How much you’re entitled to
The legal minimum is 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year. For a five-day week that’s 28 days (5 × 5.6). It’s capped at 28 days — so a six-day-a-week worker still gets 28, not more. Part-timers get the same 5.6 weeks, worked out pro rata:
| You work | Statutory holiday a year |
|---|
| 5 days a week | 28 days |
| 4 days a week | 22.4 days |
| 3 days a week | 16.8 days |
| 2 days a week | 11.2 days |
It starts on day one
You build holiday up from your first day in the job — there’s no qualifying period. It applies to part-time, agency, casual and zero-hours workers too. Use the free GOV.UK holiday entitlement calculator for an exact figure for your hours.
How holiday pay is calculated
The rule is simple: a week’s leave should be paid at a week’s normal pay. If your hours and pay are fixed, that’s just your usual wage. If your pay varies — overtime, commission, bonuses, changing hours — holiday pay is based on your average pay over the previous 52 weeks in which you worked and were paid.
- Weeks where you earned nothing are skipped, and you look further back (up to 104 weeks) to find 52 paid weeks.
- Regular overtime and commission should be included — leaving them out is one of the commonest ways holiday pay is underpaid.
Check your payslip
If your holiday weeks are paid at basic rate only while you normally earn commission or regular overtime, you may be
owed money. Raise it with your employer; underpaid holiday can be claimed as an unlawful deduction from wages. See
underpaid wages.
Zero-hours, irregular & part-year workers
If your hours are irregular or you only work part of the year, the rules changed. For leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024:
- Holiday builds up at 12.07% of the hours you actually work in each pay period (rounded up to the nearest hour if it’s half an hour or more).
- Your employer can choose “rolled-up” holiday pay — an extra amount on top of your hourly rate, paid on each payslip and shown separately.
- You’re still entitled to up to the full 5.6 weeks — it’s just calculated from hours worked.
Where does 12.07% come from?
5.6 weeks of holiday out of the 46.4 working weeks in a year works out at 12.07%. If you see rolled-up holiday pay on your payslip, it should be a clearly labelled line — not hidden inside your hourly rate.
Bank holidays, booking, carrying over & leaving
| Question | The rule |
|---|
| Bank holidays | No automatic right to take them off or to extra pay. Your contract decides — and an employer can count them inside your 5.6 weeks. Check whether yours says “plus bank holidays” or “including”. |
| Booking & refusing | You request dates; an employer can refuse specific dates with proper notice, but can’t deny the entitlement itself. They can also require you to take leave at set times with notice. |
| Carrying over | Limited. The basic 4 weeks usually can’t be carried; the extra 1.6 weeks can be carried up to a year by agreement. You can carry more if you couldn’t take it due to sickness, maternity or other family leave. |
| When you leave | You must be paid for holiday you’ve built up but not taken — the one time it can be “paid in lieu”. |
Do this now
Work out your entitlement with the free GOV.UK holiday calculator, then compare it to what your contract and payslips actually give you. If you’re short — especially on holiday pay when you earn commission or overtime — raise it in writing with your employer.
If it isn’t put right, get free advice from ACAS on 0300 123 1100 or check your rights at work. You normally have 3 months less a day to start an employment tribunal claim.
New for April 2026
From 6 April 2026, employers must keep records of annual leave and holiday pay (including holiday carried over) and keep them for at least 6 years — making it easier to check you’ve been paid correctly.