Who qualifies
You need 2 years' continuous service with your employer by the date your notice ends. Agency workers and many casual or zero-hours workers aren't employees and may not qualify. If you don't qualify, many employers will still allow time off if you ask.
How much time, and how much pay
The law says reasonable time off, without a fixed number of hours. What's reasonable depends on things like your notice period and how hard it will be to find work.
Your employer must pay you at your normal hourly rate for the time off, up to a total of 40% of a week's pay across your whole notice period. Acas gives an example: on £500 for a five-day week, taking five days off for job-hunting, you'd be paid £200 for that time, the equivalent of 2 days.
Any extra time can be unpaid or taken as holiday, by agreement, unless your contract is more generous.
If your employer refuses
An employer can refuse only if it has reasonable grounds. If you're unreasonably refused, or not paid, you can complain to an employment tribunal, which can order the pay you should have had. You must contact Acas for early conciliation first, within the time limit: 3 months less a day for refusals before 1 October 2026, and 6 months less a day for refusals on or after that date.
How to ask
- Ask in writing, in good time, with the dates and what the time is for.
- Offer to help cover your work.
- Keep a copy of your request and the reply.