How much annual leave am I entitled to?

In the UK, most workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid annual leave per year. For a 5-day week that means 28 days; for a 4-day week, 22.4 days (rounded up to 22.5); for a 3-day week, 16.8 days (rounded up to 17). Use the calculator on this page to get your exact figure.

What is the minimum holiday entitlement in the UK?

The minimum statutory holiday entitlement in the UK is 5.6 weeks per year, capped at 28 days for full-time workers. This equates to roughly 2.3 days per month. Bank holidays can be counted as part of this 28-day minimum.

What is the statutory annual leave entitlement in the UK?

Full-time employees working 5 days a week are entitled to a minimum of 28 days (5.6 weeks) paid annual leave per year under the Working Time Regulations 1998. This can include bank holidays.

How is holiday calculated for part-time workers?

Part-time workers receive the same 5.6 weeks entitlement, calculated pro-rata based on the number of days they work per week. For example, someone working 3 days a week gets 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days, rounded up.

Are bank holidays included in the 28-day entitlement?

It depends on the employment contract. UK law allows bank holidays to be counted as part of the 28-day statutory minimum. Employers are not legally required to give bank holidays on top of the 28 days, though many do.

How do I calculate pro-rata holiday for a new starter?

Divide the number of days remaining in the leave year by the total days in the leave year, then multiply by the full annual entitlement. Round up to the nearest half day. For example: 183 remaining days ÷ 365 × 28 = 14 days.

How do I calculate holiday entitlement when leaving a job?

If you leave part-way through a leave year, you are entitled to the proportion of your annual leave accrued up to your last day. The formula is: annual entitlement × (days worked in leave year ÷ total days in leave year), minus leave already taken. Any outstanding days must be paid out by your employer.

Can I be paid for untaken holidays when I leave?

Yes. Any accrued but untaken leave must be paid out by your employer when you leave — this is called Payment in Lieu (PILON) for the holiday element. To calculate the monetary value, divide your annual salary by 260 (for a 5-day week) and multiply by the outstanding days.

How many bank holidays are there in Scotland vs England?

England and Wales have 8 public bank holidays per year. Scotland has 9 (including 2 January and St Andrew's Day). Northern Ireland has 10 (including St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne).

Does holiday accrue during maternity or sick leave?

Yes. Statutory annual leave continues to accrue during maternity leave (including Additional Maternity Leave) and during statutory sick leave. Employees can carry over leave they could not take during these periods.

Free Tool · Updated for 2026/2027 with bank holiday dates

Annual Leave Calculator

Use this free UK holiday entitlement calculator to find your annual leave entitlement in seconds. Works for full-time, part-time, and pro-rata — including bank holidays.

UK workers average 33.9 days leave.

Your working pattern

5 days · 37.5 hours per week

Under UK law, you are legally entitled to a minimum of:

28 days 224 hours

Based on 5 days × 5.6 weeks under the Working Time Regulations 1998. This figure can include bank holidays — your employer may count them as part of your allowance or offer them on top. GOV.UK ↗

Your contracted entitlement

Annual leave in your contract (days)

days

This is the figure in your employment contract — it may match the legal minimum or be higher.

Full-time equivalent We'll scale this to your working pattern Part-time equivalent This is already my actual entitlement

Pro-Rata Holiday Calculator (optional)

Calculate accrued holiday for new starters, leavers, or anyone part-way through their leave year.

Leave year starts The date your company's holiday year resets

Employment start date If you started part-way through the leave year

Employment end date If you are leaving part-way through the leave year

Leaving a job? Enter your employment end date above to calculate the holiday days you have accrued and are owed by your employer.

Bank holidays

How are bank holidays treated?

Included in my entitlement Bank holidays come out of my allowance On top of my entitlement I get bank holidays in addition

UK law doesn't require employers to give bank holidays on top of the statutory 5.6 weeks — but whichever approach is used, it must be clearly set out in your employment contract. ACAS guidance on bank holidays ↗

Your entitlement

Annual leave calculation

Total entitlement

—

days

Results are based on UK statutory minimums under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (as amended 2024). For guidance only — your actual entitlement may vary based on your contract of employment.

