At what point am I entitled to redundancy pay?

Jo_R_2

Hello!

I am being made redundant at the end of March and am currently looking for another job.

I am entitled to three weeks pay having been at my company for three years, but I'm slightly unclear as to how this happens. Am I entitled to this pay anyway having been given notice of being made redundant, or only if I am still in employment by my job at the end of March? I've been reading but am not sure of the hows and whys.

It's not much but I'd like to get it if possible and want to make sure when applying for jobs I put down the correct amount of notice. It's four weeks but as I'm doing application forms now I don't want to put down four weeks then do myself out of my three weeks pay!

LittleVoice

If you want to leave before the end of March to take up another job, you can ask your present employer to agree an earlier termination date but on the basis that you will still get your redundancy payment.

Alternatively, during the statutory notice period you can serve written counter-notice to leave early, and if your employer does not object you can go (with your redundancy pay) when your counter-notice expires. However before your counter-notice ends your employer can object to it in writing, saying that if you leave early they will withhold your redundancy pay. You then have the option of leaving when your counter-notice ends, and arguing in an Employment Tribunal that your employer’s objection was unreasonable. There is no guarantee you would win. On the other hand, it's better to have a job to work at than a redundancy payment and no new job.