UK Holiday Entitlement Calculator
Work out your statutory and contractual paid leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998, as amended for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.
Mid-year joiner, leaver, or above-statutory entitlement
Your entitlement
28 days(210 hours)
Annual entitlement. Statutory minimum is 28 days.
5 days per week × 5.6 weeks (statutory minimum) = 28 days per year Your contract treats bank holidays as part of this total — book them as you would any other day off.
How holiday entitlement works in the UK
Every worker in the UK is entitled to at least 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. For a worker doing five days a week, that translates to 28 days a year — the statutory cap. The 5.6-week minimum applies regardless of whether the contract treats bank holidays as part of, or on top of, that allowance.
What changed in April 2024 is the way irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue leave. The new regulations apply a flat 12.07% rate of accrual on hours worked — replacing the older Harpur Trust v Brazel position that had given term-time-only staff the full 5.6 weeks regardless of weeks worked. The 12.07% is the simple ratio of statutory leave to working time in a year (5.6 ÷ 46.4 = 0.1207).
This calculator handles all four worker types — regular full-time, regular part-time, irregular hours (including zero-hours), and part-year (including term-time-only) — and gives you a worked example showing how the figure was reached.
What changed in April 2024
The Working Time Regulations were rewired
Three big changes apply to leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024:
- Irregular-hours and part-year workers now accrue leave at 12.07% of hours worked.
- Rolled-up holiday pay is lawful again — but only for those two worker types, and only with proper payslip itemisation.
- Variable-pay workers must have holiday pay calculated using a 52-week reference period of paid weeks (looking back up to 104 weeks to find them).
Specialised calculators
Holiday pay
Fixed salary, fixed hourly, variable pay, or rolled-up — the right calculation for each pay structure.
Pro rata holiday
Part-time workers and mid-year joiners. Bank holiday treatment for part-timers explained.
Accrual (12.07%)
Running balance for irregular-hours workers. Hours worked → hours accrued.
Rolled-up pay
When the 12.07% uplift is lawful, and how to itemise it on a payslip.
Final pay (leaver)
Holiday accrued vs taken at the leaving date — owed to or owed by the employer.
First-year pro rata (joiner)
How much leave a new starter is entitled to in their first part-year.
Who this is for
HR managers and payroll teams — work out exactly what each worker is entitled to under their contract and the post-2024 rules. The calculator handles the awkward cases (mid-year joiners and leavers, term-time-only staff, zero-hours contracts) without spreadsheets.
Employees and contractors— check that your employer is giving you what you're entitled to. The worked example is the bit to bring into a conversation with HR or your union rep.
Small employers — get a defensible answer fast, then read the linked ACAS guidance to confirm. This site is information only and not a substitute for legal advice; for the grey areas, talk to ACAS or an employment lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
How many days of paid holiday am I entitled to in the UK?+
Every UK worker is entitled to at least 5.6 weeks of paid leave per year. For a five-day-a-week worker that is 28 days, which is the statutory cap regardless of how many days you work. Whether bank holidays count toward this depends on your contract.
What changed in April 2024?+
The Working Time Regulations were amended for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. Irregular-hours and part-year workers (e.g. zero-hours staff and term-time-only employees) now accrue holiday at 12.07% of hours worked. The previous Harpur Trust v Brazel position — which gave term-time workers the full 5.6 weeks — was reversed.
Where does the 12.07% figure come from?+
It is the ratio 5.6 ÷ (52 − 5.6) = 0.1207. The 5.6 weeks of statutory leave are a fraction of the 46.4 weeks that a worker is actually available to work. Expressing that as a percentage of working time gives 12.07%.
Do part-time workers get bank holidays?+
A part-time worker is entitled to a pro-rata share of the 5.6 weeks. Whether that includes the eight UK bank holidays depends on the contract. If bank holidays are inclusive of the 5.6 weeks, the part-time entitlement is just 5.6 × days-per-week. If bank holidays are additional, some employers allocate them pro-rata across the week so no part-time worker is short-changed.
Are zero-hours workers entitled to holiday pay?+
Yes. Zero-hours workers are classed as irregular-hours workers and accrue paid holiday at 12.07% of hours worked. Their holiday pay can be paid as a rolled-up amount on each payslip, but only if the 12.07% uplift is clearly itemised.
Can my employer pay rolled-up holiday pay?+
Rolled-up holiday pay (paying the 12.07% uplift each pay period instead of when leave is taken) is legal only for irregular-hours and part-year workers, and only with proper payslip itemisation. For regular workers, holiday pay must still be paid when the holiday is taken.
What's the difference between holiday entitlement and holiday pay?+
Entitlement is the amount of paid time off you are owed — usually expressed in days or hours. Holiday pay is the amount of money you receive for that time. For a salaried worker holiday pay is just normal salary. For a worker on variable pay, holiday pay is calculated using the average weekly pay over the last 52 paid weeks.
Does maternity leave affect my holiday accrual?+
No. Holiday continues to accrue at the contractual rate during maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave. The leave does not pause your right to paid annual leave.
Counting working days rather than holiday days? Working Days Calculator UK is our sister site — it adds and subtracts UK working days around bank holidays.