UK holiday entitlement calculator
Work out how much paid annual leave you are owed under UK rules — in days or hours, full-time or part-time, and pro rata if you started or are leaving part-way through the leave year. Every answer shows the workings.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the number of days you normally work each week. Use 0.5 for a half day.
- Add your weekly hours if your employer tracks leave in hours rather than whole days.
- Leave the contract figure at 5.6 weeks for the legal minimum, or change it if your contract is more generous.
- Tick the part-year box if you joined or are leaving during the leave year, then enter the dates.
What the numbers mean
Almost all UK workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. For someone working five days a week that is 28 days, which is also the statutory maximum — working six or seven days a week does not increase the legal minimum. Bank holidays can be counted inside the 5.6 weeks; your contract decides whether they are on top.
If your hours are irregular or you only work part of the year, different rules apply. Use the irregular hours calculator instead. To work out what a week of leave should be paid at, use the holiday pay calculator.
Worked examples
Three days a week, whole year
3 days x 5.6 weeks = 16.8 days of paid leave. No cap applies because the result is under 28.
Three days a week, joined on 6 April
Starters build up leave monthly, not by counting days. A full year would be 3 x 5.6 = 16.8 days. In a leave year running 1 January to 31 December, April to December is 9 months, so 16.8 x 9 / 12 = 12.6 days, rounded up to the next half day = 13 days. This matches the official GOV.UK calculator for the same inputs. Leavers are different — they are worked out by days employed.
Six days a week
6 x 5.6 = 33.6 days, but the statutory minimum is capped at 28 days. Anything above that comes from your contract, not the law.
What this calculator does not cover
- Contractual schemes that add days for length of service or grade.
- Sector-specific schemes such as NHS Agenda for Change bands or teaching contracts.
- Leave carried over from a previous year, or leave during sickness or maternity.
- How your employer rounds part days — most round up, but check your contract.
- What your holiday is paid at. That is a separate calculation — see the holiday pay calculator.
The 5.6-week minimum and the 28-day cap are the same across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The separate 12.07% accrual method for irregular hours and part-year workers applies in Great Britain only; Northern Ireland has not adopted it.
This is general information based on published GOV.UK and Acas guidance, not legal advice.