Annual Leave Calculator UK 2026
Instantly calculate your statutory holiday entitlement, leave accrual, and leave hours cost. Works for Full-time, Part-time, Shift Workers and Zero Hours contracts.
Your Work Pattern
Tap the days you work to personalise your entitlement.
Working Days
5 days selected per week
UK statutory minimum: 28 days
Bank holidays included in allowance?
8 UK bank holidays (England & Wales)
Started mid-year?
We'll pro-rata your entitlement
Full Year Entitlement
20
paid holiday days
Accrued
0
days earned
Remaining
20
days left
Per Month
1.7
days accrued
Bank Hols
Separate
8 UK days
- Statutory minimum (5.6 weeks × 5 days)28 days
- Bank holidays deducted8 days
- Your final net entitlement20 days
Understanding Annual Leave Entitlements
Annual leave is a fundamental employment right in the United Kingdom, governed by the Working Time Regulations 1998. The legislation guarantees almost every worker — whether employed full-time, part-time, on a temporary contract or through an agency — a minimum period of paid rest away from work each year. This statutory baseline exists to protect workers' physical and mental wellbeing, and no employer can lawfully contract out of it.
Understanding exactly how your entitlement is calculated is critical: not just for employees checking their own payslips, but for HR officers, payroll teams, and business owners who carry a legal obligation to apply the rules correctly. Errors — whether accidental or intentional — can result in Employment Tribunal claims and HMRC enforcement action.
Who is Entitled to Annual Leave?
Employees
Anyone with a contract of employment — whether permanent, fixed-term, or probationary — accrues annual leave entitlement from the very first day of employment.
Workers
Casual workers, zero-hours workers, and agency workers are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks statutory minimum, accruing at 12.07% of hours worked.
Part-time Staff
Part-time employees cannot be treated less favourably than full-time colleagues. They receive a pro-rata equivalent of the 28-day maximum.
Apprentices
Apprentices are employees and therefore enjoy the same full statutory annual leave entitlement as any other member of staff.
Who is NOT entitled? Genuinely self-employed individuals are not covered by the Working Time Regulations. However, following several landmark Supreme Court rulings (including Uber BV v Aslam), many previously labelled "self-employed" workers have successfully claimed worker status and full holiday pay rights.
National Employment Standards
The UK's Working Time Regulations provide a statutory floor, not a ceiling. Employers are free — and often contractually obliged — to offer leave above the statutory minimum. Key national standards for 2026/27 are:
| Category | Statutory Entitlement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (5 days/wk) | 28 days / 5.6 weeks | Capped at 28 days regardless of hours |
| Part-time (3 days/wk) | 16.8 days | 3 × 5.6 weeks |
| Zero-hours / Irregular | 12.07% of hours worked | Accrues with each hour worked |
| Bank Holidays | No automatic right | Can count towards the 28 days |
How to Calculate Annual Leave
Full-Time Employees
The formula is straightforward: Days worked per week × 5.6. For a standard 5-day week, this gives 28 days. If your employer offers 30 days in the contract, that simply exceeds the statutory floor — the contractual terms always apply if they're more generous.
Part-Time Employees
Part-time workers are protected under the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000. Their entitlement mirrors full-time entitlement on a pro-rata basis. A worker on a 3-day week accrues 16.8 days; a 2.5-day week accrues 14 days. The key figure to remember is multiplying days per week by 5.6.
Shift Workers and Irregular Hours
Where working patterns vary significantly — such as rotating shifts, bank work, or zero-hours contracts — calculating entitlement in days is impractical. Instead, the entitlement is calculated in hours:
Holiday Hours = Total Hours Worked × 12.07%
Example: Worked 820 hours → 820 × 0.1207 = 99 holiday hours
The 12.07% rate derives from 5.6 ÷ (52.6 − 5.6) × 100. Note: since April 2024, HMRC guidance shifted towards using a 52-week average pay calculation for irregular workers to determine holiday pay amounts, though 12.07% remains the standard accrual rate for entitlement.
Using an Annual Leave Calculator
Benefits of an Online Calculator
- ✓Eliminates manual arithmetic errors that can lead to underpaying employees
- ✓Instantly handles edge cases like mid-year starters, part-time ratios, and bank holiday inclusions
- ✓Provides a shareable, auditable output for HR records and payroll queries
- ✓Saves significant time during onboarding, annual pay reviews, and redundancy calculations
How the Calculator Works
Our calculator works by reading your selected working days and contract entitlement, then running three parallel calculations simultaneously: your total statutory entitlement, the amount accrued so far this calendar year (based on today's date), and the days remaining. Toggle the "Started mid-year?" switch and the engine instantly re-runs the pro-rata fraction.
