How much NHS annual leave do you get?
Enter your weekly hours and length of service to see your annual leave and bank holiday hours.
Full-time leave in England
This table is for someone working full time. If you work fewer hours, your leave is a share of this, as shown in your result above.
| Length of service | Annual leave | Plus public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 5 years | 27 days | 8 days |
| 5 to 10 years | 29 days | 8 days |
| More than 10 years | 33 days | 8 days |
Full time. A full-time day is 7.5 hours in England in 2026/27. From the handbook’s Table 6.
Questions about NHS annual leave
Why is NHS annual leave worked out in hours?
Many NHS shifts aren’t 7.5 hours long. The handbook says that where they aren’t, leave “should be calculated on an hourly basis” (section 13.5), so a 12-hour shift uses 12 hours of leave.
When do I get more annual leave?
After 5 years’ NHS service you get 29 days, and after 10 years, 33. Previous continuous NHS service with other employers counts towards this (section 13).
Is NHS Scotland different?
The days are the same, 27, 29 or 33 plus 8 public holidays, but the leave year runs from 1 April and the full-time week is 36 hours from 1 April 2026, so each day is 7.2 hours. Four public holidays are agreed nationally and four are set locally (PCS(AFC)2025/6).
Do part-time staff get public holidays?
Yes. You get a share based on your hours. If you work 60% of full time, you get 60% of the bank holiday hours. They’re added to your annual leave, so you’re treated the same whether or not you’d have worked on the day itself (sections 13.6 and 13.7).