Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Afrikaans — Afrikaans
  • Albanian — Shqip
  • Amharic — አማርኛ
  • Arabic — العربية
  • Armenian — Հայերեն
  • Assamese — অসমীয়া
  • Aymara — Aymar aru
  • Azerbaijani — Azərbaycan dili
  • Bambara — Bamanankan
  • Basque — Euskara
  • Belarusian — Беларуская
  • Bengali — বাংলা
  • Bhojpuri — भोजपुरी
  • Bosnian — Bosanski
  • Bulgarian — Български
  • Cantonese — 廣州話
  • Catalan — Català
  • Cebuano — Sinugbuanong Binisayâ
  • Chichewa — Chichewa
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 简体中文
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 繁體中文
  • Corsican — Corsu
  • Croatian — Hrvatski
  • Czech — Čeština
  • Danish — Dansk
  • Dhivehi — ދިވެހި
  • Dogri — डोगरी
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • English — English
  • Esperanto — Esperanto
  • Estonian — Eesti
  • Ewe — Eʋegbe
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • Finnish — Suomi
  • French — Français
  • Frisian — Frysk
  • Galician — Galego
  • Georgian — ქართული
  • German — Deutsch
  • Greek — Ελληνικά
  • Guarani — Avañe’ẽ
  • Gujarati — ગુજરાતી
  • Haitian Creole — Kreyòl ayisyen
  • Hausa — Hausa
  • Hawaiian — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
  • Hebrew — עברית
  • Hindi — हिन्दी
  • Hmong — Hmoob
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Icelandic — Íslenska
  • Igbo — Asụsụ Igbo
  • Ilocano — Ilokano
  • Indonesian — Bahasa Indonesia
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Japanese — 日本語
  • Javanese — Basa Jawa
  • Kannada — ಕನ್ನಡ
  • Kazakh — Қазақ тілі
  • Khmer — ភាសាខ្មែរ
  • Kinyarwanda — Ikinyarwanda
  • Konkani — कोंकणी
  • Korean — 한국어
  • Krio — Krio
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji) — Kurdî
  • Kurdish (Sorani) — کوردی
  • Kyrgyz — Кыргызча
  • Lao — ລາວ
  • Latin — Latina
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lingala — Lingála
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių
  • Luganda — Luganda
  • Luxembourgish — Lëtzebuergesch
  • Macedonian — Македонски
  • Maithili — मैथिली
  • Malagasy — Malagasy
  • Malay — Bahasa Melayu
  • Malayalam — മലയാളം
  • Maltese — Malti
  • Maori — Māori
  • Marathi — मराठी
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri) — ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ
  • Mizo — Mizo ṭawng
  • Mongolian — Монгол хэл
  • Myanmar (Burmese) — မြန်မာစာ
  • Nepali — नेपाली
  • Norwegian — Norsk
  • Odia (Oriya) — ଓଡ଼ିଆ
  • Oromo — Afaan Oromoo
  • Pashto — پښتو
  • Persian — فارسی
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Punjabi — ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
  • Quechua — Runa Simi
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Samoan — Gagana Samoa
  • Sanskrit — संस्कृतम्
  • Scots Gaelic — Gàidhlig
  • Sepedi — Sepedi
  • Serbian — Српски
  • Sesotho — Sesotho
  • Shona — Shona
  • Sindhi — سنڌي
  • Sinhala — සිංහල
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Slovenian — Slovenščina
  • Somali — Soomaali
  • Spanish — Español
  • Sundanese — Basa Sunda
  • Swahili — Kiswahili
  • Swedish — Svenska
  • Tajik — Тоҷикӣ
  • Tamil — தமிழ்
  • Tatar — Татар теле
  • Telugu — తెలుగు
  • Thai — ไทย
  • Tigrinya — ትግርኛ
  • Tsonga — Xitsonga
  • Turkish — Türkçe
  • Turkmen — Türkmençe
  • Twi — Twi
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Urdu — اردو
  • Uyghur — ئۇيغۇرچە
  • Uzbek — Oʻzbekcha
  • Vietnamese — Tiếng Việt
  • Welsh — Cymraeg
  • Xhosa — IsiXhosa
  • Yiddish — ייִדיש
  • Yoruba — Yorùbá
  • Zulu — IsiZulu
  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Employment, training and careers
    3. Understanding your work status

    Temporary lay-offs

    Temporary lay-offs happen when your employer doesn't have enough work, so they ask some of the workforce to stay at home. You could still have employment rights during a lay-off, including the right to be paid.

    What a lay-off is

    If your employer has less demand for your type of work, they might need to make cut-backs. Your employer is normally entitled to tell you not to come into work, but in many cases they'll still have to pay you full pay.

    If you're not an employee, for example, if you're a temp, you don't have a right to paid work and so you can't be laid-off.

    Lay-off and short-time working

    If your employer doesn't have enough work for you, they may tell you to stay at home. If you are off work for at least one complete working day, this is a lay-off.

    Where your employer asks you to work some of the week but you are laid off for a day or more in the week, then you are on 'short-time' working. This means your hours of work are cut.

