Statutory redundancy pay generally requires at least two years' continuous employment. For each complete eligible year of service, the formula is half a week's pay for years worked under 22, one week's pay for years aged 22–40 and one and a half weeks' pay for years aged 41 or older. A maximum of 20 years counts; being over 50 does not mean every year attracts the higher multiplier. In Great Britain, for redundancies on or after 6 April 2026 the weekly cap is £751 and the maximum statutory amount is £22,530. Different rates apply to earlier dismissals. In Northern Ireland, nidirect states a current weekly cap of £783; check the date and current NI rate before calculating. Contractual enhanced terms may provide more. Notice pay and untaken holiday pay are separate questions.
An employer should warn and consult affected employees, assess fair criteria where selection is needed, consider alternatives and applicable suitable vacancies, and offer an appeal. The process varies with the circumstances; there is not an automatic statutory right to a companion at every individual redundancy consultation or appeal meeting. Ask for the pool, criteria and your scores. Age-related assumptions (for example that you plan to retire soon or cannot adapt) may be discriminatory; being older than a retained colleague is not, on its own, proof.
For Great Britain, where an employer proposes 20 or more redundancies at one establishment within 90 days, collective consultation duties can apply. Consultation must start at least 30 days before the first dismissal for 20–99 proposed redundancies and 45 days for 100 or more; HR1 notification is a separate duty. From 6 April 2026, the maximum protective award for a failure to consult is 180 days' pay, not 90; an award is not automatic and depends on the claim. Northern Ireland has separate collective consultation rules and should be checked independently.
Check the calculation, notice, enhanced policy, consultation and selection documents. A valid statutory settlement agreement waiving specified claims requires independent advice from a relevant insured adviser, but there is no general law obliging the employer to fund it. You do not have to accept a settlement offer. If you may bring a claim in Great Britain, check the tribunal deadline and Acas early conciliation promptly rather than waiting for internal steps; Northern Ireland uses the LRA. Age discrimination claims do not require two years' service, unlike ordinary unfair dismissal generally as at September 2026.
Calculator and templates: https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/calculator and https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/action-plan