Need to calculate holiday pay? This tool shows your entitlement in days or hours. To find the monetary value of untaken leave, divide your annual salary by 260 (5-day week) and multiply by the days owed. GOV.UK holiday pay guidance ↗

How we calculate UK annual leave entitlement

All results are based on the Working Time Regulations 1998 (as amended 2024).

This is one of the most comprehensive free annual leave calculators available online. Unlike simpler tools that only handle full-time workers, ours covers common scenarios UK employees and HR teams face — with real bank holiday dates built in for all three UK nations.

Full-time & part-time workers
Accrual for new starters & leavers
Bank holiday data: England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Days and hours modes
FTE or actual part-time entitlement
Always rounds up, never down

Full-time workers

The UK statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks per year. For a standard 5-day week that equals 28 days. Your employer may offer more — enter your actual entitlement above.

5 days × 5.6 weeks = 28 days

Holiday entitlement for part-time workers

Part-time employees receive the same 5.6 weeks entitlement as full-time staff, scaled to the number of days they work. Results are always rounded up to the nearest half day — never down.

Days/week ÷ 5 × 28 = entitlement

Accrued holiday & pro-rata

For new starters or anyone leaving part-way through the year, we calculate accrued holiday as the proportion of the leave year worked. Enter your start or end date in the Pro-Rata section above.

Days worked ÷ 365 × entitlement

Bank holidays

The statutory 28 days can include bank holidays — employers are not required to offer them on top. England & Wales have 8, Scotland 9, Northern Ireland 10.

Check your contract for how bank holidays are treated

Rounding rules

UK law does not specify rounding, but government guidance states entitlement should be rounded up where it results in a partial day. For a typical worker this equates to roughly 2.3 days per month. We always round up, never down.

Always rounded up to nearest 0.5 day

Holiday when leaving a job

If you leave part-way through the year, you are owed any accrued but untaken leave. Use the employment end date in the Pro-Rata section to calculate exactly how many days are owed.

Entitlement × (days worked ÷ 365) − taken

UK Statutory Holiday Entitlement at a Glance

Based on 5.6 weeks statutory minimum. Results always rounded up to the nearest 0.5.

By days worked per week

Days per week	Statutory entitlement	Rounded up	Note
1 day	5.6 days	6 days
2 days	11.2 days	11.5 days
3 days	16.8 days	17 days
4 days	22.4 days	22.5 days
5 days	28 days	28 days	Standard full-time
6 days	33.6 days	28 days	Statutory cap applies*
7 days	39.2 days	28 days	Statutory cap applies*

* The statutory minimum is capped at 28 days regardless of how many days per week are worked. Employers may choose to offer more.

By hours worked per week

Hours per week	Annual hours entitlement	Equivalent days (7.5 h/day)	Note
7.5 hrs	42 hrs	5.6 days
15 hrs	84 hrs	11.2 days
20 hrs	112 hrs	14.9 days
22.5 hrs	126 hrs	16.8 days
25 hrs	140 hrs	18.7 days
30 hrs	168 hrs	22.4 days
35 hrs	196 hrs	26.1 days
37.5 hrs	210 hrs	28 days	Standard full-time
40 hrs	224 hrs	29.9 days

Hours entitlement = hours per week × 5.6. The equivalent days column uses a 7.5-hour standard day. For an 8-hour day, divide annual hours by 8. The statutory day cap (28 days) applies based on your working pattern.

UK Annual Leave — The Rules

A plain-English summary of your statutory rights under UK employment law.

The statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks per year, capped at 28 days for most workers. For a standard 5-day week that equals exactly 28 days. Employers can offer more than this — many do — but they cannot offer less. Bank holidays can be counted as part of this entitlement or offered on top, depending on your contract.