    Time limits for lay-offs

    There is no upper limit for how long you can be laid-off or put on short-time. You may be able to claim redundancy pay if you are laid-off without pay or put on short-time for either:

    • four consecutive weeks
    • six weeks within a 13-week period

    Claiming redundancy when laid-off work

    You may be able to make a claim for redundancy if you have either been:

    • laid-off work without pay
    • put on short-time work earning less than half of your weekly wage

    Making a redundancy claim

    If you want to make a claim for redundancy after being laid-off you should follow the right process.

    Your written notice

    The first step in the process for claiming redundancy is  to give your employer written notice that you will claim redundancy. You must give it to them within four weeks of the end of either:

    • a consecutive lay-off or short-time working period of at least four weeks
    • six weeks lay-off or short-time within a 13-week period, where no more than three of the weeks have been consecutive

    Your employer's response

    Your employer then has seven days to either accept your claim or give you a written ‘counter-notice’. If your employer doesn't give you counter notice they are assumed to have accepted your claim.

    The counter notice is to tell you that your employer doesn't accept your redundancy payment claim because work will be available soon. The ‘near future’ must be within four weeks and the work must last at least 13 weeks without interruption.

    If your employer gives you counter notice you won’t get redundancy pay unless an Industrial Tribunal decides in your favour. Your employer can decide to withdraw their counter notice by telling you in writing.

    Resignation

    To get redundancy pay you must resign by giving either one week's notice or the notice period required by your employment contract if this is longer. The timing of your notice is crucial to get right, and redundancy pay claims can fail if you don't give in your notice correctly.

    If seven days have passed since you gave your written notice to your employer and your employer hasn't given counter notice, you should hand in your notice within three weeks after the seven days has ended.

    If your employer has given counter notice but then withdrawn it, you must give your notice within three weeks of the withdrawal.

    If your employer has given a counter notice and doesn't withdraw it you could take your claim to an Industrial Tribunal. After you receive notification of the Industrial Tribunal's decision you have three weeks to resign. This means that you don't have to give up your job until you know the Industrial Tribunal's decision.

    If your employer appeals the Industrial Tribunal's decision you still only have the three weeks to resign. So, if your employer wins their appeal you could be jobless and without redundancy compensation.

    If you are unsure how this process works, you should get advice.

    • Your rights if made redundant
    • Resigning from a job

    Pay during lay-offs

    If you are laid-off you should get your full pay unless it is part of your contract that your employer can lay you off without pay or on reduced pay.

    If it is not part of your employment contract, you may agree to change your contract.  For example, a lay-off might be better than being made redundant.

    If you agree to change your contract to allow unpaid lay-offs, you should write down the agreement. You should make clear how long the agreement is going to last and whether you can change your mind.

    Another option could be to agree to take some annual leave instead of being laid-off.

    If unpaid lay-offs are allowed under your employment contract, you should make sure your employer knows they should still give you statutory guarantee pay.

    Guarantee pay

    Rate and length of statutory lay-off pay

    You’re entitled to guarantee pay during lay off or short-time working. The maximum you can get is £39.00 a day for five days in any three-month period - so a maximum of £195.00

    If you usually earn less than the daily maximum for guarantee pay you’ll get your normal daily rate. If you work part-time, your entitlement is worked out proportionally.

    You can’t claim guarantee pay for any day that you do some work.

    Eligibility for statutory lay-off pay

    You must:

    • have been employed continuously for one month (includes part-time workers)
    • reasonably make sure you’re available for work
    • not refuse any reasonable alternative work (including work not in your contract)
    • not have been laid off because of industrial action

    Statutory lay-off pay and your employment contract

    Your employer may have their own guarantee pay scheme. It can’t be less than the statutory arrangements. If you get your employer’s payments, you don’t get statutory lay-off pay on top of this.

    Not paying guarantee pay counts as an unlawful deduction from your wages - you could make a claim to an industrial tribunal.

    If unpaid lay-offs aren't allowed under your employment contract, you should get full pay during a lay-off. However, you can agree to accept less.

    If your employer is being unreasonable in laying you off (for example, unfairly singling you out) you might consider yourself as being constructively dismissed and claim unfair dismissal.

    Your employer should not dismiss you for asking for your rights when you are laid-off. If they do, you might be able to make a claim to an Industrial Tribunal.

    • Industrial Tribunals and the Fair Employment Tribunal NI 

    Where to get help

    The Labour Relations Agency (LRA) and Advice NI offer free, confidential and impartial advice on all employment rights issues for residents of Northern Ireland.

    If you're a member of a trade union, you can get help, advice and support from them.

    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Understanding your work status

    • Agency workers and employment agencies
    • Continuous employment
    • Employment status
    • Fixed-term workers
    • Migrant workers
    • Temporary lay-offs

    Help improve this page - send your feedback

    What do you want to do?
    Report a problem
    Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

    Messages

    You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

    Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

    What is your question about?

    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

    Related sites

    • gov.uk
    • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

    Links to supporting information

    • Accessibility statement
    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • RSS