Skip to the main content.
Talk to an expert
Talk to an expert
Featured Offer
Ambitious 50 →
6 months of Hire and Engage free for businesses under 50 people.

Hey Compono!

A coach that actually gets you.

Get 10 minutes free, then $15 a month. Cancel anytime.

Get Started ≫
Free tools › Notice periods by country

Notice period:
New Zealand vs United States

Statutory notice period in New Zealand and the US, side by side, with the primary source for every figure.

How do notice periods compare between New Zealand and US?

New Zealand: No statutory minimum. The employment agreement governs, and 2 to 4 weeks is commonly treated as fair and reasonable. United States: None. Employment is at-will; the only federal notice rule is the WARN Act's 60 days for qualifying mass layoffs.

New Zealand vs United States, side by side

New ZealandUnited States
The ruleNo statutory minimum. The employment agreement governs, and 2 to 4 weeks is commonly treated as fair and reasonable.None. Employment is at-will; the only federal notice rule is the WARN Act's 60 days for qualifying mass layoffs.
At 1 yearNo statutory scaleNo statutory scale
At 5 yearsNo statutory scaleNo statutory scale
At 10 yearsNo statutory scaleNo statutory scale
Key numbersStatutory minimum: None; Common practice: 2 to 4 weeks (guidance, not law); 90-day trials: Notice must be given within the trial periodIndividual dismissal: No federal notice requirement; WARN Act: 60 days, mass layoffs at 100+ employee firms; State variation: Mini-WARN laws in several states

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.

United States

No US federal law requires notice for an individual dismissal. The WARN Act requires 60 calendar days' written notice, but only for plant closings and mass layoffs at employers with 100 or more employees, and several states run stricter mini-WARN versions. Individual notice, where it exists, comes from the contract.

  • Individual dismissalNo federal notice requirement
  • WARN Act60 days, mass layoffs at 100+ employee firms
  • State variationMini-WARN laws in several states
  • Montana is the main exception to pure at-will employment.
  • Failing to give WARN notice costs up to 60 days' back pay and benefits per employee.

Source: US Department of Labor (WARN Act 1988). Checked July 2026.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from the government source for its market.

MarketSourceRule / effectiveVerified
New ZealandEmployment New ZealandEmployment Relations Act 2000Checked July 2026
United StatesUS Department of LaborWARN Act 1988Checked July 2026

Next step

Calculator

True cost of an employee (New Zealand)

Put a full loaded-cost number on the New Zealand side. Free, every rate sourced.

Run the New Zealand number →Calculator

True cost of an employee (US)

The same loaded-cost maths for the US, on local rates.

Run the US number →Compare markets

Notice periods by country

The complete six-market picture, with the pick-two selector.

See all six →Free tools

All HR calculators

Every free tool for HR leaders, across six markets. No sign-up.

Browse the tools →

The rules you can look up.
The people you cannot.

Compono is a talent intelligence platform: an applicant tracking system and an employee engagement platform built on the same people data.

Comparing entitlements is the easy half of hiring across markets. The hard half is whether the person you hire in Sydney, Singapore or Seattle will actually work out, and that risk looks the same in every jurisdiction. Compono matches candidates on how they work as well as what the CV claims, so the hires behind these numbers hold up wherever you make them.

See how it works
Compono
$34M
saved by VicRoads over two years

Common questions

What is the rule on notice period in New Zealand?

No statutory minimum. The employment agreement governs, and 2 to 4 weeks is commonly treated as fair and reasonable. New Zealand law sets no minimum notice period.

What is the rule on notice period in the US?

None. Employment is at-will; the only federal notice rule is the WARN Act's 60 days for qualifying mass layoffs. No US federal law requires notice for an individual dismissal.

Where can I check the source figures?

The sources section below links the New Zealand and the US government pages every figure on this page was verified against in July 2026.

This page is general information, not legal advice. We check figures annually and update them on a best-efforts basis, but employment rules change and we cannot promise everything here is current or complete. Before you act on it, confirm the detail with Employment New Zealand, the US Department of Labor or your own adviser. Last reviewed July 2026.