- Statutory minimum: 5.6 weeks a year, capped at 28 days1.
- Bank holidays can count towards the 28 days; there is no separate legal right to them as extra paid leave1.
- Regular part-time hours: 5.6 weeks pro rata, e.g. 16.8 days for 3 days a week1.
- Irregular hours and part-year workers: 12.07% of hours worked each pay period, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 20241.
- Leavers must be paid for untaken statutory leave, even after dismissal for gross misconduct1.
Bank holidays in 2026 and 2027
These are the official dates2. Where Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls at a weekend, the substitute weekday is the bank holiday.
| Bank holiday | 2026 | 2027 | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan | All UK |
| 2nd January (Scotland) | Fri 2 Jan | Mon 4 Jan (substitute) | Scotland |
| St Patrick's Day (NI) | Tue 17 Mar | Wed 17 Mar | Northern Ireland |
| Good Friday | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar | All UK |
| Easter Monday (not Scotland) | Mon 6 Apr | Mon 29 Mar | England, Wales, NI |
| Early May bank holiday | Mon 4 May | Mon 3 May | All UK |
| Spring bank holiday | Mon 25 May | Mon 31 May | All UK |
| World Cup bank holiday (Scotland) | Mon 15 Jun | None | Scotland |
| Battle of the Boyne (NI) | Mon 13 Jul (substitute) | Mon 12 Jul | Northern Ireland |
| Summer bank holiday (Scotland) | Mon 3 Aug | Mon 2 Aug | Scotland |
| Summer bank holiday (not Scotland) | Mon 31 Aug | Mon 30 Aug | England, Wales, NI |
| St Andrew's Day (Scotland) | Mon 30 Nov | Tue 30 Nov | Scotland |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 Dec | Mon 27 Dec (substitute) | All UK |
| Boxing Day | Mon 28 Dec (substitute) | Tue 28 Dec (substitute) | All UK |
Totals: England and Wales 8 in 2026 and 8 in 2027; Scotland 10 and 9; Northern Ireland 10 and 10. Source: GOV.UK bank holidays, read 19 October 2026.
If your leave year runs from January, a full-time worker in England whose contract includes bank holidays in the 28 days has 20 days to choose in 2026. A Scottish employer that gives every bank holiday off in 2026 and counts them in the 28 leaves 18 days to choose; check your contracts before the extra June date.
Entitlement by days worked a week
| Days worked a week | Statutory days a year |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5.6 |
| 2 | 11.2 |
| 3 | 16.8 |
| 4 | 22.4 |
| 5 | 28 |
| 6 | 28 (capped) |
5.6 × days a week, capped at 28 days. Employers can give more than the minimum in the contract1.
A part-timer who never works Mondays still gets their full pro rata entitlement, because the 5.6 weeks already includes any bank holidays you count. Treat bank holidays the same way for full and part-time staff so that neither gets more or less than their share.
Worked example: irregular hours at 12.07%
A casual worker does 120 hours in a monthly pay period. They build up 120 × 12.07% = 14.48 hours of holiday that month1.
For irregular-hours and part-year workers whose leave year began on or after 1 April 2024, you can instead pay rolled-up holiday pay: an extra 12.07% on top of pay for the hours worked. You cannot roll up holiday pay for workers on regular hours1.
Holiday pay for irregular hours is based on average pay over the previous 52 weeks in which the worker was paid, looking back up to 104 weeks if needed1.
Carry-over, new starters and leavers
- New starters build up one-twelfth of their annual leave each month in the first year1.
- Carry-over: a worker on 28 days can carry up to 8 days into the next leave year if the contract allows. If sickness stopped them taking leave, up to 20 days; up to 28 for irregular-hours and part-year workers1.
- Leave not taken because of maternity or other family leave can be carried over, and so can the whole entitlement if the employer did not give a reasonable chance to take it or did not warn that it would be lost1.
- Leavers can usually take remaining leave during notice, and must be paid for untaken statutory leave. You can only deduct for leave taken in excess if they agreed in writing beforehand1.
- Holiday entitlement and holiday pay must be set out in the day-one written statement of employment particulars.