Holiday Entitlement Calculator

Most UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. For a regular five-day worker, that is 28 days. A regular three-day worker receives 16.8 days. The 28-day statutory cap means working six days each week does not create 33.6 statutory days.

The right applies to full-time, part-time and zero-hours workers, but the calculation method depends on the working pattern and leave-year dates. Employers can offer more than 5.6 weeks; extra contractual leave should be added only when the contract provides it. Holiday pay is a separate calculation from holiday time.

For a regular schedule, multiply weekly days by 5.6 for a day entitlement and weekly hours by 5.6 for an hour entitlement. The default 37.5 hours over 5 days gives 28 days or 210 hours. Both results describe the same 5.6 weeks.

Hours are safer when daily shifts differ. Someone working 30 hours across four days has 168 statutory hours, even if one day is longer than another. Deduct the hours that would normally have been worked on each holiday date. Do not calculate 22.4 days and then assume every day is the same length if the schedule varies.

Bank-holiday provision differs across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The calculator displays the standard regional count used by its 2026 reference: 8 for England, 8 for Wales, 9 for Scotland and 10 for Northern Ireland. That count does not automatically increase the 5.6-week minimum. The contract decides whether the days are included, added on top or worked with time off later.

Scottish local holidays can differ from the national list. One-off bank holidays and substitute days can also change a particular year's calendar. Check the GOV.UK bank-holiday dates and workplace policy before treating the displayed count as a contractual entitlement.

A regular-hours worker who starts or leaves part-way through the employer's leave year receives a proportion of the full-year entitlement. A simple month estimate is full-year leave × months employed ÷ 12. For example, 28 days × 9 ÷ 12 = 21 days.

This is not the same as the statutory definition of a “part-year worker” whose contract requires periods of at least a week with no work and no pay. For payroll, exact start and leaving dates can be more accurate than whole months. On termination, unused accrued statutory leave is normally paid; deductions for excess leave taken require contractual authority.

For leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, GOV.UK says irregular-hours and statutory part-year workers accrue leave at 12.07% of actual hours worked in each pay period. The entitlement is calculated at the end of each pay period and is capped at 28 days in a leave year. Special average-hours rules cover sickness and statutory leave.

Do not apply 12.07% to a regular full-year worker merely because they are part-time. Their right remains 5.6 weeks of their regular pattern. Rolled-up holiday pay is permitted only for qualifying irregular-hours and part-year workers and must be shown separately from normal pay.

These examples show why days and hours should be read together. They assume regular full-year patterns except for the final row.

A bank holiday reduces these balances only if the contract includes it and the worker would otherwise have worked.

Employers must not round statutory entitlement down in a way that removes leave. Keeping decimals or hours is usually more accurate than repeatedly rounding part-days. For 12.07% pay-period accrual, GOV.UK guidance rounds to the nearest hour, with less than 30 minutes down and 30 minutes or more up.

If hours or days change during the year, calculate each period under its actual pattern and add the results. Include accrual during sickness and statutory family leave under the applicable rules. Check term-time contracts carefully: paid non-working weeks, annualised hours and the statutory part-year definition can change which calculation applies.

For a regular full-year worker, enter weekly days and hours; 37.5 hours over five days gives 210 hours or 28 days. Select the UK region to review the correct bank-holiday calendar and specify whether the contract includes those days. Use the month factor only as a part-year estimate for a regular starter or leaver.

Use 12.07% of actual hours in each pay period for a qualifying irregular-hours or statutory part-year worker with a leave year beginning on or after 1 April 2024. Check exact dates, working-pattern changes and contractual extra leave before confirming the result.