Employee Holiday Entitlement Calculator
Want to stop second-guessing annual leave? Use our free holiday entitlement calculator to get quick, accurate results for your workforce — whether they’re full-time or part-time. It’s compliant with UK law, simple to use, and saves you time from the get-go.
What is the minimum holiday entitlement in the UK?
In the UK, the statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks per year, which works out to 28 days for a full-time employee working five days a week. Even if an employee works six days, the statutory minimum is still only 28 days.
You can choose whether this includes bank holidays or is offered in addition. Many businesses offer more than the minimum to stay competitive or support employee wellbeing. The key is to make sure leave is calculated fairly and in line with UK employment law.
How to work out holiday entitlement
- Full-time workers
Full-time workers in the UK are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks (28 days) paid holiday per year if they are working a consistent five-day week.
5 days x 5.6 weeks = 28 days per year (statutory minimum).
- Part-time workers
Part-time employees are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks, but it’s calculated based on their working pattern. For example, if someone works 3 days a week:
3 days x 5.6 weeks = 16.8 days annual leave (rounded up if needed).
- Irregular-hours or zero-hours workers
If your staff work different hours each week or are on a zero-hours contract, entitlement is based on the number of hours worked. The most common approach is:
12.07% of hours worked = holiday hours accrued.
For example, if someone works 30 hours in a week: 30 x 12.07% = 3.62 hours of holiday earned that week.
- When do employees start accruing holiday?
Annual leave starts accruing from day one of employment. In the first year, you can use an accrual system, where staff accrue one-twelfth of their leave each month to take.
So, if an employee is entitled to 28 days of holiday per year, after 3 months, they’d have accrued: 28 ÷ 12 x 3 = 7 days.
This is particularly useful when calculating entitlements for new starters or leavers.
What is pro-rata holiday entitlement?
Pro-rata simply means “in proportion.” It’s used to calculate holiday entitlement for employees who:
- Work part-time
- Start or leave partway through the year
- Work on fixed-term contracts
- Work irregular hours
For example, if someone joins your company halfway through the year, their holiday allowance is halved. If their full-year entitlement is 28 days, their pro-rata entitlement would be 14 days.
Our calculator handles all this for you, based on your employee’s start or end date.
Bank holiday entitlement
Whether bank holidays are included in your employees’ annual leave depends on your company policy. They can either be:
- Included in the 28 days (statutory minimum)
- Offered on top as extra leave
Make sure your contract or handbook clearly explains your approach to avoid confusion or disputes. If a part-time employee doesn’t work on Mondays, then a Bank Holiday Monday would be unpaid and wouldn’t come off their holiday entitlement, as it’s a non-working day for them.
FAQs
- How much leave do employees accrue each month?
In the first year of employment, employees accrue annual leave to take at an annual rate of one-twelfth of their yearly entitlement per month. For example, if someone receives 28 days annually, they earn approximately 2.33 days per month.
After the first year, employees are typically entitled to take their full annual leave allowance without monthly accrual, unless otherwise agreed.
- Can holidays be carried over?
Depending on your policy, employees can carry over up to 8 days of their 28-day statutory entitlement. Extra contractual holiday (beyond the statutory 28 days) may also be carried over if this is allowed by their employment contract.
- Do employees on maternity or sick leave still accrue holiday?
Yes — holiday accrues during all statutory leave, including:
- Maternity, paternity, and adoption leave
- Sick leave
- Shared parental leave
Even if the employee isn’t working, they still build up their entitlement.
