holiday entitlement calculator uk

How UK holiday entitlement works

In the UK, most workers are entitled to a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each leave year. For someone who works 5 days a week, that is 28 days. Employers can include bank holidays within those 28 days, unless your contract gives extra leave on top.

Quick rules to remember

• Statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks per year.
• For fixed-day workers, statutory leave is capped at 28 days.
• Part-time workers receive pro-rata entitlement.
• Holiday builds up from day one of employment.
• Your contract may offer more than the legal minimum.

What this calculator includes

This holiday entitlement calculator UK page gives two practical methods:

• Fixed days per week: ideal for standard full-time and part-time arrangements.
• Irregular / zero-hours: uses the 12.07% accrual approach based on hours worked.

It also estimates remaining leave after holiday already taken, and shows equivalent hours where relevant.

Formula used (fixed days workers)

For most employees with regular days:

• Full-year entitlement (days) = min(5.6 × days worked per week, 28)
• Pro-rata entitlement (days) = full-year entitlement × (months worked ÷ 12)
• Remaining leave = pro-rata entitlement − leave taken

If enabled, the calculator rounds pro-rata results up to the nearest half-day to help with practical booking.

Formula used (irregular hours workers)

For irregular or zero-hours patterns, a common accrual method is:

• Holiday hours accrued = hours worked × 12.07%
• Remaining holiday hours = accrued hours − hours already taken
• Equivalent days = accrued hours ÷ average shift length

This approach is useful for planning, but always verify your employer’s policy and current legislation.

Examples

Example 1: Part-time, 3 days per week

A worker doing 3 days per week gets 5.6 × 3 = 16.8 days for a full leave year. If they have taken 6 days already, they have 10.8 days remaining (before any rounding rules in policy).

Example 2: New starter halfway through year

If someone works 5 days per week but joins halfway through the leave year (6 months), pro-rata entitlement is 28 × 6/12 = 14 days.

Example 3: Irregular-hours worker

If 800 hours have been worked so far, accrued holiday is 800 × 12.07% = 96.56 hours. If 20 hours already used, 76.56 hours remain.

Frequently asked questions

Do bank holidays have to be extra?

Not necessarily. Employers can include bank holidays within statutory leave unless your contract says you get them in addition.

Can I carry holiday over?

Usually only by agreement or under specific circumstances (for example, sickness or maternity-related situations). Check your contract and policy.

Is everyone capped at 28 days?

The cap applies to statutory leave in days-based calculations. Many employers choose to offer more than this through contractual leave.

Final note

Use this tool as a planning aid for annual leave entitlement, pro-rata holiday, and remaining days. For disputes or complex employment status questions, consult HR, ACAS, or professional legal advice.