Notice period in Ireland: the minimum by length of service

What is the minimum notice period in Ireland?

The law sets a floor. Once you have worked for the same employer for 13 weeks or more without a break, your employer must give you at least this much notice to end your employment Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973, s.4(2):

Your continuous service	Minimum notice from your employer
13 weeks to less than 2 years	1 week
2 years to less than 5 years	2 weeks
5 years to less than 10 years	4 weeks
10 years to less than 15 years	6 weeks
15 years or more	8 weeks

Service is counted up to the date you receive notice. Under 13 weeks, the Act gives no minimum, but your contract may still give you notice.

Does my contract or the law apply?

Whichever gives you more. A contract term that gives less than the table has no effect: the legal minimum replaces it s.4(5). A contract can always give more. For example, a contract that says “one month” gives you between 4 and 4.43 weeks, depending on the month. That is more than the 1 or 2 weeks of the table for shorter service.

During your notice period you keep your normal pay and your other rights, as if you were working normally s.5 and Second Schedule.

Worked example

Aoife started on 15 March 2019. She received notice on 25 September 2026. Her last day was 23 October 2026. She earns €850 gross a week, and her contract says nothing about notice.

1. Service at the date of notice: 7 full years, so the 5 to 10 years band.
2. Minimum notice: 4 weeks.
3. Notice given: 25 September to 23 October 2026 = 4 weeks. Nothing is missing.

Now suppose she had received notice later, on 9 October 2026, with the same last day:

Step	Figure
Notice due	4 weeks
Notice given: 9 to 23 October	2 weeks
Notice not given	2 weeks
Value: 2 × €850	€1,700.00

If her contract gave one month instead, the notice due would be 9 October to 9 November 2026: 31 days, or 4.43 weeks. The shortfall would be 2.43 weeks × €850 = €2,065.50.

Pay in lieu of notice: what is it?

You and your employer can each give up the right to notice, or agree to a payment instead s.7(1). That payment is often called pay in lieu of notice. The WRC says that if your employer does not ask you to work all or part of your notice, it must pay you for that period.

For Aoife, 4 weeks’ pay in lieu would be 4 × €850 = €3,400.00. There is no cap on notice pay, unlike statutory redundancy.

Two points to know:

• Tax. Revenue says pay in lieu provided for in your contract is taxed like normal pay.
• Redundancy. If you accept pay in lieu, your employment is treated as ending on the date the notice would have ended, for redundancy purposes s.7(2). That can add weeks to your service. See statutory redundancy in Ireland.

Can my employer dismiss me without notice?

The Act does not stop either side ending the contract without notice because of misconduct by the other s.8. Whether the misconduct was serious enough is a question of fact. Our calculator cannot decide it, and does not show a notice shortfall when misconduct is given as the reason. Citizens Information, the WRC’s information service or a trade union can explain the options.

How much notice do I have to give if I resign?

If you have worked for your employer for 13 weeks or more, you must give at least 1 week’s notice s.6. If your contract asks for more, give what it asks.

The Act does not require a particular form. Your contract may ask for notice in writing, and writing is safer in any case. Your notice runs from the day your employer receives it. To be safe, count from the day after. You can ask to leave earlier. Your employer can agree, but does not have to.

How delivery changes your last day, with dated examples and a sample letter: see resignation letter for Ireland. The free resignation letter works out your last day from your contract and the date of delivery.

If you were given notice of redundancy

If you want to leave before your redundancy date, tell your employer in writing. The WRC’s form for this is the RP6. If you leave without your employer’s agreement, you can lose your statutory lump sum. A resignation letter is not this form. Your employer must give you at least 2 weeks’ written notice of redundancy, and the minimum notice in the table also applies.

Part-time workers

The table applies to part-time employees too. An old rule in the Act excludes weeks in which you are not normally expected to work at least 18 hours First Schedule, para. 8. The Part-Time Work Act 2001 restricts that rule, but we have not confirmed its exact effect. If you normally work fewer than 18 hours a week, the calculator shows the minimum with a warning. Check your position with Citizens Information or the WRC.

Notice not given or not paid: what can you do?

1. Check the figures. Start date, date of notice, last day, contract clause and weekly pay. Most differences come from one of these.
2. Write to your employer. Set out the notice due, the notice given and the amount. Ask for payment by a set date.
3. Complain to the WRC if needed. A complaint about minimum notice must usually be made within 6 months of the breach, or up to 12 months if the WRC accepts there was a reasonable cause for the delay Workplace Relations Act 2015, s.41(6) and (8).

The law does not say clearly whether the 6 months start when you receive short notice or when your employment ends. Count from the earlier date. If Aoife had received notice on 9 October 2026, the safer last day would be 8 April 2027. Writing to your employer does not stop this clock. Our tool suggests filing by 26 March 2027, a working day at least 10 days before.

Annual leave and public holiday pay may also be due when you leave. See annual leave and holiday pay when you leave a job, and your P45 and final pay for a check of every line. For the online complaint itself, see making a WRC complaint online.

Your next steps

1. Check, free. Use the notice calculator to compare the legal minimum and your contract, and see any shortfall and your time limits.
2. Claim in writing. If notice pay is missing, you can prepare a final pay claim letter to your employer yourself (€9, or €19 with a dated follow-up letter and reminders). It can also include unpaid wages, annual leave and a public holiday.
3. The next step. If your employer does not pay, you make a complaint to the WRC online yourself. A free preparation sheet, available from the calculator’s results without any purchase, lists what the online form asks for.

Free help is also available from Citizens Information, the WRC’s information service, a trade union or a solicitor.