Annual Leave Calculator UK 2025 | Holiday Entitlement
Free UK Annual Leave Calculator 2025. Calculate your statutory holiday entitlement including pro-rata for part-time workers and bank holidays.
Last updated: February 2026
Annual Leave Calculator
Calculate your UK statutory annual leave entitlement, including pro-rata for part-time workers and bank holiday information.
Your Total Annual Leave
Understanding UK Annual Leave Rights
In the United Kingdom, almost all workers are legally entitled to paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. This is a statutory right that applies from day one of employment -- there is no qualifying period.
The 5.6 Weeks Entitlement
The statutory minimum annual leave in the UK is 5.6 weeks per year. For a full-time worker on a standard 5-day week, this equates to 28 days. The entitlement is capped at 28 days, so someone working 6 days per week still only receives 28 days, not 33.6.
Who Is Entitled?
Almost all workers in the UK are entitled to statutory annual leave, including:
- Full-time employees
- Part-time employees (pro-rata)
- Agency workers
- Workers on zero-hours contracts
- Irregular hours workers
- Apprentices
The only group not covered is genuinely self-employed individuals (not workers classified as self-employed by their employer).
Part-Time Pro-Rata Calculation
Part-time workers receive the same 5.6 weeks, calculated proportionally based on their working pattern. The formula is simple:
Annual leave (days) = Days worked per week x 5.6
| Days Per Week | Statutory Leave (Days) | Including Bank Hols |
|---|---|---|
| 5 days (full-time) | 28.0 days | 20 + 8 bank holidays |
| 4 days | 22.4 days | 16 + 6.4 bank holidays |
| 3 days | 16.8 days | 12 + 4.8 bank holidays |
| 2.5 days | 14.0 days | 10 + 4 bank holidays |
| 2 days | 11.2 days | 8 + 3.2 bank holidays |
| 1 day | 5.6 days | 4 + 1.6 bank holidays |
UK Bank Holidays 2025/26
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays per year. Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10. There is no automatic legal right to paid time off on bank holidays -- it depends on your employment contract.
England and Wales Bank Holidays 2025
| Date | Bank Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2025 | New Year's Day |
| 18 April 2025 | Good Friday |
| 21 April 2025 | Easter Monday |
| 5 May 2025 | Early May Bank Holiday |
| 26 May 2025 | Spring Bank Holiday |
| 25 August 2025 | Summer Bank Holiday |
| 25 February 2026 | Christmas Day |
| 26 February 2026 | Boxing Day |
Special Situations
Starting Mid-Year
If you start a new job part way through the leave year, your entitlement is calculated pro-rata. For example, starting 6 months into the leave year as a full-time worker gives you 14 days (half of 28) for the remainder of the year.
Irregular Hours and Zero-Hours Contracts
From 1 January 2024, workers with irregular hours or part-year contracts accrue leave based on 12.07% of hours worked in a pay period. This replaced the previous complex calculation methods. The 12.07% figure comes from dividing 5.6 weeks by 46.4 working weeks (52 weeks minus 5.6 weeks leave).
Accrual During Absence
Annual leave continues to accrue during:
- Maternity and paternity leave -- full accrual throughout
- Sick leave -- full accrual; unused leave can be carried over
- Adoption leave -- full accrual
- Shared parental leave -- full accrual
Carry Over Rules
The statutory leave breaks into two portions with different carry-over rules:
- First 4 weeks (20 days): Cannot normally be carried over, unless the worker was unable to take it (e.g., due to sickness or maternity leave)
- Additional 1.6 weeks (8 days): Can be carried over to the next year if there is a written agreement
Know Your Annual Leave Rights
Day One Right
Annual leave is a day-one right. There is no qualifying period. You start accruing leave from your first day of employment, though your employer may require you to wait before taking leave.
Holiday Pay
Holiday pay should reflect your normal earnings, including regular overtime, commission, and bonuses. Following the Harpur Trust ruling, pay must be based on a 52-week reference period.
Cannot Be Replaced by Payment
Employers cannot pay you instead of giving you leave (except when you leave your job). You must actually take the time off -- it is a health and safety measure.
Employer Can Set Dates
Your employer can tell you when to take leave (e.g., factory shutdowns at Christmas) as long as they give you twice as much notice as the leave period -- 2 days notice for 1 day off.
Leaving Your Job
When you leave, you must be paid for any untaken leave. If you have taken more than your accrued entitlement, your employer may deduct this from your final pay if your contract allows.
Cannot Opt Out
Unlike the 48-hour working week, you cannot opt out of annual leave. It is an absolute right that cannot be waived, even if you want to work through your holidays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost all UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year. For full-time workers (5 days/week), this equals 28 days. This is the statutory minimum and can include bank holidays. Your employer may offer more than this. Part-time workers receive the same 5.6 weeks, calculated pro-rata based on their working pattern.
Part-time leave is calculated by multiplying days worked per week by 5.6. For example, working 3 days per week gives you 3 x 5.6 = 16.8 days. For irregular hours workers, the calculation is 12.07% of hours worked. Part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than full-time colleagues -- the entitlement is exactly proportional.
There is no automatic right to paid bank holidays. Your employer can include the 8 bank holidays within the 28-day statutory entitlement, giving you 20 days to choose plus 8 bank holidays. Alternatively, they can offer bank holidays on top, giving you 28 + 8 = 36 days total. Check your employment contract -- it will specify which arrangement applies to you.
The first 4 weeks (20 days for full-time) cannot normally be carried over unless you were prevented from taking leave due to sickness, maternity, or similar reasons. The additional 1.6 weeks (8 days) can be carried over with your employer's agreement. Many employers have their own carry-over policies which may be more generous than the legal minimum.
Yes. Annual leave continues to accrue during all types of statutory leave including sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, and shared parental leave. If you are unable to take your leave due to long-term sickness, you can carry it over. This was confirmed by case law and applies to all UK workers.
When you leave a job, you are entitled to be paid for any untaken statutory annual leave. The amount is calculated pro-rata based on how much of the leave year has passed. For example, leaving 6 months into the year having taken no leave means you are owed 14 days' pay (half of 28). If you have taken more leave than accrued, your employer may deduct the overpayment from your final pay if your contract permits this.
Zero-hours contract workers are entitled to annual leave like any other worker. Since January 2024, irregular hours workers accrue leave at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period. For example, if you work 100 hours in a month, you accrue 12.07 hours of paid leave. Holiday pay is calculated based on the average pay over the previous 52 weeks worked.
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Last updated: February 2026 | Reviewed for accuracy against current Working Time Regulations
Expert Reviewed -- This calculator is reviewed by our team of HR and employment law experts and updated regularly with the latest UK regulations. Last verified: February 2026.
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