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Redundancy rights and when to get advice

· By London Solicitors Guide
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You will normally get statutory redundancy pay if you are an employee who has worked for your current employer for 2 years or more. The amount depends on your age, your length of service and a weekly pay cap. You have 6 months from the date your job ends to apply. Get advice if an offer is unclear.

The short answer

Statutory redundancy pay is not automatic for every worker. GOV.UK says you will normally qualify as an employee with 2 years or more of service. However, you lose that entitlement if your employer offers to keep you on, or offers suitable alternative work that you refuse without good reason.

The pay builds up for each full year you have worked, and your age sets the rate. Weekly pay is capped at £751 for redundancies on or after 6 April 2026, and the maximum payment is £22,530. Because the deadline is fixed, note the date your job ends. Our guide to employment law shows where redundancy sits among other workplace matters.

Who gets statutory redundancy pay

GOV.UK sets two tests. First, you must be an employee. Second, you must have worked for your current employer for 2 years or more. If you meet both, you will normally be entitled to statutory redundancy pay.

An exception applies. You are not entitled if your employer offers to keep you on, or offers suitable alternative work that you refuse without good reason. The facts do not say what counts as suitable or as a good reason, so we will not guess. Instead, record the details of any offer.

Before you speak to anyone, gather what shows your position:

  • your start date and the date your job ends
  • your contract and any letters about the redundancy
  • the details of any alternative role, including pay, hours and location
  • your reasons, in writing, if you turn that role down

Since the 2-year test counts service with your current employer, check your start date carefully. A small error there changes the answer.

How the pay is worked out

GOV.UK ties the pay to your age and your length of service. For each full year of service, the rate depends on how old you were:

  • under 22: half a week’s pay
  • 22 to 40: one week’s pay
  • 41 or over: one and a half weeks’ pay

Length of service stops counting at 20 years. In addition, weekly pay has a cap. For redundancies on or after 6 April 2026, weekly pay is capped at £751, and the maximum statutory redundancy pay is £22,530. Amounts are lower for earlier redundancies.

The maximum follows from those figures. Count twenty years at one and a half weeks each. Each of those weeks is valued at £751, so the total comes to £22,530. Therefore, nobody can get more than that statutory sum for a redundancy on or after that date.

Because the rate changes with age, work through each full year of service against the band that applies. Then compare your result with the figure your employer gives you. If the two differ, ask your employer to show the calculation.

The six-month window

GOV.UK says you have 6 months from the date your job ends to apply for statutory redundancy pay. The clock starts when the job ends, not when you first hear about the redundancy. Therefore, find the exact end date on your termination letter or payslip.

Write the date down and count forward 6 months. Then put a reminder in your diary well before that day. Keep a note of the dates in any letters, because they help you check your count.

If you are unsure of the date, ask your employer to confirm it in writing. That record protects you if the end date later becomes a point of dispute. Keep copies of every letter and message about the redundancy, since they help anyone who reviews your case.

When to get advice

Statutory redundancy pay follows a fixed formula, so you can check the figure yourself. However, advice matters when the situation is less clear. For example, your employer may offer a settlement agreement, or the redundancy process may seem unclear or unfair to you. In those cases, a regulated adviser is worth speaking to.

Our guide to what a settlement agreement is explains that document. If a dispute may reach a hearing, read our guide to the employment tribunal and solicitors as well.

When you look for redundancy solicitors in London, prepare first. Write a short timeline of events, from the first mention of redundancy to today. List your questions, and bring your contract, letters and calculations. As a result, any adviser you speak to starts from your facts.

Ask each adviser who regulates them and what they will cover. Finally, use our check-a-solicitor guide to confirm a firm’s details before you instruct it.

Frequently asked questions

How much is statutory redundancy pay?
GOV.UK sets half a week's pay for each full year under 22, one week's pay for each full year aged 22 to 40, and one and a half weeks' pay from age 41. Service counts up to 20 years. For redundancies on or after 6 April 2026, weekly pay is capped at £751 and the maximum is £22,530.
How long do I have to claim redundancy pay?
GOV.UK gives you 6 months from the date your job ends to apply for statutory redundancy pay. Find your exact end date on your termination letter. Count forward 6 months, then set a diary reminder well before that day so you do not miss the deadline.
Who gets statutory redundancy pay?
You will normally qualify if you are an employee and have worked for your current employer for 2 years or more. You do not qualify if your employer offers to keep you on, or offers suitable alternative work that you refuse without good reason.

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