Holiday Entitlement Calculator (UK)
Work pattern
Starting or leaving part way through the year?
Leave only the dates that apply – for example just the start date if you joined this year.
Choose your work pattern and tap
Calculate Holiday.
Holiday Calculator UK – Work Out Your Annual Leave Entitlement
This free holiday calculator works out your statutory holiday entitlement in the UK – the minimum paid annual leave your employer must give you by law. Choose whether you work a set number of days, hours or shifts per week, or irregular hours, and the calculator applies the GOV.UK rules: 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, capped at 28 days, pro-rata for part-time workers and for anyone who starts or leaves part way through the leave year, and the 12.07% accrual method for irregular-hours and part-year workers.
It is useful for employees checking their payslip or contract, for managers and HR teams planning rotas, and for small business owners who need to calculate holiday for new starters and leavers.
How to Use the Holiday Calculator
- Choose your work pattern: days per week, hours per week, shifts per week, or irregular hours.
- Enter how much you work – for example 3 days a week, 22.5 hours a week, or the hours worked in a pay period for irregular hours.
- Starting or leaving this year? Open the dates box, enter the date your leave year starts and your employment start and/or end date.
- Tap "Calculate Holiday" to see your entitlement, the full-year figure and a rounded figure.
Statutory Holiday Entitlement Rules
- Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year, known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave.
- A full-time worker on 5 days a week gets 28 days (5 × 5.6).
- Statutory entitlement is capped at 28 days – someone working 6 days a week still gets 28 days.
- Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks, pro-rata: 3 days a week × 5.6 = 16.8 days.
- Employers can include bank holidays in the statutory 28 days – there is no extra legal right to bank holidays on top.
- Holiday starts building up from the first day of work.
| Days worked per week | Statutory holiday per year |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 5.6 days |
| 2 days | 11.2 days |
| 3 days | 16.8 days |
| 4 days | 22.4 days |
| 5 days | 28 days |
| 6 days | 28 days (cap) |
Holiday Entitlement in Hours
If your working days are different lengths, it is fairer to count holiday in hours: hours per week × 5.6. A full-time employee working 37.5 hours a week gets 210 hours of holiday; someone working 20 hours a week gets 112 hours. The cap of 28 days does not apply directly to hours, but the total should not exceed 5.6 weeks of the person's normal working time.
Irregular Hours and Part-Year Workers – 12.07%
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, holiday for irregular-hours workers (such as zero-hours staff) and part-year workers (such as term-time staff) builds up at 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period. The figure comes from 5.6 weeks divided by the 46.4 weeks of the year left after holiday (5.6 ÷ 46.4 = 12.07%). For example, 120 hours worked in a month earns 14.48 hours of holiday. Employers may also pay rolled-up holiday pay of 12.07% on top of wages for these workers.
Starting or Leaving Part Way Through the Year
If you start or leave during the leave year, your entitlement is pro-rata to the part of the year you are employed. The calculator uses the number of days from your start date (or the start of the leave year) to your end date (or the end of the leave year). For example, a 5-day-a-week employee whose leave year starts on 1 January and who joins on 1 July gets about 14.1 days for that year. When you leave, you must be paid for any statutory holiday you have built up but not taken.
During the first year of employment, workers build up holiday at one-twelfth of their annual entitlement each month, so an employer can restrict how much can be taken in advance.
Rounding Holiday
Statutory holiday does not have to be a whole number. If an employer wants to use whole or half days, they can round up (for example 16.8 days to 17 days) but they cannot round down, because that would give less than the legal minimum. The calculator shows the entitlement to two decimal places and, for days and shifts, rounded up to the next half day.
Holiday Pay
Workers must be paid their normal pay for holiday. For people with variable pay, holiday pay is based on the average pay over the previous 52 paid weeks, including regular overtime, commission and bonuses. Holiday cannot be replaced by payment in lieu except when employment ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days holiday am I entitled to in the UK?
Full-time workers are entitled to at least 28 days of paid holiday a year (5.6 weeks), which can include bank holidays. Part-time workers get 5.6 times their working days per week.
How much holiday do I get if I work 3 days a week?
3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days a year. Your employer may round this up to 17 days, but cannot round down.
Are bank holidays included in the 28 days?
They can be. There is no statutory right to paid bank holidays on top of the 28 days; it depends on your contract.
How is holiday calculated for zero-hours workers?
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, holiday accrues at 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period.
How much holiday do I get if I start in the middle of the year?
A pro-rata share of the full-year entitlement based on the part of the leave year you are employed. Enter your start date in the calculator for the exact figure.
Does this calculator work for Northern Ireland?
Northern Ireland has similar 5.6-week rules but separate legislation, and the 2024 irregular-hours changes applied to Great Britain. Check nidirect for Northern Ireland.
Can my employer give me more holiday?
Yes. The calculator shows the legal minimum. Many employers offer 25 days plus bank holidays or more.
Sources: GOV.UK – Holiday entitlement; Acas – Checking holiday entitlement; Working Time Regulations 1998 (as amended 2024).