Holiday Accrual Calculator
Enter your annual entitlement and leave year dates to see how many days you have accrued so far and how many remain.
How much holiday have you built up so far this year? This calculator estimates your accrued holiday based on your annual entitlement and how far through the leave year you are.
It also shows your remaining balance after any days already taken — useful for planning your time off for the rest of the year.
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What this calculator does
This calculator works out how much holiday you have accrued to date based on linear accrual through the leave year. It deducts any days already taken and shows your remaining balance in days and hours.
Who it is for
UK employees wanting to check their holiday balance, new starters with pro-rated entitlement, HR managers tracking accruals, and anyone planning their remaining time off.
How to use it
Enter your annual entitlement (in days or hours), leave year start date, and any days already taken. Optionally add your employment start date if you joined mid-year.
How the calculation works
We calculate what fraction of the leave year has elapsed and multiply by your annual entitlement to find the accrued amount. For mid-year starters, the entitlement is first pro-rated based on the proportion of the year from your start date to the end of the leave year.
Worked example
Annual entitlement: 28 days. Leave year: 1 January. Today: 1 July (50% through). Accrued: 14 days. Already taken: 8 days. Remaining: 20 days (6 accrued + 14 still to accrue).
Assumptions and limitations
- Assumes linear (proportional) accrual throughout the leave year
- Does not account for employer-specific accrual policies that may differ
- Remaining balance includes both accrued-but-unused and yet-to-accrue holiday
- For irregular workers, consider using the 12.07% accrual method from the Holiday Entitlement Calculator
Frequently asked questions
How much holiday have I accrued?
Your accrued holiday depends on how far through the leave year you are. If you are halfway through and have 28 days annual entitlement, you have accrued approximately 14 days.
Can I take holiday before I have accrued it?
Some employers allow you to take holiday in advance of accrual, but they are not required to. If you leave before accruing the holiday you have taken, your employer may deduct the overpayment from your final pay.
What happens to unused holiday?
In most cases, you cannot carry over more than 8 days of the 28-day statutory entitlement. However, if you could not take holiday due to sickness or family leave, you may be entitled to carry it over.
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Related guides
- How Holiday Accrual Is Calculated in the UK — Learn how holiday builds up over a leave year and how to check how much you have accrued so far.
- How to Calculate Your Freelance Day Rate — A practical guide to setting your day rate as a freelancer or contractor, including salary equivalence and market benchmarks.
- How Overtime Pay Works in the UK — Understand your overtime pay rights, how it is taxed, and how different multipliers affect your earnings.
- Inside IR35 Explained: What UK Contractors Need to Know — A clear guide to working inside IR35, how it affects your take-home pay, and what it means for your contract.
- How Holiday Entitlement Works in the UK — A practical guide to understanding your statutory holiday entitlement as a UK worker, covering full-time, part-time, and irregular working patterns.
- Outside IR35 Explained for UK Contractors — What outside IR35 means, how it affects your take-home pay, and the key differences between inside and outside IR35.
Sources and references
Holiday entitlement rights (https://www.gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights), ACAS managing holiday (https://www.acas.org.uk/checking-holiday-entitlement)
Last updated
Last reviewed: 2025-04-12.