holiday allowance calculator uk

Important: This tool gives an estimate for educational use. Employment contracts can include more generous terms, and legal details can change. Always check your contract, company policy, and GOV.UK guidance for the latest rules.

How holiday allowance works in the UK

In the UK, most workers are entitled to a statutory minimum paid holiday. The standard legal minimum is 5.6 weeks per year. For a full-time worker on a 5-day week, that usually equals 28 days of paid leave.

If you work part-time, your holiday entitlement is usually calculated on a pro-rata basis. In simple terms, you still get 5.6 weeks, but the number of days is based on how many days you normally work each week.

Typical statutory examples

• 5 days/week: 5.6 × 5 = 28 days
• 4 days/week: 5.6 × 4 = 22.4 days
• 3 days/week: 5.6 × 3 = 16.8 days
• 2 days/week: 5.6 × 2 = 11.2 days

Your employer may round leave up according to policy, and many employers offer more than the legal minimum.

Using this holiday allowance calculator UK

This calculator includes two modes so you can quickly estimate entitlement based on your work pattern:

• Regular hours mode: Best for fixed schedules (for example, 3 or 5 days each week).
• Irregular hours / part-year mode: Uses the 12.07% accrual approach to estimate holiday hours from hours worked.

Regular hours mode

Enter days worked per week, hours per day, months worked this leave year, and leave already taken. The tool calculates:

• Full-year statutory entitlement (days and hours)
• Accrued entitlement to date
• Remaining leave after time already taken
• Estimated holiday pay value (if weekly pay is entered)

Irregular hours / part-year mode

If your hours vary significantly, your leave is often tracked in hours. This mode estimates entitlement as:

Holiday hours = hours worked × 12.07%

It then subtracts leave already taken to show the remaining balance, plus an optional pay estimate using hourly rate.

Do bank holidays come on top?

Not always. Bank holidays can be included within your 5.6 weeks statutory minimum, depending on your contract. Some employers offer bank holidays in addition to standard annual leave, but this is a contractual benefit, not an automatic legal extra in every case.

What about new starters and leavers?

Holiday typically accrues through the year. If you join or leave mid-year, your entitlement is usually pro-rated. For many workers, a simple estimate is:

Accrued leave = annual entitlement × (months worked ÷ 12)

If you have taken more than accrued leave before leaving, your employer may recover overused holiday pay if your contract allows it.

Holiday pay basics

When you take statutory leave, you should receive normal pay for that time off. For workers with variable pay, calculations can be more detailed and based on average earnings over a reference period. This page gives a quick planning estimate, but payroll calculations may differ based on legal method and contract terms.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming bank holidays are always additional.
• Confusing days and hours when checking balances.
• Not accounting for part-year accrual as the leave year progresses.
• Forgetting that contract terms may be better than statutory minimum.
• Relying on old calculations without checking current guidance.

Quick FAQ

Is 28 days always guaranteed?

28 days is the statutory minimum for someone working 5 days per week. Part-time workers receive a pro-rata amount.

Can I carry unused holiday to next year?

Sometimes. Carry-over rules depend on policy, statutory exceptions, and circumstances (for example, family leave or sickness). Check your employer policy.

Can my employer refuse holiday dates?

Employers can usually refuse specific dates with proper notice, but they should still allow workers to take their legal entitlement across the leave year.

Does overtime count in holiday pay?

Regularly worked overtime may need to be reflected in holiday pay. Exact treatment depends on pay structure and legal tests.

Final thought

A clear holiday balance helps with planning, budgeting, and avoiding end-of-year surprises. Use the calculator regularly, then confirm your official entitlement with your contract and HR/payroll records.