Notice Period / Last Working Day
Calculate the last working day from a resignation notice.
Written and maintained by Paul Clark, Redmoon Software · Rules last verified
These calculators are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice.
How the Notice Period / Last Working Day works
The Notice Period Calculator works out the last day actually worked when someone resigns or is given notice. Enter the date notice is given and the length of the period in weeks, months, business days or calendar days — the unit is an input because employment agreements use all four.
The result is rolled back onto a working day, which is what the label promises. A two-week notice given on a Friday ends on a Friday two weeks later and needs no adjustment; given on a Saturday it ends on a Saturday, and the last day genuinely worked is the preceding working day. The calculator used to return the raw arithmetic under a "last working day" heading, which meant it could confidently name a Saturday. It now shows both: where the notice period formally ends, and the last working day inside it, flagging when the two differ.
Two things the arithmetic cannot settle. Contracts differ on whether the notice period is measured in calendar weeks or in working days, and the two diverge quickly across a holiday period — set the unit to match the wording rather than the intent. And they differ on whether the final period is worked at all: payment in lieu of notice, garden leave and a negotiated early release all end the working relationship before the date this calculator returns, while leaving the notice period itself legally intact for the purposes of continuity of service and final pay.
Worked example
Notice is given on Friday, 5 June 2026 with a two-week period. Fourteen days later is Friday, 19 June — which is Juneteenth, a public holiday. The notice period still ends that day, but the last day actually worked is Thursday, 18 June, and the calculator flags that it rolled back. Give the same notice a day later, on Saturday 6 June, and the period ends on Saturday 20 June with the same Thursday as the last working day.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the last working day earlier than the end of my notice period?
Because the period ended on a day nobody works. The calculator reports both: the date the notice period formally runs to, which matters for continuity of service and final pay, and the last day actually worked, which is what goes in the handover plan. When the period ends on a working day the two are identical and no adjustment is shown.
Should notice be counted in weeks or working days?
Whatever the contract says — and it is worth checking rather than assuming, because the two diverge. Four weeks and twenty working days are the same length only in a month with no public holidays. Across a Christmas period the working-day reading can run a week longer. Set the unit here to match the contract wording.
Does payment in lieu of notice change the date?
It changes when the employee stops working, not the notice period itself. Under a payment in lieu the employment usually ends immediately while the notice period is bought out, which can still matter for continuity of service, benefits and restrictive covenants. This calculator gives you the notice period; how it is served is a contractual question.
Does my notice period start the day I resign?
Almost always the day after. Resigning on a Monday with two weeks’ notice usually means the period runs from Tuesday. Counting the day of resignation as day one takes a day off your entitlement, and where the agreement requires written notice, the clock starts from the written notice rather than a verbal conversation.
Do public holidays extend my notice?
Not where notice is expressed in weeks or months — those run on the calendar regardless of whether you would have been working. Only notice expressed in working days is extended by a holiday. What holidays do affect is your final pay, since a public holiday inside a notice period is normally still a paid day.
What this calculator does not do
A limitation you know about costs far less than one you find after the deadline. These are the specific things this tool cannot work out for you.
- The notice length comes from the employment agreement or the applicable statute. The tool converts it to a last working day; it does not tell you what the period should be.
- Whether notice runs in calendar weeks or working days changes the answer materially — set the unit deliberately.
- Garden leave, payment in lieu and accrued leave taken during notice all move the effective last day.