Garden Leave Pay Calculator

Garden leave is when an employee serves their notice period but is not required to attend work or perform duties. The employee remains fully employed, receives full salary and benefits, but must stay away from the workplace and not contact clients or colleagues. It is commonly used for senior employees with access to sensitive information or client relationships.

Yes. During garden leave you remain an employee and are entitled to full salary, pension contributions, car allowance, medical insurance, and all other contractual benefits. Holiday continues to accrue. The employer may require you to take accrued holiday during the garden leave period. You cannot start work for a new employer until garden leave ends.

An employer can only place you on garden leave if your contract contains a garden leave clause. Without a contractual right, imposing garden leave could be a breach of contract. Many senior employment contracts now include express garden leave provisions allowing the employer to require the employee to stay at home during the notice period.

Yes, usually. Courts generally view garden leave as serving a similar purpose to post-termination restrictions. If you serve 3 months' garden leave and have a 6-month non-compete, a court may reduce the enforceable non-compete to 3 months (or even less). This is because you have already been kept away from the market during garden leave.

No. You remain an employee during garden leave and owe duties of fidelity and good faith. Working for a competitor (or any other employer) without consent would be a breach of contract and could result in the employer seeking an injunction and damages. You are free to plan your next move but cannot actually work elsewhere.