Holiday entitlement calculator
Work out UK statutory annual leave for full-time, part-time and irregular-hours workers, including anyone who starts part way through the leave year.
Working pattern
Part-time workers get 5.6 times their week.
Leave year
Optional extras: company leave, a part-year start, and bank holidays.
Leave the contract gives on top of the legal minimum.
Statutory holiday a year
28 days
5.6 weeks × 5 days
- Weeks
- 5.6
- In days
- 28
- Months counted
- 12
Total holiday a year
28 days
- Statutory
- 28 days
What is statutory holiday entitlement?
Almost everyone classed as a worker in the UK is legally entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year, known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave. That includes agency workers, workers with irregular hours and part-year workers. Employers can offer more than the legal minimum, but not less.
How to calculate holiday entitlement
Holiday entitlement = days or hours worked a week × 5.6
A full-time worker on a 5-day week gets 5 × 5.6 = 28 days. Someone working 3 days a week gets 16.8 days, and someone working 22.5 hours a week gets 126 hours. Statutory paid holiday is limited to 28 days, so working more than 5 days a week does not raise it any further.
Holiday entitlement by days worked
Statutory annual leave for a full leave year:
| Days worked a week | Statutory holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5.6 days |
| 2 | 11.2 days |
| 3 | 16.8 days |
| 4 | 22.4 days |
| 5 | 28 days |
| 6 | 28 days (capped) |
Part-time workers
Part-time workers with regular hours for the whole year are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday, which comes to fewer than 28 days. Working in hours is often fairer when days are different lengths: 5.6 times the hours worked in a week gives the entitlement in hours.
Irregular-hours and part-year workers
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, workers whose hours change from one pay period to the next, and those who do not work for weeks at a time, build up holiday as they work:
Holiday earned = hours worked in the pay period × 12.07%
If the result includes half an hour or more, it is rounded up to the next hour. Someone paid weekly who works 30 hours earns 3.621 hours, so 4 hours of holiday, which they can take from their next pay period. The 12.07% comes from 5.6 weeks of leave out of the 46.4 weeks a year left to work.
Starting part way through the year
A worker who starts part way through the leave year is entitled to part of the year’s leave, depending on how much of it is left. They accrue one-twelfth of their annual leave for each month, from the first day of the month they start in. Someone on 28 days who starts on 13 January gets 2.33 days for January, which gov.uk’s example rounds up to the nearest half day, 2.5. An employer can instead work out the first month in proportion to the days worked.
Bank holidays
Bank holidays do not have to be given as paid leave. Employers can choose to include them in a worker’s statutory leave, so a full-time worker on 28 days including bank holidays has 20 days to book in England and Wales. The number of bank holidays depends on where someone works:
| Nation | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 8 | 8 |
| Scotland | 10 | 9 |
| Northern Ireland | 10 | 10 |
See every date on the UK public holidays 2027 page.
How this calculator counts
- It works out the statutory minimum under UK rules. Contracts can give more, and the extra leave does not have to follow every statutory rule.
- Part-year starters get one-twelfth of the year’s leave for each month left, counting the month they start in. Results are not rounded, because employers round in different ways.
- Bank holidays are taken straight off the total. Enter only those that fall on the worker’s usual working days.
- For holiday in the US style of earning time off each pay period, use the PTO accrual calculator.
Based on gov.uk guidance on holiday entitlement. Use this calculator for planning, and check the worker’s contract and current guidance for anything unusual.
Frequently asked questions
How much holiday am I entitled to in the UK?
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Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year. For someone working a 5-day week, that is 28 days. Statutory paid holiday is capped at 28 days, so someone working 6 days a week also gets 28 days.
How is holiday worked out for part-time workers?
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Part-time workers with regular hours get 5.6 times their working week. Someone working 3 days a week is entitled to at least 16.8 days’ leave a year (3 × 5.6), and someone working 20 hours a week gets 112 hours.
Are bank holidays included in holiday entitlement?
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They can be. Bank holidays do not have to be given as paid leave, and an employer can choose to count them as part of a worker’s 5.6 weeks of statutory leave. A full-time worker in England and Wales with 28 days including bank holidays would have 20 days left to book.
How do irregular-hours workers build up holiday?
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For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue 12.07% of the hours they work in each pay period. If the result includes half an hour or more, it is rounded up to the next hour. 30 hours worked earns 3.621 hours, which rounds up to 4.
How much holiday do you get if you start part way through the year?
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Only part of the year’s leave, depending on how much of the leave year is left. A worker accrues one-twelfth of their leave for each month, starting from the first day of the month they join. Someone on 28 days who starts on 13 January gets 2.33 days for January, which gov.uk’s example rounds up to 2.5.
Can unused holiday be carried over to next year?
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The contract sets how much can be carried over. A worker who gets 28 days can carry over at most 8 days, and an employer may allow more for leave above 28 days. Workers who could not take leave because they were off sick can carry over up to 20 days, or up to 28 days for irregular-hours and part-year workers.