Notice Period Calculator (AU)
Updated November 2026 · Free · No sign-up
Calculate Australian minimum notice — the NES scale: 1 week (≤1 year) to 4 weeks (5+ years), plus one extra week if you’re over 45 with 2+ years’ service, with pay-in-lieu and award variations.
Quick answer: NES employer notice: ≤1 yr: 1 week; 1-3: 2; 3-5: 3; 5+: 4 weeks — +1 week if over 45 with 2+ years (max 5). Payment in lieu at full pay allowed. Employee notice: whatever the award/contract says (NES sets none for resignation); casuals: none either way.
The NES Scale
| Continuous service | Notice |
|---|---|
| 1 year or less | 1 week |
| 1 - 3 years | 2 weeks |
| 3 - 5 years | 3 weeks |
| Over 5 years | 4 weeks |
| + Over 45 with 2+ years | +1 week (max 5) |
Payment in lieu must equal the FULL rate for the notice period (incl. penalties/loadings/allowances the person would have earned). Exclusions: casuals, serious misconduct (summary dismissal), fixed-term expiry, and some award-specific categories.
The Employee Side
The NES is silent on resignation notice — your award or contract sets it (awards commonly mirror the 1-4 week scale; contracts often say 2-4 weeks). Leaving short: employers can’t dock wages arbitrarily, but SOME awards permit withholding up to the shortfall from termination monies — and burning bridges has its own price.
Worked Example
4 years’ service, 48 years old, $1,500/week: 3 weeks + 1 (over-45) = 4 weeks — worked, or $6,000 in lieu — on top of redundancy pay if that’s the reason, plus leave payouts.
Edges
Notice given before parental leave still runs; garden leave is contractual; unfair-dismissal eligibility (6/12-month minimums, high-income threshold) runs separately — notice compliance doesn’t validate a bad process. During notice: reasonable paid job-search time exists in redundancy cases under many awards.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice must Australian employers give?
NES: 1 week (≤1 year) scaling to 4 weeks (5+ years), plus an extra week for over-45s with 2+ years — payable in lieu at the full rate.
How much notice do I give when resigning?
The NES sets none — your award or contract governs (commonly 1-4 weeks); without either, reasonable notice applies.
Do casuals get notice?
No — neither direction; casual engagements end shift-to-shift (conversion rights aside).
Can my employer deduct if I leave without notice?
Only where the applicable award expressly permits withholding from termination pay (several do, capped at the shortfall) — not from ordinary wages.
What is payment in lieu?
Ending employment immediately and paying the notice period at the FULL rate — including loadings, penalties, and allowances the period would have earned.
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: November 3, 2026