How do I work out holiday entitlement?

Multiply the days (or hours) worked per week by 5.6. Someone working 5 days a week gets 28 days; 3 days a week gets 16.8 days; 20 hours a week gets 112 hours. Statutory entitlement is capped at 28 days, and mid-year starters and leavers get a pro-rated share.

Does the 28-day cap reduce part-time entitlement?

No. The cap only affects people working more than 5 days a week (6- and 7-day workers both get 28 days). Part-time workers always get 5.6 times their working days.

Are bank holidays included in holiday entitlement?

There is no legal right to bank holidays off. Employers can count bank holidays as part of the 5.6-week statutory entitlement. A common full-time arrangement is 20 bookable days plus 8 bank holidays, totalling the statutory 28.

How is holiday calculated if I start a job mid-year?

In your first year, entitlement builds at one-twelfth of the annual figure per month, counting a partial first month in full, and the result rounds up to the nearest half day. Starting halfway through the leave year on 5 days a week gives 14 days.

Holiday Entitlement Calculator

Work out UK statutory annual leave in days or hours, for a full leave year, or pro-rated if you started or left your job part-way through. Same rules as the official gov.uk calculation, but with every step of the working shown.

Updated August 2026 · matches gov.uk calculation rules

How is the work pattern measured?

Irregular hours or part-year work? Since April 2024, zero-hours, casual and term-time workers accrue leave at 12.07% of hours worked instead of a fixed annual figure. Use our 12.07% holiday pay calculator.

Days worked per week

Hours worked per week

Which period?

When does the leave year start?

Often 1 January or 1 April, so check your contract. If nothing is set, it starts on your employment start date.

Employment start date

Last day of employment

Statutory holiday entitlement

How this was worked out

How to work out holiday entitlement

The statutory minimum for almost every UK worker (full-time, part-time, agency or zero-hours) is 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year. To turn that into days or hours, multiply your working week by 5.6:

5 days a week → 5 × 5.6 = 28 days
3 days a week → 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days
20 hours a week → 20 × 5.6 = 112 hours

Statutory entitlement is capped at 28 days: someone working 6 or 7 days a week still gets 28, not 33.6 or 39.2. The cap never reduces a part-timer’s entitlement, and employers are always free to offer more than the statutory minimum in the contract.

Annual leave calculator for starters and leavers

Join or leave a job part-way through the leave year and you get a proportion. The official method treats the two cases differently:

Starting mid-year: in your first year, leave builds at 1/12 of the annual entitlement per month. A partial first month counts as a full month, and the result rounds up to the nearest half day. Example: start on 14 June with a January–December leave year, 5 days a week → 7 months → 28 × 7/12 = 16.33 → 16.5 days.
Leaving mid-year: the calculation switches to calendar days (days employed this leave year ÷ days in the year) because the answer is usually needed for a final-pay calculation. Leave on 30 June with a January leave year → 181/365 × 28 = 13.9 days.

Employers can round figures up beyond these rules, but can never round down below the statutory result.

Are bank holidays included?

There’s no legal right to bank holidays off, paid or otherwise. Employers can count them towards the 5.6 weeks, which is why the classic full-time package is “20 days plus 8 bank holidays” = the statutory 28. England and Wales normally have 8 bank holidays; Scotland 9 (10 in 2026, thanks to a one-off extra holiday); Northern Ireland 10. If you work part-time, your bank holiday share should be pro-rated. Our pro-rata holiday calculator handles that properly, including the “I don’t work Mondays” problem.

Irregular hours? Different rules since April 2024

For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, workers whose contracted hours are wholly or mostly variable (zero-hours, casual, bank) and part-year workers (seasonal, term-time) accrue leave at 12.07% of hours worked each pay period instead of receiving a fixed annual figure. If that’s you, use the 12.07% holiday pay calculator, which also covers rolled-up holiday pay.

For employers: the calculation now has to be on record

Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, from 6 April 2026 employers must keep records showing how holiday entitlement and pay were calculated, retained for six years, with enforcement by the new Fair Work Agency. A calculator screenshot isn’t a leave system. If entitlement lives in spreadsheets, it’s worth fixing before it’s audited.

Frequently asked questions

How many days’ holiday am I entitled to?

Multiply your working days per week by 5.6: e.g. 4 days a week gives 22.4 days. The statutory minimum is capped at 28 days; contracts can offer more.

Is holiday entitlement different in Scotland or Northern Ireland?

No, the 5.6-week statutory entitlement is UK-wide. Only the number of bank holidays differs (England & Wales 8, Scotland usually 9, Northern Ireland 10), which matters when your package counts bank holidays within the total.

Does working 6 days a week give more holiday?

No, the statutory maximum is 28 days, so 6- and 7-day workers get the same 28 days as 5-day workers. In weeks, that’s actually less than 5.6.

How does the first-year accrual rule work?

In the first year of a job, employers can operate an accrual system: 1/12 of the annual entitlement becomes available at the start of each month, with part days rounded up to the nearest half day. From the second year, the full entitlement is available from day one of the leave year.

What’s my entitlement in hours?

Weekly hours × 5.6. A 37.5-hour week gives 210 hours; a 40-hour week over 4 days gives 224 hours. Hours-based figures are fairer when your working days are different lengths.

I work compressed hours (full-time over 4 days). How is my holiday counted?

Use the hours basis above: 5.6 × your weekly hours. A 40-hour week compressed into four 10-hour days gives 224 hours, equivalently 22.4 of your long days, the same real time off as a 5-day colleague’s 28 standard days. Each day you book off should deduct its actual length (10 hours), not “one day”.

When does my leave year start?

Whatever your contract says, commonly 1 January or 1 April. If nothing is agreed, it legally starts on the anniversary of your first day of work.

Can I carry holiday over to next year?

Up to 8 days (the 1.6-week additional entitlement) can be carried over by agreement. Extra carry-over applies if sickness or family leave stopped you taking holiday, or if your employer didn’t give you a real opportunity to take it.

Is this the same as the gov.uk calculator?

The arithmetic follows the same published rules the official gov.uk tool uses, including the 28-day cap, months-based pro-rating for starters, calendar-day pro-rating for leavers and half-day round-ups, but we show the working at every step.

Sources

Based on: gov.uk: holiday entitlement rights; gov.uk: calculate your holiday entitlement; Working Time Regulations 1998, regs 13–15B; ACAS: checking holiday entitlement. Statutory figures checked August 2026. This tool is guidance, not legal advice.

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Holiday Entitlement Calculator

How this was worked out

How to work out holiday entitlement

Annual leave calculator for starters and leavers

Are bank holidays included?

Irregular hours? Different rules since April 2024

For employers: the calculation now has to be on record

Frequently asked questions

Sources

More free holiday calculators

Now put that entitlement somewhere useful