Statutory minimum · updated for 2026
Holiday Entitlement Calculator
Work out the paid leave the law gives you: regular weeks, irregular hours, or a job you started part-way through the leave year.
Leave sheet · statutory minimum
That is 5.6 weeks × 5 days per week. Bank holidays can be counted as part of it.
The 5.6 weeks rule
Under the Working Time Regulations, almost every worker gets 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave. Multiply your days per week by 5.6 and you have your entitlement in days, up to a legal cap of 28 days. Someone on 6-day weeks still gets 28 days, not 33.6.
Bank holidays are not an extra right. An employer can include them within the 5.6 weeks, so a “28 days including bank holidays” contract meets the legal minimum.
Irregular hours: the 12.07% method
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, irregular hours and part-year workers (zero-hours staff, many term-time roles) accrue holiday at 12.07% of the hours they work in each pay period.
5.6 weeks ÷ 46.4 working weeks = 12.07%
Work 100 hours, accrue 12.07 hours of paid leave. Employers must round up to the nearest whole hour.
Employers may also pay rolled-up holiday pay to these workers: a 12.07% uplift on each payslip instead of paying when the leave is taken. It has to appear as a separate line on the payslip. Full rules are on the gov.uk holiday entitlement guidance.
Holiday questions, answered
How much holiday am I legally entitled to?
Almost all workers in the UK are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave. For someone on a 5-day week that is 28 days. The entitlement is capped at 28 days, so working 6 days a week does not earn you more.
Are bank holidays included in the 28 days?
They can be. There is no separate statutory right to bank holidays, so an employer can count the 8 bank holidays in England and Wales as part of your 5.6 weeks. Whether they are on top or included depends on your contract.
Where does the 12.07% figure come from?
A year has 52 weeks. Take away the 5.6 weeks of leave and 46.4 working weeks remain. 5.6 divided by 46.4 is 0.1207, so leave accrues at 12.07% of the hours you actually work. This method applies to irregular hours and part-year workers for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.
What is rolled-up holiday pay?
Instead of paying you when you take leave, the employer adds 12.07% on top of every payslip. It is lawful for irregular hours and part-year workers in leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, and it must show as a separate line on the payslip. You still have the right to take the time off, just unpaid at that point.
I work part-time. Do I get less holiday?
You get the same 5.6 weeks, but a week means your week. On 3 days a week that is 16.8 days. Your full-time colleagues get more days, but the same number of weeks off.
What if I start a job part-way through the leave year?
Your first-year entitlement is usually worked out as months remaining ÷ 12 × the full annual entitlement. Joining halfway through a leave year on a 28-day contract gives you 14 days. Employers often round up to the nearest half day.
Checking your pay as well as your leave? Use the pro rata pay calculator.