How UK holiday entitlement works
Almost all UK workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year. For someone working a five-day week that is 28 days, which is also the statutory maximum — the 5.6 weeks is capped at 28 days (source: GOV.UK — Holiday entitlement).
The 5.6 weeks does not automatically include bank holidays. An employer can choose to count bank holidays as part of the 5.6 weeks, or give them on top — so long as the worker still receives at least the statutory minimum.
Part-time and pro-rata
Part-time entitlement is worked out in proportion to the days worked: days worked per week × 5.6. For example, someone working three days a week is entitled to at least 16.8 days' leave a year (3 × 5.6). The 28-day cap still applies (source: GOV.UK — Calculate leave entitlement).
Irregular-hours and part-year workers: the 12.07% method
For leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, holiday for irregular-hours and part-year workers accrues at 12.07% of the hours they actually work in each pay period. The 12.07% comes from 5.6 weeks of leave divided by the 46.4 working weeks of the year (52 − 5.6) (source: GOV.UK — Holiday pay and entitlement reforms; see also ACAS — Irregular hours and part-year workers).
An irregular-hours worker is one whose paid hours in each pay period are, under their contract, wholly or mostly variable. A part-year worker is one required to work only part of the year, with periods of at least a week that are unpaid and not worked. For these workers only, employers may also use rolled-up holiday pay — paying 12.07% of pay in each pay period on top of normal wages (source: ACAS — Rolled-up holiday pay).
Starters and leavers mid-year
If someone joins or leaves partway through the leave year, their entitlement is pro-rated for the proportion of the leave year they are employed. Work out their full-year entitlement, then multiply by the fraction of the leave year worked. Statutory holiday can be tracked and carried over according to your policy and the current rules.
Bank holidays: England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
The number of bank holidays differs across the UK, which most calculators ignore (source: GOV.UK — UK bank holidays):
- England & Wales: 8 — New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, early May, spring, summer, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
- Scotland: 9 — as England & Wales but with 2nd January and St Andrew's Day added, and Easter Monday not observed as a bank holiday.
- Northern Ireland: 10 — the England & Wales list plus St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July).
If a bank holiday falls on a weekend a substitute weekday is usually given, so the exact dates vary each year — always check the GOV.UK bank holidays page for the current year.
Sources
This calculator applies the statutory rules from primary sources. Confirm your own figures against them: GOV.UK holiday entitlement, the GOV.UK 2024 holiday pay reforms, ACAS holiday entitlement guidance and GOV.UK bank holidays. This tool gives a guide, not legal advice.