Holiday entitlement calculator: the answer, with the working shown.
Calculate statutory holiday for full-time, part-time, starters and leavers — then record the real leave year, pattern and contractual extras.
Work it out with the working shown
28 daysstatutory minimum paid holiday for the full leave year
The working
- 5.6 weeks × 5 days a week = 28 days
Bank holidays can be included within this minimum, and a contract can give more — this is the legal floor, not the ceiling.
What this calculator does not do
It covers regular weekly patterns only, using the 5.6-week statutory minimum capped at 28 days. It does not handle:
- Irregular-hours or part-year workers — their leave accrues at 12.07% of hours worked per pay period, a different method entirely.
- Carry-over rules, contractual extras above the minimum, or holiday pay rates.
- Bank-holiday treatment — they can count towards the minimum, but the contract decides.
For any of those, or a disputed case, use the official GOV.UK holiday entitlement calculator — it is the authority, not us.
Rules basis: 5.6 weeks statutory paid leave, capped at 28 days (leave years in force from April 2024). Reviewed 20 July 2026 · next review due by 1 April 2027 · Source: GOV.UK holiday entitlement
The authorityCross-check any answer with the official GOV.UK calculator — it is the definitive source for irregular hours, part-year workers and every edge case. ↗How is UK holiday entitlement calculated?
Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory paid leave each year. For a regular five-day worker that is usually 28 days; for other regular patterns, multiply weekly working days by 5.6, subject to the 28-day statutory cap.
Starters and leavers are pro-rated by the fraction of the leave year employed; the calculator above shows both that method and the first-year monthly accrual method. Irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue differently, so use the official GOV.UK calculator for those patterns.
What matters
Start with the rule
Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory paid leave each year. For a regular five-day worker that is usually 28 days; for other regular patterns, multiply weekly working days by 5.6, subject to the 28-day statutory cap.
Write down the decision
Keep the policy, dates, calculation inputs and decision together so another person can understand what happened.
Check the current source
The calculator above covers regular weekly patterns and shows its working. Use the official GOV.UK calculator for irregular-hours and part-year workers, and for any disputed case.
A practical checklist
For a small team, a short repeatable process beats an impressive policy nobody follows.
- Choose the correct leave year
- Identify regular, irregular-hours or part-year status
- Use the actual weekly pattern
- Separate statutory and extra contractual leave
- Pro-rate starters and leavers correctly
- Record rounding and bank-holiday treatment
Where software helps — and where it does not
HollyHR can keep the relevant people record, dates, documents, leave and working pattern in one place. It cannot decide a legal, medical or employee-relations question for you.
The calculator above covers regular weekly patterns and shows its working. Use the official GOV.UK calculator for irregular-hours and part-year workers, and for any disputed case.
Check the source, not just our summary
Rules and product pages change. These are the first-party references behind this page.
Questions people ask
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a practical summary for UK small teams. Check the linked official guidance and take qualified advice for a specific or disputed case.
Why keep the source with the calculation?
Rates and rules change. Recording the inputs, date and source makes the answer reviewable instead of becoming an unexplained number in a spreadsheet.
Can HollyHR track this?
HollyHR can hold the underlying employee, working-pattern, leave and document records. It does not present itself as a legal-advice engine.
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