Most workers in the UK are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is capped at 28 days. If you work fewer than five days a week, multiply 5.6 by the days you work: three days a week gives 16.8 days. Bank holidays can count towards that total.
The 5.6 week rule
Statutory holiday is 5.6 weeks of paid leave. For someone working five days a week, that is 28 days. People working more than five days a week are capped at 28 days, so a six-day week still gives 28 days, not 33.6.
Your contract may give more, and employers can include bank holidays in the statutory amount. That is why two people with the same 28 days can have different numbers of days to book. Always check your contract and holiday policy.
Part-time workers: pro rata
Part-time staff get the same 5.6 weeks, expressed in their own working days. Multiply 5.6 by the days worked per week:
| Days per week | Statutory holiday per year |
|---|---|
| 3 | 16.8 days |
| 4 | 22.4 days |
| 5 | 28 days |
| 6 | 28 days (capped) |
An employer may round up to a whole or half day, so you can end up with slightly more. Use your actual working pattern: if you average 2.5 days a week, use 2.5.
Bank holidays
England and Wales have eight bank holidays a year, and Scotland and Northern Ireland have different ones (see UK bank holidays and how to count working days). Employers can count bank holidays as part of your 5.6 weeks. For a five-day worker on 28 days with 8 bank holidays counted in, that leaves 20 days to book. If your contract gives bank holidays as extra, you keep all 28.
Part-timers who do not work on the day a bank holiday falls should not lose out: they are still due their pro rata share, and check how your employer treats this.
Starting or leaving part-way through the year
In a part year, entitlement is generally a share of the full year based on months worked. A simple rule is the full-year days multiplied by months worked divided by 12. Someone working three days a week for six months gets 8.4 days, which is half of 16.8. The tool applies that share to bank holidays too. Your employer may use a slightly different method, so check GOV.UK. If you leave with untaken leave, you are normally paid for it.
Irregular hours and part-year workers
If your hours change from week to week, or you work only part of the year, holiday accrues at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period. This applies to leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. So 1,200 hours worked builds up 144.84 hours of leave, and 100 hours builds up 12.07 hours. At £12 an hour, 100 hours gives holiday pay of £144.84.
This works out at about 7.2 minutes of leave for every hour worked. It replaces guessing at an average pattern.
What holiday pay is worth
A day of holiday is paid at your normal daily pay. A person on £600 a week for five days has a day worth £120, so 28 days is worth £3,360, which is 5.6 times the weekly pay. If the weekly pay is £300 for three days, 16.8 days is £1,680. The calculator reproduces this from the days and weekly pay you enter.
If your pay varies, for example with overtime or commission, your holiday pay may need to reflect it. Check GOV.UK or Acas for the rules on how it is calculated, and see Hourly rate to salary, and how to work out overtime for converting between rates.
Note: This is general information, not advice. Rules can differ for specific jobs and contracts, so check GOV.UK or Acas.
Booking and carrying over leave
Statutory holiday is meant to be taken, and your employer can set when. Many contracts limit how much can be carried into the next leave year, so check yours. Keep a running count of days booked, days taken and days left, and note whether bank holidays are inside your total. If you work shifts, a bank holiday on a day you were not rostered still uses up part of the entitlement in some contracts. When in doubt, ask HR in writing, and use Acas or GOV.UK as a reference for what the minimum is.
Try the calculator
Enter your days per week, bank holiday approach and months worked in the Holiday entitlement calculator calculator, or choose the irregular-hours option to apply the 12.07% rule. To count working days across a year, try Working days and bank holidays.
Open the free Holiday entitlement calculator
Worked example 2: a four-day week
Priya works four days a week and earns £480 a week. Using our calculator:
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Weeks of holiday | 5.6 |
| Statutory entitlement | 22.4 days |
| Bank holidays counted in (8) | 14.4 days left to book |
| Bank holidays as extra | 22.4 days to book, plus the bank holidays |
| Value of the leave | £2,688.00 |
The value is 5.6 weeks at £480. Her employer might round 22.4 up to 22.5 or 23 days. A contract that gives, say, 25 days plus bank holidays would beat the statutory minimum, so always compare your contract with the figures above.
