Calculate your paid holiday entitlement
Estimate full-year and pro-rata annual leave in days and hours. This calculator is ideal for full-time, part-time, and new starter planning.
If the employee started before the holiday year, keep this as the holiday year start date.
UK statutory minimum is typically 5.6 weeks.
How this holiday entitlement calculator works
This tool calculates holiday entitlement in a practical way for employees and managers. It starts with your annual leave allowance in weeks, converts that to days using your work pattern, and then applies a pro-rata adjustment if you joined part-way through the leave year.
You can also add extra contractual leave and subtract leave already taken to estimate your remaining balance. For teams who track leave by hours, the calculator converts days into hours using your average hours per day.
Formula used
- Full-year entitlement (days) = (days worked per week × leave weeks) + additional contractual days
- Pro-rata entitlement (days) = full-year entitlement × (days employed in holiday year ÷ total days in holiday year)
- Rounded entitlement = rounded up to the nearest half day
- Remaining leave = rounded entitlement − leave already taken
- Remaining leave (hours) = remaining leave × hours worked per day
Why accurate annual leave calculations matter
Holiday allowance is one of the most important components of total compensation. If it is under-calculated, employees can miss out on paid rest. If it is over-calculated, employers can run into payroll inconsistencies and scheduling issues.
Using a clear, repeatable method protects both sides. It also avoids confusion when someone joins mid-year, changes work patterns, or uses a mix of statutory and contractual leave.
What counts as statutory holiday entitlement?
In many UK contexts, full-time employees are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year. For someone working 5 days each week, that equals 28 days. Part-time staff receive the same 5.6-week principle, but pro-rated to the number of days they usually work.
Some employers include bank holidays in this total; others provide them in addition to core leave. Always check your contract, policy handbook, or local legal guidance.
Common examples
- 5 days/week: 5 × 5.6 = 28 days
- 4 days/week: 4 × 5.6 = 22.4 days
- 3 days/week: 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days
Pro-rata leave for new starters
When someone starts after the holiday year has begun, entitlement is usually calculated based on the proportion of the year they are employed. This is exactly what the date fields in the calculator are designed for.
For example, if someone starts halfway through the leave year and has a full-year entitlement of 28 days, their pro-rata entitlement will be around 14 days (before rounding and policy-specific adjustments).
Best practices for teams and HR admins
- Set one clear holiday-year cycle (for example Jan–Dec or Apr–Mar).
- Document whether bank holidays are included in entitlement.
- Define your rounding policy (nearest half-day, quarter-day, etc.).
- Recalculate when an employee changes working days or contracted hours.
- Keep leave records current to avoid end-of-year surprises.
Important note
This calculator provides a practical estimate and is not legal advice. Employment law, contract wording, and local policy can change the exact result. For formal decisions, consult your HR team, payroll provider, union representative, or legal advisor.