How much holiday am I entitled to?
Almost every worker in the UK is entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. For someone working five days a week that's 5 × 5.6 = 28 days. The legal maximum is 28 days, so someone working six days a week still gets 28, not 33.6. This is the statutory minimum; many employers offer more.
The 28 days can include bank holidays. There are 8 bank holidays a year in England and Wales, 9 in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland, so an employer offering "20 days plus bank holidays" in England is giving exactly the legal minimum.
How the holiday entitlement calculator works
- Fixed days: days worked a week × 5.6, capped at 28 days.
- Fixed hours: hours worked a week × 5.6. If you work more than five days a week, the cap applies: 28 days × your average hours a day.
- Irregular hours: 12.07% of the hours you work in each pay period.
- Starting or leaving part way through the year: your yearly entitlement × the share of the leave year you're employed for.
Holiday (part year) = yearly entitlement × days employed ÷ days in leave year
Part-time holiday entitlement
Part-time workers with regular hours get 5.6 weeks too, just with shorter weeks. Use this table for common working patterns:
| Days a week | Statutory holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5.6 days |
| 2 | 11.2 days |
| 2.5 | 14 days |
| 3 | 16.8 days |
| 4 | 22.4 days |
| 5 or more | 28 days (the cap) |
If your days are different lengths, work in hours. Someone working 20 hours over four days gets 20 × 5.6 = 112 hours of holiday a year, and takes off the hours they would have worked on each day of leave.
Worked example: starting part way through the year
You work five days a week, your leave year runs from 1 January to 31 December 2026, and you start on 1 July 2026. You're employed for 184 of the year's 365 days, so your statutory holiday for the rest of the year is 28 × 184 ÷ 365 = 14.1 days. Employers can round this up (14.5 days is common) but not down.
In your first year, GOV.UK says your leave builds up at one-twelfth of the yearly entitlement each month. On 28 days that's 2.33 days a month, rounded up to the nearest half day. Your employer can also agree to let you take leave before you've built it up.
When you leave, you must be paid for any statutory holiday you've built up and not taken. If you've taken more than you've built up, your contract may let your employer take back the overpayment from your final pay.
Irregular hours and part-year workers: the 12.07% rule
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, irregular-hours workers (such as zero-hours and casual staff) and part-year workers (such as term-time staff) build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours they actually work in each pay period. The figure comes from 5.6 weeks divided by the 46.4 weeks a year left after taking that holiday: 5.6 ÷ 46.4 = 12.07%.
GOV.UK's example: if you work 30 hours in a weekly pay period, you earn 30 × 12.07% = 3.621 hours of leave, which it rounds up to 4 hours. You can take that leave from the next pay period. Employers can also choose to pay "rolled-up holiday pay" for these workers, adding 12.07% to each payslip instead of paying you when you take the time off.
Tips
- Your contract should say when your leave year starts. If it doesn't, it starts on your first day at work (or 1 October for jobs that started before 1 October 1998).
- Holiday keeps building up while you're on sick leave or maternity leave.
- Your employer can tell you when to take holiday, such as over Christmas, as long as they give you notice of at least twice the length of the leave.
- Working out what part-time hours pay? Try the pro rata salary calculator, and if you're off ill see the sick pay calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many days holiday do I get if I work 3 days a week?
You're entitled to 16.8 days of paid holiday a year (3 × 5.6). Your employer can round this up to 17 days but not down.
Is the 28 days holiday including bank holidays?
It can be. The statutory 28 days can include the 8 bank holidays in England and Wales, so many employers offer 20 days plus bank holidays. Some employers give bank holidays on top.
How much holiday do I get if I work 4 days a week?
4 × 5.6 = 22.4 days a year. If your days are different lengths, it's fairer to work in hours: 5.6 times your weekly hours.
What is the 12.07% holiday rule?
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, irregular-hours and part-year workers build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours they work each pay period. 40 hours worked earns 4.83 hours of holiday.
Do I get paid for unused holiday when I leave?
Yes. You must be paid for any statutory holiday you've built up but not taken by your leaving date. Your contract may let your employer deduct pay for holiday you've taken but not yet built up.
Can I work six days a week and get more holiday?
Not under the law. Statutory holiday is capped at 28 days, so a six-day worker gets 28 days, the same as a five-day worker, unless the contract gives more.
Last reviewed October 2026 using 2026/27 figures. This calculator gives an estimate for guidance only.