Sample values shown — change them to get your own number. The sample resigns today with 60 days' notice and a joining date 47 days out.
How the notice period is calculated in India
The notice period is the gap between the day you resign (or are served notice) and your last working day. Indian appointment letters usually fix it at 30, 60 or 90 days for confirmed employees and 7 to 15 days during probation. The date maths looks simple, but four small conventions change the answer by several days, and every one of them is set by the employer's policy rather than by law.
Latest resignation date = Joining date, minus 1 day (last working day), minus Notice days (adjusted for the start convention)
The four conventions that move your date
Almost every Indian employer counts calendar days, so Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays sit inside the 30, 60 or 90 days and do not push the date out. A few contracts (mostly consulting and some MNC policies) count working days, which makes a "30 day" notice stretch to about six weeks.
Most HRMS tools (and the standard HR practice) start the notice on the day after the resignation is submitted or accepted. Resign on 1 October with 30 days of notice and the last working day is 31 October. If your employer counts the resignation day itself, the answer is 30 October.
Policies commonly say that leave taken during notice extends the last working day by the same number of days, so that the full notice is served. Casual leave is often not allowed at all, and earned leave is usually encashed in the full and final settlement instead of being availed.
When the calendar end date lands on a Saturday or Sunday, many companies make the previous working day your last day in the office and still show the calendar date as the relieving date. Others let you serve through the weekend on paper. The calculator flags this so you can confirm with HR.
Worked example
Priya resigns on Thursday, 1 October 2026 with a 60 day calendar notice. Her notice starts on 2 October, so day 60 falls on Monday, 30 November 2026. Her new employer wants her on Tuesday, 17 November, which means her last working day needs to be 16 November. She has 14 days of shortfall (17 November to 30 November). At a gross salary of Rs 90,000 a month, the usual buyout estimate is 90,000 / 30 x 14 = Rs 42,000, recovered in her full and final settlement unless the new employer reimburses it. If she also took 3 days of leave in the first month and her policy extends the notice, her last working day moves to Thursday, 3 December and the shortfall grows to 17 days.
What the law says about notice periods
There is no single statutory notice period in India. Your contract governs, within the floors set by these laws for termination by the employer:
The Industrial Relations Code rows are from the Code itself. State Shops and Establishments figures are indicative summaries; state Acts are being amended as the labour codes roll out, so check the current text for your state.
| Law | Minimum notice | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (s.70) | 1 month written notice or wages in lieu, plus retrenchment compensation | Workers with 1 year of continuous service who are retrenched |
| Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (s.79) | 3 months notice or wages in lieu, plus government permission | Establishments with 300 or more workers |
| Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954 | 1 month (both employer and employee) | Employees with 3 months of continuous service |
| Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act | 30 days after 1 year; 14 days between 3 and 12 months | Shops, offices and commercial establishments in Maharashtra |
| Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal S and E Acts | 1 month or wages in lieu | Employees with 6 months of continuous service |
Two things follow from this. First, the state minimums apply to termination by the employer; the notice an employee must give is mostly a contractual term, though Delhi, West Bengal and Haryana also fix an employee side notice. Second, no law prescribes a 90 day notice. Long notice periods are a contractual choice, and courts have held that an employee cannot be forced to keep working, so the practical remedy for an unserved notice is recovery of notice pay, not an injunction.
Tips before you submit the resignation
Put the resignation in writing (email counts) and keep the acknowledgement, because the notice clock usually starts from the date it is received or accepted. Ask HR in the same email to confirm your last working day in writing, whether leave during notice extends it, and whether a buyout or waiver is possible. If you have a joining date, run the "When should I resign?" mode first and add a buffer of two or three days for approvals. Finally, do not join the new employer before the relieving date; a missing relieving letter is the most common reason a background verification fails.
Which calculator do I need?
- Notice period calculator: you have resigned (or are about to) and want your last working day.
- Notice period buyout calculator: you want to leave early and need the amount to pay or recover for unserved notice days.
- Full and final settlement calculator: you know your last day and want the net amount of your final dues (salary, leave, gratuity, bonus, minus recoveries).
Frequently asked questions
How is the notice period counted in India?
Most Indian companies count the notice period in calendar days, so weekends and public holidays fall inside it and do not extend it. A 30-day notice that starts on 1 October ends on 30 October. Some contracts count working days instead; the calculator supports both. Check the notice clause in your appointment letter or HR policy.
Does the notice period start on the day I resign or the next day?
Most HR systems start the notice period on the day after the resignation is submitted or accepted, so a 30-day notice submitted on 1 October ends on 31 October. Some employers count the resignation day as day one, which makes the last working day 30 October. The calculator lets you pick either convention.
What is the difference between last working day and relieving date?
The last working day is the final day you are on the rolls and expected to work. The relieving date on the relieving letter is normally the same date, though some companies show the next calendar day. Your full and final settlement is worked out up to the last working day.
Do weekends and public holidays extend the notice period?
Not when notice is counted in calendar days, which is the common practice. If the last day lands on a weekend or holiday, many employers set the last day in office to the previous working day and still relieve you on the calendar end date.
Does leave taken during the notice period extend my last working day?
Often, yes. Many HR policies either do not allow leave during notice or extend the last working day by the leave taken, so the full notice is served. Enter the leave days in the calculator to see the extended date, and confirm the rule with HR.
What is the legal notice period in India?
No law sets one notice period for employees who resign; your contract does, commonly 30, 60 or 90 days. For workers retrenched under the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the employer must give one month's notice or wages in lieu, and three months plus government permission where 300 or more workers are employed. State Shops and Establishments Acts set their own minimums.
Can I buy out my notice period if I need to join early?
If your contract or employer allows it, you can pay salary in lieu of the days you do not serve, usually monthly salary ÷ 30 × shortfall days. It is normally recovered from your full and final settlement, and some new employers reimburse it. Use the notice period buyout calculator for the amount and its tax and GST position.
When should I resign to join a new job on a specific date?
Count backwards from the joining date. Your last working day should be at least one day before you join, and the resignation must go in a full notice period before that. Use the When should I resign mode: enter the joining date and notice period to get the latest date you can resign.
Sources
- Industrial Relations Code, 2020 (full text; Sections 70 and 79 on retrenchment notice)
- PIB: Government makes the four Labour Codes effective (21 November 2025)
- Code on Wages, 2019 (Section 17: wages to be paid within two working days of resignation)
- Ministry of Labour and Employment: Compliance handbook for employers under the four Labour Codes
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Disclaimer: Notice period conventions (calendar or working days, start day, leave extension, weekend handling) are set by your employment contract and HR policy. The statutory minimums quoted are for termination by the employer and were checked in September 2026. The buyout figure is an estimate using gross salary / 30. Nothing here is legal advice.