How much paid holiday do you get?

Work out your legal minimum in days or hours, including if you start or leave a job during the year.

Do you work the same hours each week? Yes, regular hours No, my hours vary or I work seasonally

Days you work a week Hours a week (optional)

Add your hours to get the answer in hours as well as days.

Did you work here for the whole leave year? Your leave year starts on

Your leave year is the 12 months your holiday is counted over. It’s often 1 January or 1 April. Your contract will say.

Start date (if starting) Leaving date (if leaving)

Hours you worked in the pay period

A pay period is the time covered by one payslip, such as a week or a month.

For irregular-hours and part-year workers in England, Scotland and Wales, with leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.

This is the legal minimum. Your employer may give you more.

By Indy Gill. Rules from the Working Time Regulations 1998 and GOV.UK, checked 12 October 2026.

Questions about holiday entitlement

How much holiday am I entitled to?

Almost all workers get at least 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year. Someone working five days a week gets 28 days; three days a week gets 16.8 days (GOV.UK).

Is there a maximum?

Yes. The legal minimum is capped at 28 days, so someone working six days a week still gets 28 (Working Time Regulations, regulation 13A). Employers can give more.

Do bank holidays count?

They can. Your employer can include bank holidays in your 5.6 weeks, or give them on top (GOV.UK). If you work part time, your employer can’t make you use leave for a bank holiday on a day you don’t work (Acas).

How is holiday worked out if I start part-way through the year?

You get the share of the year that’s left. In your first year, part days are rounded up to the nearest half day (Acas). Someone starting in December on a five-day week gets 28 ÷ 12 = 2.33 days, rounded up to 2.5.

What happens to my holiday when I leave a job?

You’re entitled to the holiday you’ve built up so far that year. Your employer must pay you for any you haven’t taken, even if you’re dismissed (GOV.UK). If you’ve taken more than you’d built up, your employer can only take money back if you agreed to that in writing beforehand.

I work in Northern Ireland. Does the 12.07% rule apply?

The 12.07% rule for irregular hours is in the Great Britain regulations. Northern Ireland has its own working time rules, so check nidirect or your employer.