Holiday Entitlement Calculator

Almost all workers in the UK are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year under the Working Time Regulations 1998. For a full-time employee working 5 days a week, this works out to 28 days. The entitlement is capped at 28 days, even for employees who work 6 or 7 days a week.

Which worker type should I use?

• Days per week — for employees who work a fixed number of days (e.g. 5 or 3 days a week). Entitlement = days × 5.6, capped at 28.
• Hours per week — for employees who work a fixed number of hours that don't map to whole days (e.g. 20 hours/week). Entitlement = hours × 5.6, shown in hours.
• Shift worker — for employees on rotating or annualised shift patterns. Entitlement = annual hours ÷ 52 × 5.6, shown in hours.
• Casual / irregular — for zero-hours, temp, or irregular-hours workers. Entitlement is calculated as a percentage (12.07%) of hours worked in a representative pay reference period.

Pro-rata for leavers and joiners

When an employee starts or leaves part-way through your holiday year, they're entitled to a proportion of the annual total. The calculator works this out by date — simply enter the start and end dates and it multiplies the full-year entitlement by the fraction of the year employed.

Example: an employee on 28 days/year who leaves after 9 months is entitled to (9 ÷ 12) × 28 = 21 days. Make sure to deduct any holiday already taken when calculating pay on termination.

Bank holidays

Bank holidays can be counted towards the 5.6 weeks. There's no separate legal right to paid bank holidays — it depends on the employment contract. Many small businesses include the 8 bank holidays within the 28-day total; some give them in addition. Use the toggle above to match your contract.

Accrual during the first year

New employees build up holiday as they work. After one month, they've accrued one-twelfth of their annual entitlement. Employers can use a "rolled-up" calculation or set an accrual rate in their HR software.

Common mistakes this calculator helps avoid

• Quoting entitlement in "weeks" by dividing days by 5 — wrong for part-timers.
• Calculating hours workers' holiday in days instead of hours.
• Forgetting to pro-rata for leavers and new starters.
• Double-counting bank holidays on top of the 28-day total.
• Not capping at 28 days for 6- or 7-day workers.

Getting holiday entitlement right is one of the most common compliance gaps we find in small businesses. Miscalculating leave, failing to record it properly, or not paying holiday on termination can all lead to employment tribunal claims.