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Leaving-work help page

Final Pay and Leaving a Job

Use this page first when the last payslip or leaving payment is the immediate problem, especially if wages, notice, holiday, PILON, redundancy, settlement or deductions are all mixed into one confusing total.

Use final pay calculator Split the package first Check the payslip in order Choose the next page Final pay FAQs More help pages
Start with the calculator if you need the rough number first

Use the final pay calculator to build a gross breakdown, then come back here to check what each line means and what to ask payroll or HR to show in writing.

Open final pay calculator

What this page covers

Final pay basics, unused holiday in final pay, notice pay, PILON, and what termination payments can include.

What this page does not cover

Detailed tax advice, settlement-agreement strategy, or every dispute about deductions and breach of contract.

Page checks at a glance

Checked on 29 March 2026. Start here when the payslip or leaving-payment total is the immediate problem and you need to work out which line to challenge first.

Checked on

29 March 2026

Official source links

Acas final pay, notice pay and holiday-on-leaving guidance linked below

Recheck when

The payslip combines notice, holiday, wages, redundancy or settlement items in one unclear total

Use the calculator first

When the key question is the gross final-pay breakdown

Use the final pay calculator if you need to split wages, notice or PILON, unused holiday, other earned pay and separate package lines into one first-pass view.

Open final pay calculator

Use this page first

Start with final pay when the payslip is the immediate problem

Start here when the immediate problem is the last payslip, one bundled leaving-payment total, or missing lines you need to separate before comparing anything else. Final pay is often the right first bridge even when redundancy or settlement is also involved.

Use the holiday tool first

When the key question is holiday built up

Check the holiday calculator first if you mainly want a simple estimate of accrued statutory holiday on a regular pattern.

Open holiday calculator

Use the notice tool first

When the key question is notice length

Check the notice calculator first if the dispute is really about how much notice should be given or paid.

Open notice period calculator

Split the package into clear lines before you judge whether the offer is right

If you only get one number, ask for the written breakdown before you argue about whether the whole package is fair.

  • Put wages, overtime, bonus or commission already earned on one line.
  • Put notice pay or PILON on a separate line.
  • Put holiday owed or any holiday deduction on a separate line.
  • Put statutory redundancy pay on its own line.
  • Put any extra severance or settlement-style compensation on its own line.

If the employer only gives one headline total, ask for the written line-by-line breakdown before you decide whether the offer is short, generous or simply unclear.

What often appears in final pay

Common items to look for

  • Wages already earned up to the leaving date.
  • Notice pay, whether worked or paid in lieu.
  • Unused accrued holiday that still needs to be paid.
  • Bonus, overtime or commission if contract terms require it.
  • Deductions that are allowed under the contract or by law.
Check the payslip in this order

Before you rely on the figure

  1. Match the leaving date and the final working date against the actual timeline.
  2. Check whether notice is being worked, paid in lieu or partly offset by garden leave.
  3. Check how much holiday had built up, how much was already taken and whether any deduction was agreed in writing.
  4. Check whether the package also includes a separate settlement or redundancy element.
  5. Ask for a written breakdown if the final figure is not clear.
Fast last-payslip triage

Use this order when the last payment looks wrong before you move into redundancy, settlement or unfair-dismissal arguments.

  • Match the leaving date on the payslip against the actual end date.
  • Check whether notice pay, PILON and holiday pay are shown as separate items.
  • Check whether deductions have been explained clearly.
  • Do not assume one total covers final pay, redundancy and settlement correctly just because it appears on the same document.
Use this order

How to check a mixed leaving package in order

  1. Start with the last payslip or payment advice and mark each separate line.
  2. Move payroll-style items like wages, notice, PILON and holiday into the final-pay check first.
  3. Keep redundancy and any extra compensation separate so you do not compare unlike items.
  4. Only then move into the redundancy, settlement or unfair-dismissal pages if those separate lines still look wrong.
Best first route when unsure

Start with final pay when the payslip is the immediate issue

Even if redundancy or settlement is also involved, this is usually the best first page when the practical problem is what has appeared, disappeared or been deducted in the last payment before you judge the wider package.

Open compare page · Open settlement checker

If the problem is notice

Check notice first

Use the notice tool if the dispute is about how long notice should be, whether it is being worked, or whether PILON has been used instead.

