To qualify for certain statutory rights
a person must have been continuously employed for a specified period. The statutory rights and the minimum period of continuous employment are set out below.
| Statutory right |
Minimum period of continuous employment |
Guarantee payment in respect of a workless day |
One month ending with the day immediately preceding the workless day |
Right to take time off to look for work or arrange retraining if under notice of dismissal on grounds of redundancy |
Two years |
Conditional right to remuneration (for up to 26 weeks) if suspended from work on medical grounds |
One month ending with the day immediately preceding the day on which the suspension begins |
Right to be paid statutory maternity pay |
26 weeks by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth (and average weekly earnings of not less than the lower earnings limit) |
Right to one or two consecutive weeks' ordinary paternity leave and, for employees whose child is due on or after 3 April 2011, or who have been matched with a child for adoption and are notified of match on or after 3 April 2011, or, if a child is adopted from overseas, the child enters Great Britain on or after 3 April 2011, up to 26 weeks' additional paternity leave |
26 weeks (a) by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of birth; (b) by the end of the week in which the adopter was formally notified of having been matched with a child for adoption; or (c) in the case of a child adopted from overseas by the end of the week in which the adopter received an official notification from the relevant domestic authority or, if the employee has since changed job, beginning with the week in which he or she started work with the new employer |
Right to be paid ordinary statutory paternity pay and, for employees whose child is due on or after 3 April 2011, or who have been matched with a child for adoption and are notified of match on or after 3 April 2011, or, if a child is adopted from overseas, the child enters Great Britain on or after 3 April 2011, up to 19 weeks and one day additional statutory paternity pay |
26 weeks (a) by the end of the 15th week before the expected week of birth; (b) by the end of the week in which the adopter was formally notified of having been matched with a child for adoption; or (c) in the case of a child adopted from overseas by the end of the week in which the adopter received an official notification from the relevant domestic authority or, if the employee has since changed job, beginning with the week in which he or she started work with the new employer (and average weekly earnings of not less than the lower earnings limit) |
Right to take up to 26 weeks' ordinary adoption leave followed immediately by up to 26 weeks' additional adoption leave |
26 weeks ending with the week in which the adopter was formally notified of having been matched with the child; or in the case of a child adopted from overseas ending with the week in which the adopter received an official notification from the relevant domestic authority or, if he or she has since changed job, beginning with the week in which he or she started work with the new employer |
Right to be paid statutory adoption pay |
26 weeks ending with the week in which the adopter was formally notified of having been matched with the child; or in the case of a child adopted from overseas ending with the week in which the adopter received an official notification from the relevant domestic authority or, if he or she has since changed job, beginning with the week in which he or she started work with the new employer (and average earnings of not less than the lower earnings limit) |
Right to parental leave in respect of children under the age of five, disabled children under the age of 18 and adopted children in the first five years after adoption or until their 18th birthday, whichever occurs sooner |
One year |
Right to request flexible working in respect of a child under the age of 17, a disabled child under the age of 18, or an adult for whom the individual has caring responsibilities |
26 weeks at the time the application is made |
Right to make a request in relation to study or training (for employees in organisations with 250 or more employees) |
26 weeks at the time the application is made |
Right to minimum notice to terminate contract of employment |
One month |
Right to be issued with a written statement of reasons for dismissal (except where employee concerned is dismissed while pregnant or on maternity or adoption leave) |
One year at the effective date of termination of the employee's contract of employment if the employee commenced employment before 6 April 2012, or two years if the employee commenced employment on or after 6 April 2012 |
Right not to be unfairly dismissed |
One year at the effective date of termination of the employee's contract of employment if the employee commenced employment before 6 April 2012, or two years if the employee commenced employment on or after 6 April 2012 |
Right to a statutory redundancy payment |
Two years at the effective date of termination |