UK Holiday Entitlement 2026
Every UK worker is entitled to a minimum of 28 days' paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. Here is how entitlement is calculated, how it accrues for part-time and irregular-hours workers, and what happens when you leave your job.
Rates verified June 2026 · Source: Working Time Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/1833), as amended
Calculate your holiday entitlement
Open holiday entitlement calculator →Statutory minimum: 28 days
The Working Time Regulations 1998 (implementing the EU Working Time Directive) give all workers — not just employees — the right to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year. For a standard 5-day week, this equals 28 days. Employers may include bank holidays within this minimum, but they are not required to give them as additional days.
Employers can and often do offer more than the statutory minimum. The statutory floor cannot be contracted out — any clause purporting to give less than 5.6 weeks is void.
Holiday pay calculation
Holiday pay must reflect your "normal remuneration." Following a series of Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal decisions, holiday pay must now include:
- Regular overtime (including voluntary overtime if worked with sufficient regularity)
- Regular commission payments
- Regular shift allowances and supplements
The reference period for calculating holiday pay for workers with variable pay is the average of the 52 weeks in which they actually worked and received pay immediately before the leave is taken (ignoring weeks with no pay).
Carry-over and payout rules
Statutory leave must generally be taken in the leave year it accrues and cannot be paid out in lieu (except on termination). However, carry-over is permitted where:
- The worker was unable to take leave due to sick leave — carry-over of up to 4 weeks for 18 months
- The employer failed to allow or encourage the worker to take leave — carry-over for up to 2 years
- The worker was on maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave
Frequently asked questions
How much holiday am I entitled to in the UK?
Full-time UK workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days' paid annual leave per year under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR). This includes 8 public holidays, which your employer may count towards the 28-day entitlement. Your contract may give more — many employers offer 25–30 days plus bank holidays.
How is holiday entitlement calculated for part-time workers?
Part-time workers get the same pro-rata entitlement. The calculation is: (days worked per week ÷ 5) × 28. So a worker on 3 days per week gets 3/5 × 28 = 16.8 days.
Do I accrue holiday while on sick leave or maternity leave?
Yes. Holiday continues to accrue during sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, and shared parental leave. You can carry over holiday that you were unable to take due to sick leave for up to 18 months after the end of the leave year in which it accrued. Holiday also accrues during the 90-day carry-over rule following maternity and other family leave.
Can my employer pay me instead of letting me take holiday?
No — you cannot receive pay in lieu of statutory holiday except on termination of employment. Any clause in a contract purporting to pay you extra in place of leave is void under the Working Time Regulations 1998.
What is rolled-up holiday pay?
For irregular-hours and part-year workers (following the Supreme Court's Harpur Trust v Brazel decision and the subsequent WTR amendments in 2024), holiday pay is calculated at 12.07% of pay earned in the relevant pay period. This 'rolled-up' method is now explicitly permitted for eligible workers.