UK Holiday Entitlement Calculator 2025/26
Calculate your UK statutory annual leave entitlement under the Working Time Regulations 1998 — full-time, part-time, irregular hours and zero-hours workers. Includes the 12.07% method, 28-day cap, pro-rata accrual, and a quick reference table by hours per week. Source: gov.uk Holiday Entitlement.
Last updated: May 2026 · Source: gov.uk Holiday Entitlement Rights · Law: Working Time Regulations 1998 (Reg 13 + 13A).
How UK Statutory Holiday Entitlement Works
In the United Kingdom, almost all workers are legally entitled to paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. The statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 weeks of paid leave per year for full-time workers. For someone who works five days a week, this equates to 28 days of annual leave, which is the maximum statutory entitlement. This 28-day entitlement can include the eight public bank holidays in England and Wales, meaning an employer can require workers to take bank holidays as part of their statutory leave. Scotland has nine bank holidays and Northern Ireland has ten, but the statutory entitlement remains 5.6 weeks regardless of how many bank holidays apply in your region. Understanding your holiday entitlement is essential for planning time off and ensuring your employer provides the minimum leave required by law.
The statutory holiday entitlement applies to all workers, not just employees. This includes part-time workers, agency workers, workers on zero-hours contracts, and those with irregular working patterns. The Working Time Regulations define a worker broadly to include anyone who has a contract to perform work or services personally, provided they are not genuinely self-employed. This means that even casual workers and those on flexible contracts have a right to paid annual leave. However, the way the entitlement is calculated varies depending on the type of employment arrangement, which is why this calculator supports multiple employment types to give you an accurate result based on your specific situation.
Holiday Entitlement Formulas
Full-Time & Part-Time: Annual Entitlement = 5.6 × Days Per Week (capped at 28 days)
Irregular Hours: Annual Entitlement = 12.07% of Hours Worked
In Hours: Entitlement in Hours = Entitlement in Days × Hours Per Day
Pro-Rata Accrual: Accrued = Annual Entitlement × (Months Worked ÷ 12)
Where:
- 5.6 weeks = The statutory multiplier for annual leave in the UK
- 28 days = The maximum statutory entitlement (5 days × 5.6 = 28)
- 12.07% = The percentage used for irregular hours workers (equivalent to 5.6 weeks out of 46.4 working weeks)
Holiday Entitlement Quick Reference (Hours per Week)
If you know how many hours you work per week, the table below gives your statutory annual leave entitlement directly. Figures use 5.6 weeks × weekly hours, the standard formula on gov.uk for fixed-hour part-time workers. For irregular or zero-hours work, use the 12.07% method instead (covered in the next section).
| Hours per week | Annual leave (hours) | Annual leave (days @ 8h) |
|---|---|---|
| 8 hrs/week | 44.8 hrs | 5.6 days |
| 12 hrs/week | 67.2 hrs | 8.4 days |
| 16 hrs/week | 89.6 hrs | 11.2 days |
| 20 hrs/week | 112 hrs | 14 days |
| 24 hrs/week | 134.4 hrs | 16.8 days |
| 30 hrs/week | 168 hrs | 21 days |
| 37.5 hrs/week (full-time) | 210 hrs | 26.25 days |
| 40 hrs/week (full-time) | 224 hrs | 28 days (cap) |
Statutory cap: 28 days (5.6 weeks × 5 days). Workers above 5 days/week are still capped at 28 days. Bank holidays may be included by the employer within these days.
Holiday Entitlement for Part-Time Workers
Part-time workers are entitled to pro-rata holiday based on the number of days they work per week. The formula is the same as for full-time workers: 5.6 multiplied by the number of days worked per week. For example, a worker who works three days per week is entitled to 5.6 multiplied by 3, which equals 16.8 days of annual leave. This entitlement includes any bank holidays the employer requires the worker to take. If a part-time worker is required to take bank holidays that fall on their normal working days, those days count towards their statutory entitlement. If a bank holiday falls on a day the part-time worker does not normally work, they may or may not receive an alternative day off, depending on the employer's policy and the employment contract.
Holiday Entitlement for Irregular Hours Workers
Workers with irregular hours or zero-hours contracts have their holiday entitlement calculated differently because they do not have a fixed number of working days per week. For these workers, the entitlement is calculated as 12.07% of the hours they have worked during the leave year. This percentage is derived from the fact that statutory annual leave of 5.6 weeks represents 5.6 out of 52 weeks in a year, but since workers do not work during their holiday weeks, the calculation uses 46.4 working weeks (52 minus 5.6) as the denominator: 5.6 divided by 46.4 equals approximately 12.07%. This means that for every hour an irregular worker works, they accrue approximately 7.2 minutes of paid holiday.
Example Calculations
Example 1: Full-Time Worker (5 Days/Week)
A full-time employee works 5 days per week, 8 hours per day.
- Annual Entitlement = 5.6 × 5 = 28 days
- In Hours = 28 × 8 = 224 hours
Example 2: Part-Time Worker (3 Days/Week)
A part-time employee works 3 days per week, 6 hours per day.