Open notice period calculator

If the problem is holiday owed

Check holiday first

Use the holiday tool if the real issue is how much statutory leave had built up and what still had to be paid on leaving.

Open holiday calculator

If the package is mixed

Split final pay from settlement or redundancy

Use the settlement checker or compare page if compensation-style amounts are being bundled together with payroll items on the same offer. Split the total on paper first, then challenge the payroll-style lines before you rely on the headline total or the compensation wording.

Open compare page · Settlement checks

Split a combined offer before you compare it

If your employer gives one total, separate notice or PILON, holiday pay, wages or bonus, statutory redundancy and any extra compensation on paper first. That makes it much easier to see whether the next route should be final pay, redundancy or settlement.

One written request

What to ask payroll or HR for

Ask for the written line-by-line breakdown showing wages, notice or PILON, holiday, deductions, statutory redundancy and any extra compensation separately. That written split is usually the fastest way to see whether the real problem is final pay, redundancy, settlement or all three.

Where final pay often goes wrong

Common reasons the last payment feels off

  • The leaving date used by payroll is wrong.
  • Notice, PILON and holiday are merged into one unclear line.
  • Holiday taken and holiday built up have been counted using different leave-year dates.
  • A deduction appears without a clear written basis.
  • A settlement or redundancy figure is bundled into the same total with payroll items.
Best next move

Use final pay as the first bridge page

Once you have split the package on paper, use the next page that matches the line you still doubt most. For many users the best order is final pay first, then the narrower notice, holiday, redundancy, settlement or dismissal-fairness page that matches the line still in dispute.

That usually stops users comparing a generous-looking headline total with the wrong legal question.

Useful links from this page

Best next pages from a mixed leaving-work package

Notice period calculator

Use this first if the main question is how long the notice period should be.

Open notice period calculator

Holiday entitlement calculator

Use this if the main question is how much statutory holiday has been built up.

Open holiday calculator

Settlement agreement tax checker

Use this if compensation-style amounts are mixed in with wages, notice or holiday and you need a first-pass tax split.

Open settlement checker

Unfair dismissal estimator

Use this if the real dispute is the dismissal reason, process or likely compensation and the main document in front of you is the dismissal letter or appeal outcome rather than the payslip. Stay with final pay first if the urgent problem is still the payroll lines.

Open unfair-dismissal estimator

Compare page

Use this if you are still not sure whether the immediate question is redundancy, settlement, unfair dismissal or final pay, or if the written labels on the package are still too vague after you split the lines and sort the documents.

Open compare page · Settlement checks

Final pay FAQs

Questions people usually have after checking the payslip

What can be included in final pay when someone leaves a job?

Final pay can include wages up to the leaving date, notice pay, PILON, holiday owed, bonus or commission due, and other items that sit inside the leaving package.

Should untaken holiday be paid in final pay?

Yes. Acas says accrued but untaken statutory holiday should be paid in final pay when someone leaves.

Can an employer deduct for extra holiday already taken?

Possibly, but Acas says this usually needs agreement beforehand in writing, sometimes through a payback clause.

What if one total mixes final pay, redundancy and settlement?

Split notice or PILON, holiday pay, wages or bonus, redundancy pay and any extra compensation on paper first. Then use the route that matches the main question.

When should I start with final pay before another page?

Start with final pay first when the immediate problem is the last payslip, missing lines, deductions, or whether notice, holiday and wages have been shown clearly.

What should I ask payroll or HR for if the package is unclear?

Ask for the written line-by-line breakdown showing wages, notice or PILON, holiday, deductions, statutory redundancy and any extra compensation separately.

Official sources used

Official sources checked for this page

Acas: final pay when someone leaves a job

Used for the overall framework of what final pay can include and why final pay may differ from normal pay.

Open official source

Acas: pay during the notice period

Used for notice pay, off-work situations during notice, and payment in lieu of notice.

Open official source

Acas: how holidays affect final pay

Used for the point that unused accrued statutory holiday must be paid when someone leaves.

Open official source

GOV.UK: termination payments and tax when you leave a job

Used for what a termination payment can include and who is responsible for tax treatment.

Open official source