Holiday Entitlement (Annual Leave)

Taking time away from work to rest is essential for your health and wellbeing. UK employment law guarantees almost all workers paid annual leave so you can take time off without losing income. Here is what you need to know about your annual leave rights, how holiday pay is worked out, and how leave accrues.

Statutory Holiday Entitlement

Full-time workers are legally entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year. For a full-time employee working 5 days a week, this equals 28 days of paid annual leave.

If you work part-time, your statutory holiday entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis:

• Working 4 days a week: 22.4 days of paid holiday (4 x 5.6)
• Working 3 days a week: 16.8 days of paid holiday (3 x 5.6)
• Working 2 days a week: 11.2 days of paid holiday (2 x 5.6)

Employers can cap statutory paid annual leave at 28 days for staff who work 6 or 7 days a week, though your contract can offer more leave than the legal minimum.

Irregular Hours and Part-Year Workers

If you work irregular hours or only work part of the year, holiday entitlement builds up based on the hours you actually work. Statutory rules allow holiday to accrue at a rate of 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period.

Bank Holidays

There is no automatic legal right to paid time off specifically on bank holidays. Employers can choose whether bank holidays are included within your 5.6 weeks statutory minimum allowance or given as extra days off. Your employment contract will state how bank holidays are handled in your workplace.

Holiday Pay Calculation

Holiday pay should reflect your normal earnings. Your pay during annual leave must be based on your actual earnings, which includes regular overtime, commission payments, and work-related bonuses, rather than just your basic salary rate.

Carrying Over Unused Holiday

Statutory holiday generally needs to be taken within the leave year it applies to. However, if you are prevented from taking annual leave due to long-term illness, statutory maternity leave, paternity leave, or other parental leave, you have the legal right to carry unused statutory holiday into the next leave year.

When you leave your job, your employer must pay you for any accrued but untaken statutory holiday.

To calculate your exact holiday entitlement or review current regulations, visit the GOV.UK holiday entitlement guide or read guidance on the Citizens Advice holiday and time off page.