Example Calculation
Scenario: Maria works 4 days a week and started her job on 1 July 2026. Her company allowance is 28 days.
Step 1 – Full-year entitlement: 4 × 5.6 = 22.4 days
Step 2 – Pro-rata fraction: July 1 to Dec 31 = ~184 days ÷ 365 = 50.4%
Step 3 – Pro-rata entitlement: 22.4 × 50.4% = 11.3 days
Additional Considerations in Annual Leave Calculations
Leave Loading
Leave loading is an additional payment made on top of ordinary pay while an employee is on annual leave. It is far more common in Australia than in the UK, but some UK employment contracts — particularly in creative, media, or public sector roles — include enhanced holiday pay provisions. If your contract states that you receive "time and a half" during leave, your employer must honour that over and above the Working Time Regulations minimum.
Unused Annual Leave
Statutory annual leave cannot be "rolled over" indefinitely. Under normal circumstances, the statutory 4 weeks' leave (Regulation 13) must be taken in the current leave year and cannot be replaced by payment. The additional 1.6 weeks (Regulation 13A) may be carried over if the contract permits it. Exceptions apply for long-term sick leave, family leave (maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave), and cases where HMRC deems the employer has not allowed adequate opportunity to take leave.
Impact of Other Leave Types
Annual leave continues to accrue during maternity leave, paternity leave, shared parental leave, adoption leave, and sick leave. Employers must allow workers on long-term sick leave to carry over untaken leave into the next leave year. Where workers have been incorrectly denied leave pay during backdated sick periods, HMRC guidance now permits claims going back up to two years.
Legal Compliance and Best Practices for Leave Calculation
Relevant Awards and Agreements
While the UK does not operate an "Award" system (unlike Australia), sectoral Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) can impose enhanced leave requirements above the statutory minimum. Common examples include NHS Agenda for Change (which gives up to 33 days + 8 bank holidays), teaching contracts, and certain Construction Industry JCT agreements. Always cross-reference any individual contract against the applicable CBA or sectoral agreement.
Communication and Record-Keeping
Employers must clearly communicate leave entitlements to employees in writing, typically through the employment contract or written statement of particulars (required within 2 months of starting, under the Employment Rights Act 1996). Payroll records showing leave taken, leave accrued, and leave pay paid must be retained for at least 6 years — both for HMRC compliance and as defence evidence in any Employment Tribunal claims.
Staying Updated on Legislation
UK employment law evolves frequently. The Employment Rights Act 2026 (currently passing through Parliament) proposes several changes including day-one unfair dismissal rights and extensions to flexible working entitlements that may interact with leave calculations. We update our calculators at every HMRC and legislative change. For the PAYE tax implications of holiday pay, see our PAYE Calculator. For part-time equivalent salaries, see our Pro Rata Salary Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much annual leave am I entitled to in the UK?
Almost all UK workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid statutory annual leave per year. For a full-time employee working 5 days a week, this equals 28 days. Part-time workers receive a pro-rata equivalent.
How do I calculate annual leave for part-time employees?
Simply multiply the number of days worked per week by 5.6. For example, an employee working 3 days a week is entitled to 16.8 days of paid annual leave. The statutory cap is 28 days regardless of how many days per week are worked.
How is annual leave calculated for zero hours and shift workers?
Holiday entitlement accrues at 12.07% of hours worked. This is because 5.6 weeks out of 52.6 weeks equals approximately 12.07%. Many employers pay this rolled-up into each payslip, though HMRC prefers it to be paid when leave is actually taken.
Do bank holidays count as part of my annual leave?
Not automatically. Your employer decides whether the 8 UK bank holidays (England and Wales) are included within your statutory 28-day entitlement or granted on top of it. Check your employment contract carefully.
What happens to unused annual leave at the end of the year?
Statutory Regulation 13 leave (4 weeks) cannot generally be carried over — use it or lose it. The additional Regulation 13A leave (1.6 weeks) can be carried over if your contract allows. Exceptions apply for workers on sick or family leave.
How do I calculate leave for someone who started mid-year?
Calculate the fraction of the leave year remaining from the start date to the year-end, then multiply that fraction by the full-year entitlement. Our calculator does this automatically when you toggle 'Started mid-year?' and enter the start date.