Holiday Entitlement UK Explained (2025)
All workers in the UK are legally entitled to paid holiday. Here's what employers must provide and how to calculate holiday entitlement correctly.
Statutory Minimum
The UK statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks (28 days for full-time workers). This applies to all workers, including agency workers, part-time staff, and those on zero-hours contracts.
Full-Time Holiday Entitlement
For a full-time employee working 5 days per week:
28 Days
or 5.6 weeks per year
What About Bank Holidays?
There are 8 bank holidays in England and Wales per year. Employers can:
- →Include them in the 28 days (meaning 20 days + 8 bank holidays = 28 days total)
- →Give them in addition to 28 days (meaning 28 days + 8 bank holidays = 36 days total)
- →Require staff to work bank holidays (though this must be clearly stated in the contract)
Important: Be clear in your employment contract whether bank holidays are included in or additional to the 28-day entitlement. This avoids confusion and disputes.
Part-Time Holiday Calculation
Part-time workers are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks, calculated pro-rata based on their working pattern.
Calculation Formula:
(Days worked per week ÷ 5) × 28 = Holiday entitlement in days
Examples:
3 days per week
(3 ÷ 5) × 28 = 16.8 days
Round up to 17 days holiday per year
2 days per week
(2 ÷ 5) × 28 = 11.2 days
Round up to 12 days holiday per year
Irregular Hours and Zero-Hours Contracts
For workers with irregular hours, holiday is calculated as a percentage of hours worked:
12.07%
of hours worked equals holiday entitlement
This means for every hour worked, the employee accrues 0.1207 hours of paid holiday.
First Year of Employment
During the first year, holiday accrues monthly at a rate of 1/12th of the annual entitlement. For example:
- •Full-time (28 days): Accrues 2.33 days per month
- •After 3 months: 7 days holiday available
- •After 6 months: 14 days holiday available
Key Rules to Remember
- 1. Cannot buy out holiday: Employers cannot pay workers instead of giving them holiday (except on termination)
- 2. Must be paid: Holiday must be paid at the worker's normal rate of pay
- 3. Use it or lose it: Employers can require workers to take holiday at specific times and can impose rules about carrying over unused days
- 4. Notice requirements: Workers must give notice at least twice the length of the holiday they want to take (e.g., 4 days' notice for 2 days off)
Automatic Holiday Calculation
Our employment contract generator automatically calculates and includes correct holiday entitlement based on working hours.
Create Contract with Holiday Clause