Layoffs and exits · 6 min read
What are my rights if I'm made redundant?
Your rights in a UK redundancy, step by step: fair selection, consultation, suitable alternative roles, a trial period, time off, notice and redundancy pay.
The short answer
If you're an employee in the UK and your role is genuinely no longer needed, your employer must treat you fairly before making you redundant. That means a fair and objective way of choosing who goes, individual consultation with you, and collective consultation if 20 or more people at one site are affected within 90 days. They must consider you for suitable alternative jobs, offer a four-week trial if you take one, and give you notice, holiday pay and, after two years' service, statutory redundancy pay. With two years' service you also get reasonable paid time off to look for work. If any of this is skipped, you may be able to claim unfair dismissal.
Key takeaways
- Redundancy must be genuine: the work has stopped, the workplace closed, or fewer people are needed to do it.
- Selection criteria should be objective and applied consistently, such as skills, performance records or attendance.
- You have a right to be offered suitable alternative work, with a four-week trial period.
- From 1 January 2027 you'll be able to claim unfair dismissal after six months' service, down from two years.
On this pageThe process, in order
The process, in order
| Stage | What should happen | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Warning | You're told your role is at risk | Ask why, and for the business case in writing |
| Selection | A pool is drawn and scored on objective criteria | Ask for the criteria and your scores |
| Consultation | Meetings to discuss ways to avoid or reduce redundancies | Suggest alternatives; bring a colleague or rep if allowed |
| Alternatives | Suitable vacancies offered | Ask for a list of all vacancies; try a role for four weeks |
| Notice | Written confirmation, notice period starts | Check dates, pay and holiday |
| Appeal | A chance to challenge the decision | Appeal in writing within the deadline given |
Selection: what's fair and what isn't
Fair criteria are objective and measurable: skills and qualifications, standard of work, disciplinary records and attendance, as long as absences linked to disability, pregnancy or maternity are excluded. Last in, first out can be indirectly discriminatory by age, so it's rarely used alone. It's unfair to select someone because of age, sex, race, disability, pregnancy, religion, sexual orientation, part-time or fixed-term status, trade union membership, or for blowing the whistle or asserting a statutory right.
Money and time you're owed
- Statutory redundancy pay after two years' service, based on age, years and weekly pay, capped at £751 a week from 6 April 2026.
- Statutory notice: one week after one month's service, then one week per full year up to 12 weeks, or your contractual notice if longer.
- Holiday you've accrued but not taken.
- Reasonable paid time off during notice to look for work or arrange training, if you have two years' service, paid up to 40% of a week's pay.
Changes coming in 2027
Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, the qualifying period for ordinary unfair dismissal falls from two years to six months from 1 January 2027, and the cap on the compensatory award is removed for dismissals on or after that date. If you're consulted around the turn of the year, the date your employment ends will decide which rules apply, so check it.
Illustrative example: asking for the scores
A warehouse supervisor is selected from a pool of four. He asks for the selection matrix and sees he was marked down for absence that included a month off after surgery for a long-term condition. He raises it in consultation, the scores are corrected, and another supervisor's role is offered to him as suitable alternative work.
Questions people ask
- Can I be made redundant while on maternity leave?
- Yes, but with extra protection. If your role is at risk while you're pregnant, on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave, or within 18 months of the birth or adoption, you must be offered any suitable alternative vacancy before other at-risk colleagues, without having to compete for it.
- How long does redundancy consultation last?
- For fewer than 20 redundancies there's no fixed minimum, but consultation must be meaningful, usually at least one or two meetings over a week or more. For 20 to 99 at one establishment within 90 days, collective consultation must start at least 30 days before the first dismissal; for 100 or more, 45 days.
- What counts as suitable alternative employment?
- A role that's reasonably similar in pay, hours, location, status and the skills it needs, taking your own circumstances into account. If you unreasonably turn down a suitable role, you can lose statutory redundancy pay. If you try it and it isn't suitable, you can leave within the four-week trial and keep your redundancy pay.
- Can my employer hire someone else to do my job after making me redundant?
- If they genuinely needed fewer people doing that work, the redundancy can still be fair even if duties are reshuffled. But if they hire someone into essentially the same role soon after, it suggests the redundancy wasn't genuine, and you may have an unfair dismissal claim. Keep an eye on job adverts for six months.
- What can I do if I think the redundancy was unfair?
- Appeal internally first, in writing, setting out the reasons. If that fails, contact Acas for early conciliation, which you must do before an employment tribunal claim. The time limit is usually three months less one day from your dismissal date, so don't wait for the appeal to finish before starting conciliation.
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