Worked example 3: starting part-way through the year
Sam works five days a week at £600 a week and joins with seven months of the leave year left to work. The simple share is 28 days × 7 ÷ 12, which is 16.33 days. With 8 bank holidays counted in, 11.67 days are left to book, and the value of the leave is £1,960. Some employers accrue by the month or by the pay period, so ask how yours does it.
Irregular hours: a second example
For someone on irregular hours, holiday builds up as 12.07% of hours worked. If you work 600 hours across a period at £13 an hour, you earn 72.42 hours of leave (600 × 0.1207), which is worth £941.46 at that rate. A short week with few hours earns a small amount of leave, and a heavy week earns more, so the leave follows the work. If you are on a zero-hours contract, keep a record of hours worked, because it is the base for your leave. For converting hours and rates, see Hourly rate to salary, and how to work out overtime.
Common mistakes about holiday entitlement
- Forgetting the cap. Six or seven days a week still gives a maximum of 28 days, not more.
- Double counting bank holidays. If your employer includes them, they are inside the 28 days, not on top.
- Using weeks instead of days. The 5.6 weeks must be turned into days using your pattern, so a part-timer should multiply by days worked.
- Assuming leave resets the same way everywhere. Leave years can run from the start date, 1 January, 1 April or another date. Check your contract.
- Not checking pay. If you work regular overtime or commission, ask how holiday pay is calculated, and see GOV.UK or Acas for the rules.
Leave, pay and your payslip
Holiday is paid, so your pay for the period should carry on as normal. On a payslip it may appear as a line for holiday pay, or just be part of your normal pay. For monthly salaried staff the amount is usually unchanged. If you leave a job with leave untaken, you are normally paid for it, and if you have taken more than you had earned, check your contract for whether it can be recovered. To understand how the rest of your payslip comes together, read How to work out your take-home pay from a UK salary.
When to check with an official source
Statutory minimums are set out on GOV.UK, and Acas gives free guidance on disputes, pay and notice. Raise it with HR or your manager first, in writing, and keep a note of days booked and taken. Workers in specific sectors, such as agency work, seasonal work or offshore, may have special rules, so check before assuming the general figures apply.
Quick reference table
Statutory holiday for common patterns, based on 5.6 weeks (rounding and bank holiday treatment depend on your employer):
| Days per week | Weeks | Statutory days |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.6 | 5.6 |
| 2 | 5.6 | 11.2 |
| 2.5 | 5.6 | 14 |
| 3 | 5.6 | 16.8 |
| 4 | 5.6 | 22.4 |
| 5 or more | 5.6 | 28 (capped) |
Frequently asked questions
Is 28 days the maximum statutory holiday?
Yes. Statutory holiday is 5.6 weeks, capped at 28 days, but your contract can give more.
Can my employer make me use bank holidays as holiday?
Employers can include bank holidays in your statutory entitlement. Whether they are extra depends on your contract, so check it.
How is holiday worked out for a new starter?
The simple method is the full-year entitlement multiplied by months worked divided by 12. Employers may round or use another approach, so check GOV.UK.
What is the 12.07% figure?
For irregular-hours and part-year workers, holiday builds up at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.
How many days holiday do I get on a three-day week?
The statutory minimum is 16.8 days, which is 5.6 times three. If your employer counts bank holidays that fall on your working days, those come out of that total.
Do I get paid for holiday I have not taken when I leave?
Normally yes, for the statutory holiday you have built up but not taken. Check your contract and the final payslip.
Can my employer refuse a holiday request?
Employers can usually set when leave is taken and may refuse a request or require notice. Check your contract and Acas guidance on how this works.
Do part-year workers get a different entitlement?
They get a share of the full year, or leave that builds up at 12.07% of hours worked if their hours are irregular or part-year. See the sections above.