Holiday rights in the UK at a glance
Almost every worker in Great Britain is entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. That covers full-time and part-time employees, agency workers and most casual workers. For someone working five days a week, 5.6 weeks is 28 days. For someone working three days a week, it is 16.8 days. The legal maximum is 28 days, so a six-day worker still gets 28 days unless the contract offers more.
Employers can include the eight bank holidays in England and Wales in the 28 days, or give them on top. Your contract will say which applies to you. Many employers give more than the legal minimum; this calculator works out the statutory floor that nobody can go below.
Irregular hours and part-year workers: the 12.07% rule
Since 1 April 2024, for leave years starting on or after that date, workers with irregular hours and part-year workers build up holiday in a simpler way. At the end of each pay period they earn holiday equal to 12.07% of the hours they actually worked. Work 120 hours in a month and you earn 14.48 hours of paid holiday.
The figure 12.07% comes from 5.6 weeks of holiday divided by the 46.4 weeks a year a full-time worker is actually at work (52 minus 5.6). Employers may also choose rolled-up holiday pay for these workers: an extra 12.07% of pay added to every payslip and shown as a separate line, instead of paying holiday when it is taken. Choose Irregular hours or part-year and enter your pay to see that amount.
Fixed days or fixed hours
If you work the same number of days each week, choose Fixed days per week. The calculator multiplies your days by 5.6 and applies the 28-day cap. Add a daily rate to see what that holiday is worth. If you think in hours rather than days, for example 22.5 hours across three days, choose Fixed hours per week to get the entitlement in hours.
Holiday pay for fixed-hours workers is normally your usual pay for the time off. For workers whose pay varies, the law uses average weekly pay over the last 52 weeks in which you were paid, ignoring weeks with no pay. Regular overtime, commission and some allowances usually count.
Starting or leaving part way through the year
When you join or leave during the leave year, your entitlement is reduced in proportion to the time you worked. Open Started or leaving part way through the leave year, enter when your leave year starts and your start or leaving date, and the calculator works out your pro rata share. During the first year of a job, holiday builds up monthly, at one twelfth of the annual entitlement for each month worked.
When you leave, your employer must pay you for statutory holiday you have earned but not taken. If you have taken more than you earned, your contract may allow your employer to deduct the difference from your final pay.
Worked examples
Irregular hours: Priya works variable shifts and does 96 hours in March. She earns 96 × 12.07% = 11.59 hours of paid holiday. If her employer uses rolled-up holiday pay and her March pay is £1,200, her payslip shows an extra £144.84 as a separate holiday pay line.
Part-time fixed days: Tom works three days a week, so his full-year entitlement is 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days. He joins on 1 July in a leave year running January to December, so he gets about half: 8.4 days, rounded up to 8.5 days.
Six-day week: Sara works six days a week. 6 × 5.6 would be 33.6 days, but the statutory cap is 28 days.
Common questions from employers
Employers must keep records showing that workers get their statutory holiday, and must not replace statutory holiday with a payment except when someone leaves, or when using rolled-up holiday pay for irregular-hours and part-year workers. Workers who could not take holiday because of sickness or family leave can usually carry it over.
These rules apply in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has separate regulations. To work out pay for extra hours, use the overtime pay calculator, and see our guide on how overtime pay works. If you are unsure about your situation, Acas offers free, impartial advice to workers and employers.