Everyday Life⏱ 4 min read
How to Calculate Annual Leave Entitlement in the UK
UK statutory holiday entitlement is 5.6 weeks, but how you calculate this in days -- and for part-time, shift workers, and irregular hours -- trips up both employers and employees.
The 5.6 weeks statutory entitlement sounds simple until you work out what a "week" means for someone who works irregular hours or part-time. Here is the exact calculation for every situation.
Full-Time Standard Entitlement
Statutory minimum: 5.6 weeks per year
For a 5-day/week worker: 5.6 x 5 = 28 days per year
(This includes Bank Holidays if your employer designates them as leave)
If your employer gives Bank Holidays IN ADDITION:
Statutory: 28 days
Plus 8 Bank Holidays: 36 days total
Note: the statutory 28 days CAN include Bank Holidays.
Many employers give 20 days + Bank Holidays = 28 total (statutory minimum).
Some give 25 days + Bank Holidays = 33 days (above minimum).
Part-Time Workers (Pro-Rata)
Part-time entitlement = (Days worked per week / 5) x 28 days
3 days/week: (3/5) x 28 = 16.8 days
4 days/week: (4/5) x 28 = 22.4 days
2 days/week: (2/5) x 28 = 11.2 days
Half days are a legitimate entitlement (0.5 day leave).
Cannot be rounded down to whole days -- must be honoured.
For 4 days/week, 22.4 days entitlement:
Can take as 22 days + 1 half day, or
Employer can pay out the 0.4 days as extra pay instead
Irregular / Zero Hours Workers (Hours-Based)
For workers with no fixed hours, calculate by hours worked:
Entitlement = Hours worked x 12.07% (statutory rate)
Why 12.07%?
5.6 weeks leave out of 52 weeks per year:
5.6 / (52 - 5.6) = 5.6 / 46.4 = 12.07%
Zero-hours worker, worked 850 hours in a year:
Holiday entitlement = 850 x 12.07% = 102.6 hours
Converting to days (if they typically work 8-hour days):
102.6 / 8 = 12.8 days
Note: the 12.07% method was restricted by the Supreme Court (Harper Trust v Brazel, 2022)
for workers with established working patterns. Get legal advice for irregular arrangements.
Accrued Leave on Leaving a Job
When you leave mid-year, you are owed accrued but untaken leave:
Accrued = (Days worked / 365) x Annual entitlement - Days already taken
Example: leave job after 8 months (243 days), 28 days entitlement:
Accrued: (243/365) x 28 = 18.6 days
Already taken: 12 days
Remaining owed: 18.6 - 12 = 6.6 days pay
Employer must pay this out at your daily rate:
Daily rate = Annual salary / 260 (working days in a year)
£28,000/260 = £107.69/day
6.6 days x £107.69 = £711.15 owed