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.
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The basics
Almost all UK workers are legally entitled to paid holiday. The statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks per year. For a full-time worker doing 5 days a week, that is 28 days including bank holidays.
Entitlement by working pattern
| Pattern | Calculation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (5 days/week) | 5.6 × 5 = 28 days | 28 days per year |
| Part-time (3 days/week) | 5.6 × 3 = 16.8 days | 16.8 days per year |
| Part-time (2 days/week) | 5.6 × 2 = 11.2 days | 11.2 days per year |
| Irregular / zero-hours | 12.07% of hours worked | Varies |
Days vs hours
If you work different lengths of day, your entitlement may be easier to understand in hours. Simply multiply your daily hours by your entitlement in days. For example, 28 days at 7.5 hours per day = 210 hours.
Pro-rata for new starters
If you start partway through a leave year, your entitlement is pro-rated. For example, starting halfway through the year gives you half the annual entitlement for that period.
Bank holidays
Employers can include bank holidays as part of the 28-day statutory minimum. They are not automatically extra days on top. Check your contract.
Carrying over holiday
Under the Working Time Regulations, there is limited ability to carry over the basic 4 weeks of EU-derived holiday. The additional 1.6 weeks (8 days for full-time workers) can be subject to a use-it-or-lose-it policy. However, if you were unable to take holiday due to sickness or maternity, different rules apply.
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Use our Holiday Entitlement Calculator for a personalised estimate based on your working pattern.
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Related calculators
- Holiday Entitlement Calculator — Full-time UK workers are entitled to at least 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid holiday per year including bank holidays. Part-time and irregular
- Take-Home Pay Calculator — Enter your salary to see a breakdown of income tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, and student loan repayments — and what you ac
- Day Rate Calculator — Enter your annual salary, hourly rate, or target income to calculate your equivalent day rate — or convert a day rate back to an annual figu
- Overtime Calculator — Enter your base rate, overtime hours, and multiplier to see your gross overtime pay — and optionally estimate the tax and NI on your extra e
- 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.
- Inside IR35 Calculator — Enter your day rate to see your estimated inside IR35 take-home pay after employer’s NI, income tax, employee NI, and umbrella fees.
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 Overtime Pay Works in the UK — Understand your overtime pay rights, how it is taxed, and how different multipliers affect your earnings.
- How Payroll Deductions Work in the UK — Understand what comes out of your pay: income tax, National Insurance, pension, and student loan deductions explained.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Last updated
Last reviewed: 2026-04-12T11:32:25.479Z.