- Annual Entitlement = 5.6 × 3 = 16.8 days
- In Hours = 16.8 × 6 = 100.8 hours
Example 3: Irregular Hours Worker (800 Hours Worked)
A zero-hours contract worker has worked 800 hours in the leave year.
- Holiday Entitlement = 800 × 12.07% = 96.56 hours
Bank Holidays and Statutory Entitlement
A common misconception is that bank holidays are an automatic addition to the statutory 28-day leave entitlement. In fact, employers can include bank holidays within the 28-day statutory minimum. This means a full-time worker in England and Wales who receives exactly the statutory minimum of 28 days may have 8 of those days designated as bank holidays, leaving only 20 days of flexible annual leave. Some employers choose to offer bank holidays in addition to the statutory minimum as an enhanced benefit, effectively giving workers 28 days plus 8 bank holidays for a total of 36 days. The specific arrangement depends on the employment contract and company policy. Workers should always check their contract to understand whether bank holidays are included within or in addition to their statutory entitlement.
Accruing Holiday During the Leave Year
If you start a new job partway through the leave year, your holiday entitlement for that year is calculated on a pro-rata basis. For example, if the leave year runs from January to December and you start work on 1 July, you have six months remaining in the leave year and would be entitled to half of your annual entitlement. A full-time worker starting on 1 July would receive 14 days of leave for the remainder of that year. Employers may use different methods to calculate accrual, including the twelfth of a month method (where you accrue one-twelfth of your annual entitlement each month) or the actual days method. This calculator uses the monthly accrual method when a start date is provided to estimate how much leave you have accrued so far.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much holiday am I entitled to in the UK?
Almost all workers in the UK are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year under the Working Time Regulations 1998. For a full-time worker on a five-day week, this equates to 28 days. Part-time workers receive a pro-rata entitlement based on the number of days they work. For example, a worker doing three days per week is entitled to 16.8 days. The 28-day maximum includes bank holidays if the employer chooses to count them as part of the statutory entitlement, though many employers offer bank holidays on top of the statutory minimum.
Do bank holidays count towards my statutory entitlement?
Yes, employers can include bank holidays as part of the 28-day statutory minimum. There is no automatic legal right to take bank holidays off or to receive them as additional leave on top of the statutory entitlement. However, many employers do offer bank holidays in addition to the statutory minimum as an enhanced benefit. Your employment contract should clearly state whether bank holidays are included within or on top of your holiday allowance. If your contract is unclear, check with your HR department or consult ACAS for guidance.
How is holiday calculated for zero-hours contracts?
Workers on zero-hours contracts and other irregular working patterns accrue holiday based on 12.07% of the hours they work. This percentage represents the statutory 5.6 weeks of leave as a proportion of the 46.4 working weeks in a year. For every hour worked, a zero-hours worker accrues approximately 7.2 minutes of paid holiday. Some employers pay "rolled-up" holiday pay, adding an extra 12.07% to the hourly rate instead of providing separate paid time off, although this practice has been subject to legal debate and may not always comply with the regulations.
Can I carry over unused holiday to the next year?
Under the Working Time Regulations, workers are entitled to carry over up to 8 days of unused statutory leave (the portion derived from EU law under Regulation 13) if they were unable to take it due to sickness or family leave. The additional 1.6 weeks of UK statutory leave (Regulation 13A) can generally only be carried over if the employment contract or a workplace agreement permits it. Many employers have their own carry-over policies that may be more generous than the statutory minimum. It is advisable to check your contract and company handbook for specific carry-over rules.
What happens to my holiday if I leave my job mid-year?
If you leave your job partway through the leave year, your holiday entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis for the portion of the year you have worked. If you have taken less holiday than your pro-rata entitlement, your employer must pay you for the untaken days in your final pay. Conversely, if you have taken more holiday than your pro-rata entitlement, your employer may deduct the excess from your final pay, provided the employment contract includes a clause allowing this. It is good practice to track your holiday usage throughout the year so there are no surprises when you leave.
How much holiday entitlement do I get if I work 16 hours a week in the UK?
For 16 hours per week, your statutory annual leave entitlement is 89.6 hours (16 × 5.6). Expressed in days at an 8-hour day, that is 11.2 days per leave year. If your employer counts bank holidays within the statutory minimum, the bank holidays falling on your scheduled working days count toward this 89.6-hour total. The 28-day cap applies only when your weekly working pattern is 5 days at 8 hours or above; part-time workers below that level receive a strictly proportional entitlement under the Working Time Regulations.
What is the 12.07% holiday pay calculation and when does it apply?
The 12.07% figure is the proportion of working time that statutory leave represents over a year for irregular-hours workers. The calculation is 5.6 (weeks of leave) divided by 46.4 (working weeks after subtracting leave) = 12.0689%, rounded to 12.07%. It applies to zero-hours contracts, agency workers, and anyone with no fixed weekly hours pattern. For each hour worked, the worker accrues approximately 7.24 minutes of paid leave. Following the 2024 amendments to the Working Time Regulations, employers can either provide accrued leave or pay rolled-up holiday pay at 12.07% of earnings on top of normal pay (clearly itemised on the payslip). For fixed-hours part-time workers, do NOT use 12.07% — use the 5.6 × days-per-week formula instead.