UK vs Ireland redundancy pay — key differences

Both the UK and Ireland provide statutory redundancy, but the formulas, caps, and institutions differ. Cross-border careers and dual offers are where people most often apply the wrong mode in a calculator.

Formula shape

Great Britain uses age-banded weeks per year of service (0.5 / 1 / 1.5), a 20-year service cap, a sterling weekly cap, and an overall maximum. Ireland uses (2 × reckonable years) + 1 weeks’ pay with a €600 weekly cap and a different service concept.

Caps and currency

Never convert casually between GBP and EUR for statutory math. Run the jurisdiction that actually governs the employment. UK caps usually revise each April; Ireland’s €600 figure is the headline consumer limit for weekly pay in the statutory formula.

Institutions

In GB, Acas and GOV.UK are the usual first stops; employment tribunals hear many disputes. In Ireland, Citizens Information and the Workplace Relations Commission ecosystem are the common consumer references, with MyWelfare hosting a redundancy calculator.

Notice and other exit pay

Notice pay, holiday pay, and bonuses are separate from statutory redundancy in both places, but the paperwork labels differ. Read notice vs redundancy (UK) if your statement mixes lines.

Practical workflow

• Identify which country’s law applies to the contract.
• Toggle the matching mode in our redundancy calculator.
• Cross-check GOV.UK or MyWelfare.
• Request a written employer breakdown before you accept.

Official sources to keep open

Bookmark the primary official pages for your jurisdiction and re-check them whenever caps or bands change. Calculator sites (including this one) lag legislation if maintainers miss an update.

• GOV.UK — redundant employee rights
• GOV.UK — redundancy pay calculator
• Citizens Information — redundancy (Ireland)
• GOV.UK — Stamp Duty Land Tax
• Revenue.ie

Disclaimer

This article is general information for consumers in the UK and Ireland. It is not legal or tax advice and is not a substitute for advice on your facts. See our Disclaimer.

Decision checklist

Which contract governs?

Look at the employment contract’s governing law, workplace, and employer entity. Payroll currency alone is not decisive.

Which official calculator?

GOV.UK for GB statutory redundancy; MyWelfare for Ireland. Running both “for curiosity” is fine — submitting the wrong figure to HR is not.

Which of our tools?

Use the geo toggle on the dual redundancy calculator, or open the Ireland-only page if you want a locked interface for Irish inputs.

Common mistakes

• Using today’s cap for a redundancy date in a previous limits year.
• Ignoring Northern Ireland or Ireland when the contract is not GB English/Welsh/Scottish.
• Treating a calculator output as a binding legal determination.
• Forgetting notice pay, holiday, and enhanced policy lines on the settlement statement.
• Entering net pay instead of the gross weekly figure the statute expects.
• Skipping the official GOV.UK or MyWelfare cross-check before challenging HR.

When to get personal advice

Seek tailored advice if you face discrimination issues, pregnancy or disability-related redundancy selection concerns, unpaid wages, insolvency, or pressure to sign a settlement agreement quickly. Free first-line help may be available from Citizens Advice (UK) or Citizens Information (Ireland); a solicitor or union can advise on your documents.

Keep copies of your contract, handbook redundancy policy, payslips covering the reference period, and every email about the consultation process. Those documents matter more than any blog article when numbers are disputed.