How to use this checklist
Steps are grouped by when they happen, from resignation or dismissal to the weeks after the last day. The “Who” column is a suggestion: change it to fit your team. “Payroll” means whoever runs your payroll, in house or at your accountant. Steps that name a law or a regulator are legal duties; the rest is good practice. The checklist is for employees in England, Scotland and Wales.
Steps marked “Worklayer agent” are ones an agent can do in Worklayer once you set it up for leavers: assigning tasks around the leaving date, preparing the handover and chasing open tasks until their owners confirm them. Worklayer is our own product. Notice, final pay, P45 and references stay with HR and payroll: Worklayer prepares the final payroll inputs for review, but does not run UK payroll.
The checklist
After notice is given
| Step | Who |
|---|---|
| Confirm the resignation or dismissal in writing, with the last working day | HR |
| Check the notice period: at least one week from the employee, and from the employer one week per full year of service up to 12 weeks (ERA 1996, s.86); the contract can say more | HR |
| For a dismissal, follow a fair procedure and the Acas Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance; unfair dismissal claims need two years' service, six months for dismissals from 1 January 2027 | HR |
| Record the leaving date and reason on the employee record | HR |
| Assign leaving tasks to HR, the manager and IT, each with a due date | Worklayer agent |
| Work out holiday left and agree when it is taken, or pay it with the final salary (holiday calculator) | HR |
| Plan the handover: work, clients, documents, cover | Manager |
| Sponsored worker: report the end of sponsorship to the Home Office in the Sponsor Management System within 10 working days | HR |
Last week
| Step | Who |
|---|---|
| Create the handover tasks for the manager | Worklayer agent |
| Finish the handover and write it down | Employee |
| Ask IT and the office to collect the laptop, phone, keys and pass | Worklayer agent |
| Chase open handover and return tasks | Worklayer agent |
| Prepare final payroll inputs: pay to the leaving date, overtime, holiday in lieu, expenses | HR |
| Exit interview and the reasons for leaving | HR |
Last day
| Step | Who |
|---|---|
| Collect equipment, keys and passes and sign them off | IT |
| Remove access to email, Slack and every other tool; set up forwarding or an auto-reply | IT |
| Back up personal files and hand over work documents | Employee |
| Say goodbye to the team | Manager |
After they leave
| Step | Who |
|---|---|
| Pay the final salary with untaken statutory holiday (Working Time Regulations 1998, reg. 14) | Payroll |
| Give the employee their P45 and put the leaving date in the Full Payment Submission with the last pay (HMRC) | Payroll |
| Tell the pension provider the leaving date | Payroll |
| Answer reference requests: say only what is true, accurate and fair | HR |
| Apply retention periods: payroll records three years after the tax year, holiday records six years, right to work copies two years after the job ends; delete what you no longer need (UK GDPR) | HR |
| Confirm every leaving task is done | HR |
Statutory notice periods
After one month's service, an employee must give at least one week's notice. The employer's minimum grows with service (s.86). A contract can give more on either side, never less.
| Continuous service | Minimum notice |
|---|---|
| Under one month | None set by statute |
| One month to under two years | One week |
| Two to under 12 years | One week per full year |
| 12 years or more | 12 weeks |
Pay in lieu of notice is only safe when the contract allows it; otherwise it can be a breach of contract. Unfair dismissal claims need two years' service today, and six months for dismissals from 1 January 2027 (Employment Rights Act 2025).
Common mistakes
- Forgetting untaken holiday in the final pay. Statutory holiday that was not taken has to be paid on leaving.
- Paying after the P45 has gone out on the normal tax code. A payment after leaving uses code 0T on a non-cumulative basis and is flagged in the Full Payment Submission.
- Leaving accounts open after the last day. Admin rights, shared passwords and tools bought on a company card belong on the same list as the laptop.
- Keeping a leaver's whole file for ever. UK GDPR says keep personal data only as long as you need it, so set a retention period per record type.
- Writing a reference that cannot be backed up. You don't usually have to give one, but what you write must be accurate and fair.
Questions
At least one week once they have worked for you for a month, unless the contract says more. The employer's minimum is one week up to two years' service, then one week per full year, up to 12 weeks.
Yes. Statutory holiday that was accrued but not taken is paid with the final salary. The contract decides what happens to holiday above the statutory 5.6 weeks. Holiday entitlement calculator
When the employee leaves, normally with their final pay. Put the leaving date on the payroll record and include it in the Full Payment Submission for that pay. Don't issue a second P45 for a payment made later.
Usually not. It is required when the contract or a settlement agreement says so, and for some financial services roles regulated by the FCA or PRA. If you do give one, it must be accurate and fair.
An agent starts when you record a leaving date: it assigns tasks to HR, the manager and IT, prepares the handover and chases open tasks until someone confirms them. The final payroll inputs are ready for review. Notice, final pay, the P45 and references are not done by Worklayer. Offboarding with Worklayer