Every worker in the UK is legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year, which translates to 28 days for a full-time employee working five days per week. Employers can choose to include the eight UK bank holidays within this 28-day entitlement, meaning the minimum additional holiday beyond bank holidays is 20 days — though many employers offer more as a benefit. For part-time workers, the entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis: someone working three days per week receives 16.8 days of statutory annual leave. Holiday entitlement begins accruing from the first day of employment at a rate of one-twelfth of the annual allowance per month, and since April 2020, workers can carry forward up to four weeks of unused leave in specific circumstances. This calculator works out exact entitlements for any working pattern.
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How to Use This Calculator
Enter your working pattern — select how many days per week you work, or input your contracted weekly hours for irregular schedules.
Input your holiday year dates and your start date if you joined partway through the year, so the calculator can pro-rata your entitlement.
Specify whether your employer includes bank holidays within your statutory entitlement or grants them separately.
Review your total entitlement in days and hours, with a monthly accrual breakdown showing how much leave you have earned at any point in the year.
Most UK employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks (28 days) of statutory annual leave per year, including bank holidays. Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks, pro-rated to their working pattern. Zero-hours workers accrue 12.07% of hours worked as paid leave.
UK Statutory Annual Leave Entitlement in 2025
All workers in the UK are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. For a standard 5-day week, this equals 28 days including bank holidays.
The statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks applies to almost all workers, including full-time, part-time, zero-hours, agency, and casual workers. The only exception is genuinely self-employed contractors.
There is no legal requirement for employers to give bank holidays as paid leave — they can count them within the 28 days. However, many employers offer 20 or 25 days plus 8 bank holidays, which is more generous than the statutory minimum. Use the calculator above to see exactly what applies to your working pattern.
Part-Time Annual Leave: How Is It Pro-Rated?
Part-time workers receive the same 5.6 weeks of leave, pro-rated to their days per week. An employee working 3 days per week is entitled to 16.8 days of paid leave per year.
The calculation is straightforward: multiply 5.6 weeks by the number of days worked per week.
- 5 days/week: 28 days (5.6 × 5)
- 4 days/week: 22.4 days (5.6 × 4)
- 3 days/week: 16.8 days (5.6 × 3)
- 2 days/week: 11.2 days (5.6 × 2)
When the result is not a whole number, employers can either round up (more generous) or allow half-day leave. The key principle is that part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than full-time workers — they receive the same proportion of leave relative to their working hours.
Bank holidays are handled the same way. If bank holidays are included in the 28 days, a 3-day worker still only gets 16.8 days total, but may need to use leave on bank holidays that fall on their working days.
Annual Leave for Zero-Hours Workers (12.07% Method)
Zero-hours and irregular-hours workers accrue 12.07% of hours worked as paid leave. For every 100 hours worked, they earn 12.07 hours of holiday. This rate comes from dividing 5.6 weeks of leave by 46.4 working weeks in a year.
The 12.07% accrual method was confirmed as the correct approach for irregular-hours workers following the Supreme Court ruling in Harpur Trust v Brazel (2022). This ruling clarified that holiday pay for part-year and irregular workers cannot be pro-rated below the statutory minimum.
In practice, this means:
- 100 hours worked = 12.07 hours of paid leave
- 500 hours worked = 60.35 hours of paid leave
- 1,000 hours worked = 120.7 hours of paid leave
From April 2024, the Working Time Regulations were amended to allow employers to use a rolled-up holiday pay method for irregular-hours and part-year workers. This means holiday pay can be included in each payslip as a 12.07% uplift, clearly marked as a separate line item.
Starting Mid-Year: How to Calculate Accrued Leave
Employees who start part-way through the leave year accrue leave pro-rata based on the number of complete months worked. Always round up to the nearest whole or half day — rounding down can breach statutory entitlement.
The standard formula for pro-rating annual leave is:
Accrued leave = (full entitlement ÷ 12) × months worked
For a full-time employee with 28 days who starts in July (9 months remaining in a January–December leave year), the accrued entitlement is 21 days (28 ÷ 12 × 9 = 21).
The key legal point: always round up. Following the Harpur Trust v Brazel Supreme Court ruling, rounding down could mean an employee receives less than their statutory entitlement. Most HR software handles this automatically.
Does Statutory Leave Include Bank Holidays?
There is no legal requirement to give bank holidays as days off. Employers can include 8 bank holidays within the 28-day statutory minimum, giving employees 20 discretionary days plus 8 bank holidays. Alternatively, they can offer 28 days plus bank holidays on top.
The treatment of bank holidays is entirely at the employer’s discretion. The three common approaches are:
- 28 days including bank holidays: The statutory minimum. Employees get 20 discretionary days plus 8 bank holidays. This is the most common approach for hourly and shift workers.
- 20 days plus bank holidays: Effectively 28 days total, but structured differently. The most common format in salaried employment contracts.
- 25+ days plus bank holidays: More generous than statutory. Typical for professional and managerial roles, giving 33+ days total.
Workers who are required to work on bank holidays (retail, hospitality, healthcare) must still receive their full 28-day statutory entitlement. They take their leave on other days instead.
Part-time employees get the same 5.6 weeks of statutory leave as full-time staff - it is just pro-rated. A 3-day-per-week employee gets 16.8 days (5.6 × 3), not a fraction of the 28-day full-time entitlement.
Annual Leave Entitlement: Common Working Patterns
The table shows statutory annual leave entitlement (5.6 weeks) for different working patterns, including bank holidays.
| Working Pattern | Days/Week | Annual Leave (Days) | Including Bank Hols | Pro-Rata Hours (37.5hr FT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 5 | 28.0 | Yes (8 included) | 210.0 |
| 4 days/week | 4 | 22.4 | Pro-rata (6.4) | 168.0 |
| 3 days/week | 3 | 16.8 | Pro-rata (4.8) | 126.0 |
| 2.5 days/week | 2.5 | 14.0 | Pro-rata (4.0) | 105.0 |
| 2 days/week | 2 | 11.2 | Pro-rata (3.2) | 84.0 |
| 1 day/week | 1 | 5.6 | Pro-rata (1.6) | 42.0 |
Source: gov.uk statutory leave entitlement. Based on 5.6 weeks × days per week.
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