UK Holiday Entitlement Calculator
Statutory holiday for full-time, part-time, shift, irregular-hours and part-year workers — 5.6 weeks pro rata in days or hours, starting or leaving part way through the leave year, the 12.07% accrual per pay period with rolled-up holiday pay, bank holidays by nation and pay for untaken leave.
How it works
Full year: lower of 28 days or 5.6 × days worked a week; hours = days × (hours a week ÷ days a week) · Starting part way: full year × months started ÷ 12, rounded up to the next half day · Leaving part way: full year × days employed ÷ days in the leave year · Shifts: average shifts a week = shifts in the rota ÷ rota days × 7 · Irregular hours and part-year workers: 12.07% × hours worked in each pay period, rounded to the nearest hour (12.07% = 5.6 ÷ 46.4)
Almost every UK worker is entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year: 28 days on a five-day week and the same 5.6 weeks pro rata for part-timers, so three days a week earns 16.8 days. The legal maximum is 28 days, even on a six-day week. In hours, the days are multiplied by your average working day, which also handles compressed hours. Shift workers convert their rota into an average number of shifts a week. Starting part way through the leave year gives one-twelfth of the year’s holiday for each month you work, rounded up to the next half day; leaving part way gives the proportion of calendar days you were employed, and any statutory holiday you have not taken is paid when you go. Employers may count the bank holidays — eight in England and Wales, nine in Scotland, ten in Northern Ireland — inside the 5.6 weeks, which is why part-timers should still get a proportional share of them. For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, irregular-hours and part-year workers build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours they work in each pay period, and their employers may instead pay 12.07% rolled-up holiday pay with their wages.
Worked example
3 days a week all year: 5.6 × 3 = 16.8 days, or 126 hours on a 22.5-hour week. With bank holidays included, 4.8 of those are the pro-rata bank holiday share, leaving 12 days to book. Starting on 2 September with a leave year from 1 April, a full-timer works in 7 months of the year: 28 × 7/12 = 16.33, rounded up to 16.5 days. A zero-hours worker who works 30 hours in a week accrues 30 × 12.07% = 3.62, rounded to 4 hours of holiday.
Sources: GOV.UK — Holiday entitlement · GOV.UK — Calculate leave entitlement · GOV.UK — Holiday pay and entitlement reforms from 1 January 2024 · GOV.UK — How to calculate holiday entitlement for workers on different types of contract · GOV.UK — UK bank holidays
Frequently asked questions
Does part of a day round up?
Employers can round up but not down. For someone starting part way through the year, official guidance rounds up to the next half day (16.33 days becomes 16.5); many employers round other figures the same way.
How is holiday worked out for irregular hours or zero-hours contracts?
For leave years that began on or after 1 April 2024, holiday builds up at 12.07% of the hours you work in each pay period, rounded to the nearest hour. Paste the hours from each pay period into the box and the calculator adds up the accrual. 12.07% comes from 5.6 weeks of holiday divided by the 46.4 weeks left to work in a year.
What is rolled-up holiday pay?
For irregular-hours and part-year workers only, an employer can pay 12.07% of your pay as holiday pay in every pay packet, shown separately on the payslip, instead of paying you when you take the time off. Enter your hourly rate to see the amount.
Do I get bank holidays as well as 5.6 weeks?
Not automatically. Employers can count bank holidays as part of the 5.6 weeks; many contracts give them on top. Choose the setting that matches your contract — and pick Scotland or Northern Ireland in More options if you work there.
What happens to holiday when I leave a job?
You are entitled to the proportion of the year’s holiday matching the days you were employed. Untaken statutory holiday must be paid in your final pay; enter the holiday you have taken and your pay for one day to see what that is worth. If you took more than you built up, your employer can only claw it back if your contract allows.
Can unused holiday be carried over?
Up to 8 days of the 28 can usually be carried over with your employer’s agreement. If sickness, maternity or other family leave stopped you taking it, up to 4 weeks (all 28 days for irregular-hours and part-year workers after sickness) can be carried forward, and for sickness it must be used within 18 months.
Related calculators
Based on GOV.UK holiday entitlement guidance for the Working Time Regulations 1998 as amended in 2024. Your contract may give more. Educational estimate, not legal advice — check with your employer or Acas (0300 123 1100) if unsure.