Holiday entitlement is the amount of paid annual leave a worker can take during a leave year. It can be stated in days, hours or weeks depending on the working pattern and contract.
Statutory holiday entitlement in the UK
Most workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year. For someone who works 5 days a week, this is 28 days of paid annual leave.
The statutory minimum is a floor, not a limit on generosity. An employer can offer more holiday than the legal minimum through the employment contract or workplace policy.
statutory holiday entitlement = days worked per week × 5.6
Full-time and part-time holiday entitlement
Part-time workers are still entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday, but this usually works out as fewer days because they work fewer days each week.
5 × 5.6 weeks.
4 × 5.6 weeks.
3 × 5.6 weeks.
Calculate annual leave
Estimate holiday entitlement for full-time, part-time or irregular working patterns.
Do bank holidays count as holiday entitlement?
Bank holidays can be included in the statutory 5.6 weeks unless the contract gives bank holidays on top. There is no automatic right to paid bank holidays in addition to statutory annual leave.
Bank holidays included
Your total allowance includes bank holidays, so taking a bank holiday may use one day of entitlement.
Bank holidays on top
Your contract gives annual leave plus paid bank holidays as an extra benefit.
Check the wording: look for phrases such as “including bank holidays” or “plus bank holidays” in your contract.
Pro-rata holiday entitlement
Pro-rata holiday entitlement applies when someone works part time, starts part way through a leave year, leaves part way through a leave year or changes working pattern.
pro-rata holiday = full-year entitlement × proportion of leave year worked
If a full-year entitlement is 28 days and someone works half the leave year, the pro-rata entitlement would be 14 days.
Irregular-hours and part-year workers
Workers with irregular hours or part-year patterns can have holiday calculated differently. For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, holiday entitlement for irregular-hours and part-year workers can build up at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, up to the statutory maximum.
This area can be more complex, so check the contract, payslip and employer calculation method carefully.
Important: irregular-hours holiday calculations can depend on the leave year start date and worker type. Use a calculator or payroll advice for exact figures.
Holiday entitlement vs holiday pay
Holiday entitlement is the amount of paid time off. Holiday pay is the money paid while the worker takes that leave, or sometimes the amount paid when unused holiday is owed at the end of employment.
Holiday entitlement
The number of days, hours or weeks of paid leave available.
Holiday pay
The pay received for holiday taken or holiday owed when employment ends.
Holiday entitlement when leaving a job
When employment ends, unused holiday may be paid in the final payslip. If too much holiday has been taken, the employer may try to deduct overused holiday if the contract allows it.
This is why final payslips should be checked carefully alongside notice pay, unpaid wages, redundancy pay and deductions.
Check final payslip issues
Read the guide covering holiday pay, notice pay, redundancy pay and final salary.
Why holiday entitlement matters
Holiday entitlement matters because it affects rest, pay, contract value and final payslip calculations. Two jobs with the same salary can have different real value if holiday allowances differ.
- Job offers: compare salary and holiday allowance together.
- Part-time work: check that holiday is fairly pro-rated.
- Bank holidays: confirm whether they are included or added on top.
- Leaving a job: unused holiday can affect final pay.
- Irregular hours: check how entitlement builds up over time.
Calculate holiday entitlement
The holiday entitlement calculator estimates annual leave in days or hours for full-time, part-time, starter, leaver and irregular-hours scenarios.
Estimate annual leave
Calculate statutory holiday entitlement from working pattern and leave-year details.
Holiday entitlement FAQs
What is holiday entitlement?
Holiday entitlement is the amount of paid annual leave a worker can take during a leave year.
How much statutory holiday do UK workers get?
Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year. For a 5-day week, that is 28 days.
Are bank holidays included in 28 days?
They can be. Bank holidays may be included in the statutory entitlement unless the contract gives them on top.
What happens to unused holiday when I leave?
Unused holiday may be paid in the final payslip. If too much holiday has been taken, deductions may depend on contract terms.