Australia
The National Employment Standards set minimum written notice (or payment in lieu at the full rate) on a four-band tenure scale. The over-45 addition sits on top. Awards and agreements can require more, and they are also what obliges an employee to give notice, the NES itself does not.
- Minimum employer notice1 to 4 weeks by tenure
- Over-45 addition+1 week (over 45, 2+ years' service)
- Payment in lieuPermitted, at the full pay rate
| Length of service | Entitlement |
|---|
| 1 year or less | 1 week |
| More than 1 year, up to 3 years | 2 weeks |
| More than 3 years, up to 5 years | 3 weeks |
| More than 5 years | 4 weeks |
- Bands read 'more than X years': at exactly 5 years the entitlement is 3 weeks, not 4.
- No NES notice for casuals, genuine fixed-term contracts or serious misconduct.
Source: Fair Work Ombudsman (NES, in force since 2010). Checked July 2026.
New Zealand
New Zealand law sets no minimum notice period. Whatever the employment agreement says applies, and where it says nothing, notice must be fair and reasonable for the role, judged on things like length of service and how long a replacement takes to find. Employment New Zealand's own guidance points to 2 to 4 weeks as the common range.
- Statutory minimumNone
- Common practice2 to 4 weeks (guidance, not law)
- 90-day trialsNotice must be given within the trial period
- A dismissal under a valid 90-day trial generally cannot be challenged as unjustified.
- From 21 Feb 2026, employees on new agreements earning NZ$200,000 or more cannot raise an unjustified dismissal grievance, though contractual notice still applies.
Source: Employment New Zealand (Employment Relations Act 2000). Checked July 2026.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the government source for its market.
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