the last day you'll actually be at work.

The four boxes under the result count the calendar days, working days, weekend days and skipped holidays in your notice. "Copy as text" puts a short summary on your clipboard, ready for an email or a note.

Worked example: four working weeks over Thanksgiving

Say you resign on Monday, November 2, 2026, and your contract says 20 working days. Set that date and tap "4 working weeks." Then open "Public holidays and company shutdowns," type 2026-11-26, and leave the day-one box unchecked.

• The count starts on Tuesday, November 3.
• Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26, is skipped. So are eight weekend days.
• Your last working day is Tuesday, December 1, 2026. That's 29 calendar days in all.

Leave the holiday out and you'd finish on Monday, November 30. One public holiday pushes your last day back by a full working day.

What the law says in four countries

Here are the basics for each country. For the full rules and tables by years of service, see our guides on UK notice periods, notice periods by Canadian province, Australia's National Employment Standards and all four countries side by side.

United States

Almost every state uses at-will employment. That means neither you nor your employer has to give notice unless a contract requires it. Montana is the big exception. Under the state's Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act, an employer needs good cause to fire someone once their probation period is over.

So two weeks' notice is a custom, not a legal rule. Skipping it can still cost you. You might get a weaker reference, and some companies hold back PTO or bonus payouts. Whether unused vacation gets paid out depends on your state's law and your employer's policy, so check your handbook.

United Kingdom

After your first month in a job, the law asks you for at least one week of notice, according to GOV.UK. Many salaried contracts ask for longer, often one to three months. Your employer has a legal minimum too. It's one week if you've worked there less than two years. After that, it's one week for each full year, up to twelve weeks after twelve years (Employment Rights Act 1996, section 86). A contract can set longer periods for either side.

Australia

The National Employment Standards set how much notice an employer must give when it ends your job. It's 1 week if you've worked there a year or less and 2 weeks up to three years. It's 3 weeks up to five years and 4 weeks after that. Staff over 45 with at least two years of service get one more week.

Resigning works differently. The Fair Work Ombudsman says your notice then comes from your award, enterprise agreement or contract. Most awards let an employer deduct up to a week's wages if you're 18 or older and don't give enough notice.

Canada

Each province and territory writes its own employment standards, and the federal government sets them for federally regulated jobs. Some places require a resigning employee to give notice and some don't. The rules often depend on how long you've worked there. Your contract can add to those rules. Courts may also expect reasonable notice even when the contract says nothing. Check your province's employment standards office before you settle on a date.

Calendar days or working days?

Go by what your contract actually says. "Four weeks' notice" usually means four calendar weeks, ending on the same weekday you resigned. "Twenty working days" runs longer on the calendar, since weekends and holidays don't count. If the contract only says "one month," use the same-date rule above and confirm it with HR. When the two readings give you different dates, ask your employer to put the date in writing.

How long is one month of notice?

Not always 30 days. We ran the notice period calculator for every hand-in date in 2027, with one month of notice counted in calendar days. The notice ran 28 to 31 calendar days and held 20 to 23 weekdays. On 104 of the 365 dates, the month ended on a Saturday or a Sunday. For those, the calculator also shows the Friday before as your last day in the office.

Here is the same month of notice handed in on the 15th of each month of 2027. "Days" counts calendar days.

Weekdays here are Monday to Friday, with no public holidays taken out. Working-days mode counts every month as 22 weekdays, but in 2027 a real month of notice held anywhere from 20 to 23. So if your contract says "one month," use calendar mode. If it names a number of working days, enter that number as days in working-days mode.

Leave, sick days and holidays during your notice

Time off inside your notice can change your pay and the day you stop coming in. Each country handles it a little differently:

• Australia. The Fair Work Ombudsman says you can use paid annual leave during your notice only if your employer agrees. Paid sick or carer's leave works differently. You can take it if you tell your employer as soon as you can and show evidence, such as a medical certificate, when they ask.
• United Kingdom. Acas explains that pay for days off during notice depends on the notice your employer would have to give you: the legal minimum, or a contract period at least a week longer. Our UK notice periods guide covers agreeing an earlier end date.
• Ontario, Canada. When an employer ends your job, Ontario's employment standards guide says it can't book your vacation inside the statutory notice period, unless you agree after you get the written notice.
• United States. Ask HR how your unused PTO is handled and when your final paycheck arrives. Our guide to notice in four countries covers final pay and the rest of the US rules.

The calculator doesn't know about leave. If your employer agrees that some days off push back your end date, switch to working-days mode. Enter your notice as working days (for one month, use the weekday count from the calendar result), then add the leave dates that fall inside your notice in the holiday box. Each of those weekdays moves your last day back by one working day. For a step-by-step count with real dates, read how to find your last working day.

Before you hand it in

• Find out what happens to vacation time you've built up. Is it paid out, used up during your notice, or lost?
• See whether a bonus, a commission payment or a stock vest lands inside your notice period.
• Ask if you'll work the full notice or be put on garden leave, where you're paid but don't come in.
• Resign in writing and include the date, even if you also tell your manager face to face. Our resignation letter generator writes one in about a minute.
• Ask when your health coverage stops. In the US it often runs to the end of the month, but plans differ.

This calculator only works out dates. It isn't legal or HR advice. Your contract and local employment law decide your actual notice.

FAQ

How much notice do I need to give?

As much as your contract says, and that's often more than the law requires. US law doesn't require any notice, and two weeks is the custom. In the UK the legal minimum is one week once you've worked there a month, though salaried contracts often ask for one to three months. In Australia your award, agreement or contract sets it. In Canada it depends on the province.

Do I legally have to give two weeks' notice in the US?

Usually not. Nearly every state is at will, so neither side owes notice unless a contract says otherwise. Leaving without it can still cost you a good reference, and some employers tie unused PTO or bonuses to it. The "Two weeks notice (US)" preset above gives you the exact date.

How do I calculate my last day of work?

Enter the day you resign and the length of your notice. In calendar mode a week is 7 days, and a month usually ends on the same date next month. Day 1 is the day after you resign, unless you check the box that counts your resignation day as day 1.

Does my notice period include weekends and public holidays?

Usually, yes. "Four weeks' notice" normally means four calendar weeks, and calendar mode counts it that way. Working-days mode skips Saturdays, Sundays and any holidays you add, which fits a contract that says "20 working days." Check the wording in your contract before you pick a mode.

How many working days are in a month of notice?

About 22. That's what the calculator uses for one month, and it uses 5 for one week. Real months vary, so if your contract gives an exact number of working days, enter it as days instead.

What if my last day lands on a weekend?

The tool shows that date, then names the last day you'll actually be at work. In calendar mode, it steps back past the weekend and any holidays you listed. Ask your employer which date goes on your final paperwork.