Part-time workers receive the same 5.6 weeks, calculated pro-rata based on the number of days they work. A 3-day week gives 16.8 days (rounded up to 17); a 4-day week gives 22.4 days (rounded up to 22.5). Part-time workers cannot be treated less favourably than comparable full-time colleagues — this is a legal right under the Part-Time Workers Regulations 2000.

The January 2024 reforms to the Working Time Regulations introduced new rules for irregular-hours and part-year workers (such as term-time and zero-hours staff). For these workers, holiday now accrues at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, rather than as a fixed annual allowance. This change applies to leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024.

Holiday continues to accrue during maternity leave, paternity leave, and statutory sick leave. If an employee is unable to take accrued leave during these periods, they have the right to carry it forward into the next leave year.

Did you know? The average UK employee took 33.9 days of leave in 2023 — down from 38 days in 2020 (Sage, 2024). Meanwhile, unused leave per employee has fallen by 71% since 2019, from 18.5 days to just 5.3 days. If your result above is lower than 33.9 days, it may be worth checking your contract.

Frequently asked questions

: In the UK, most workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid annual leave per year. For a 5-day week that means 28 days; for a 4-day week, 22.4 days (rounded up to 22.5); for a 3-day week, 16.8 days (rounded up to 17). Use the calculator above to get your exact figure based on your working pattern and contract.
: The minimum statutory holiday entitlement under the Working Time Regulations 1998 is 5.6 weeks per year, capped at 28 days for full-time workers. This works out to roughly 2.3 days per month. Bank holidays can be counted as part of this 28-day minimum — your employer does not have to offer them on top. There is no upper limit on what an employer can offer voluntarily.
: Full-time employees working a 5-day week are entitled to a minimum of 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid annual leave per year under the Working Time Regulations 1998. This can include the 8 public bank holidays in England and Wales. Your employer may offer more than this statutory minimum.
: Part-time workers receive the same 5.6 weeks entitlement as full-time staff, but calculated on the number of days they actually work per week. For example, someone working 3 days per week gets: 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days, which rounds up to 17 days. Part-time workers cannot be treated less favourably than full-time equivalents.
: It depends on your contract. UK law allows bank holidays to count as part of the 28-day statutory minimum — employers are not required to give bank holidays on top of the 28 days. However, many employers do offer bank holidays in addition. If your 28-day allowance includes bank holidays, you effectively get 20 days to book freely (28 − 8 bank holidays = 20 days).
: For a new starter, divide the number of days remaining in the leave year (from their start date) by the total days in the leave year, then multiply by their full annual entitlement. Always round up the result. For example, an employee starting on 1 October with a leave year running 1 April to 31 March would have 183 days remaining out of 365: 183 ÷ 365 × 28 = 14 days.
: England & Wales have 8 public bank holidays per year. Scotland has 9 (the additional day being 2 January and St Andrew's Day replacing one of the spring bank holidays in the schedule). Northern Ireland has 10 public holidays, including St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne / Orangemen's Day (12 July).
: Yes. Statutory annual leave continues to accrue during maternity leave (including Additional Maternity Leave), paternity leave, and periods of statutory sick leave. If an employee was unable to take accrued leave during these periods, they may be entitled to carry it over into the next leave year.
: If you leave part-way through a leave year, you are entitled to the proportion of your annual leave that you have accrued up to your last day. The formula is: annual entitlement × (days worked in leave year ÷ total days in leave year), then subtract any leave already taken. Enter your employment end date in the Pro-Rata section of the calculator above — it will work this out automatically. Any outstanding days should be paid out by your employer.
: Yes — any accrued but untaken leave that you were unable to take before your last day must be paid out by your employer. This is called Payment in Lieu of Notice (PILON) for the holiday element. To calculate the monetary value, divide your annual salary by 260 (for a 5-day week) and multiply by the number of outstanding days. This calculator tells you the number of days owed; for the monetary value, see GOV.UK holiday pay guidance ↗.

Stop calculating leave manually

Simple Leave tracks balances, handles pro-rata, and makes sure no one loses what they're owed.

Start free trial → Free for 3 months · No credit card required