🇬🇧 UK ILR Date Calculator
Work out your earliest UK ILR application date (28 days early), check the 180-days-in-12-months absence rule trip by trip, and see your date under the Earned Settlement plan confirmed on 2 November 2026.
Trips abroad during the qualifying period:
Worked example
A Skilled Worker arrived on 15 March 2022 and earns £45,000.
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Qualifying period started | 15 March 2022 |
| Trips abroad | 10 Dec 2023 – 20 Jan 2024; 1 Jul – 15 Aug 2024; 15 Dec 2025 – 10 Jan 2026 |
| 5 years completed | 15 March 2027 |
| Earliest application date | 15 February 2027 |
| Most whole days abroad in any 12 months | 84 (limit 180) ✅ |
| English needed | B1, if they apply before 26 March 2027 |
| Under Earned Settlement, earning under £50,270 | 16 February 2032 |
The point: this person can apply in February 2027 under today's 5-year rule. If they waited until the new rules apply, they would be on the 10-year baseline unless their earnings rose above £50,270.
How the dates are worked out
- Qualifying period: 5 years on most work and family routes, counted from the date you entered the UK on the visa (or the grant date if you switched inside the UK). Time on Student, Graduate or Visitor visas does not count towards a 5-year route.
- Apply 28 days early: the Home Office can count your period back from any date up to 28 days after you apply.
- Absences: on work routes, no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period (the partner route has no fixed limit). Only whole days count, so the departure and return days are not absences. Some absences, such as serious illness or travel disruption, can be excused with evidence.
- Long Residence: absences that began before 11 April 2024 follow the older limits (548 days in total, 184 days in one trip).
- Earned Settlement (from 2027): 10 years by default, 5 years with earnings above £50,270 in three of the last five years, 3 years above £125,140, and 20 years after immigration breaches. Applications are normally decided under the rules in force on the decision date.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I apply for ILR?
Up to 28 days before you complete your qualifying period. The Home Office can count your qualifying period back from any date up to 28 days after you apply, so on a 5-year route that started on 15 March 2022 you can apply from 15 February 2027.
How many days can I spend outside the UK before ILR?
On most work routes, such as Skilled Worker, no more than 180 days in any 12-month period during the qualifying period. Only whole days count: the day you leave and the day you come back are not absences.
Is the UK ILR period changing to 10 years?
The government confirmed on 2 November 2026 that the standard period will become 10 years under Earned Settlement, with 5 years for earnings above £50,270 and 3 years above £125,140. Rules start to be laid from December 2026 and take effect during 2027; until then the 5-year route applies.
Do I need B2 English for ILR?
From 26 March 2027, yes: settlement applications on most routes need B2 English instead of B1. Applications made before that date still use B1.
How much does ILR cost?
The application fee is £3,226 per person from 8 April 2026. You also need to pass the Life in the UK test.
Sources
Figures on this page were checked against these sources on 3 November 2026. Rules change: confirm on the official site before you apply.