How to Calculate Holiday Entitlement

Step 01

The statutory minimum is a reference point.

Most UK workers are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per leave year, which is equivalent to 28 days for someone working five days a week. The 5.6-week figure is the minimum; contracts can provide more.

Bank holidays are not a separate statutory entitlement. Whether they are included within the 5.6 weeks, added on top or treated as unpaid depends on the employment contract and employer policy.

Step 02

Calculate full-year and part-year days.

The calculator uses these formulas directly. For a full year, five days a week at 5.6 weeks gives 28 days; three days a week gives 16.8 days. If the worker joined part-way through the year, the calculator applies the proportion of the leave year completed.

• Full-year days = working days per week × leave weeks.
• Part-year days = full-year days × months worked in the leave year ÷ 12.
• Part-time workers receive a pro-rated amount based on their regular working pattern.
• Check whether the employer rounds part-day entitlements and how that rounding is applied.

Step 03

Worked example: a five-day week and a part-year start.

A full-year worker on five days a week with the statutory 5.6 weeks receives 28 days. If they started six months into the leave year, the pro-rated figure is 14 days under the simple monthly method.

An employer may use daily, weekly or monthly accrual methods, and some contracts round to whole or half days. The simple method is a useful check but the policy should confirm the exact figure.

Step 04

Check the contract and policy before relying on the figure.

The calculation answers the arithmetic question. The contract and payroll policy answer the entitlement question.

• Whether bank holidays are included in the leave allowance.
• Whether entitlement accrues from the start date or only after qualifying time.
• How part-day leave is recorded and rounded.
• Sector or collective-agreement rules that increase the minimum.
• How carry-over, notice periods and irregular-hours workers are treated.

Step 05

Confirm the final figure with the employer or payroll.

Use the worksheet to record the working pattern, leave weeks, months worked and contract notes. If the policy disagrees with the simple calculation, ask payroll or HR for the specific accrual method and rounding rule rather than assuming the calculator is wrong.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.