Holiday Entitlement Calculator

How much holiday you are legally owed

Almost every worker in the UK is entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year — that is the statutory minimum, and it is a floor, not a ceiling. For a standard five-day week it works out at 28 days (5 × 5.6), which is where the cap sits: the law does not require more than 28 days even if you work six days a week. The calculator above applies the two methods that cover nearly everyone: days per week × 5.6 for regular hours, and 12.07% of hours worked for irregular-hours and part-year workers.

The 12.07% figure is not arbitrary. It comes straight from the same 5.6 weeks: a year has 52 weeks, minus 5.6 weeks of leave leaves 46.4 working weeks, and 5.6 ÷ 46.4 = 12.07%. Since April 2024 this accrual method is the legal basis for zero-hours, agency and term-time staff, whose hours vary too much for a fixed day count.

Worked examples

Part-time: three days a week earns 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days a year; four days earns 22.4 days. Fractions are normal — employers may round up, never down. Irregular hours: 600 hours worked accrues 600 × 12.07% = 72.4 hours of paid leave, roughly 9.7 shifts of 7.5 hours. New starter: four months into the leave year on a five-day week, you have accrued 28 × 4/12 = 9.33 days.

The points that cause most disputes

• Bank holidays can be included. There is no automatic right to paid time off on the eight bank holidays — employers may count them inside your 5.6 weeks. Check whether your contract says “28 days including bank holidays” or “20 days plus bank holidays”; the difference is over a week of your life.
• Holiday pay must reflect normal pay, not just basic salary. Regular overtime, commission and shift premiums generally count — a series of tribunal rulings settled this.
• Carrying leave over is limited. Four of the 5.6 weeks come from EU-derived law and normally must be taken in the year; the extra 1.6 weeks can be carried over by agreement. Long-term sick or on family leave? Different, more generous rules apply.
• Leaving mid-year: you are paid for leave accrued but not taken. Taken more than you accrued? An employer can only claw it back if the contract explicitly says so.
• “Rolled-up” holiday pay (an uplift on each payslip instead of paid leave) is lawful again for irregular-hours and part-year workers from April 2024, but it must be shown separately at 12.07%.

Additional questions

Can my employer tell me when to take holiday?

Yes, with notice of at least twice the length of the leave — that is how shutdowns over Christmas are enforced. They can also refuse a request with notice equal to the leave requested, provided you still get your full entitlement in the year.

Do I accrue holiday while off sick or on maternity leave?

Yes. Statutory holiday keeps building throughout sickness absence and all forms of family leave — and if illness stopped you from taking it, you can usually carry it over (up to 18 months for the four-week portion).

Is unlimited or unpaid leave allowed instead?

An employer can offer more than the statutory minimum, in any form. What they cannot do is offer less, or pay you off instead of giving the leave — “payment in lieu” of statutory holiday is only lawful when your job actually ends.