Pay & tax
Holiday Pay Explained: How It's Calculated
How UK statutory holiday entitlement and holiday pay work — 5.6 weeks, part-time pro-rata, bank holidays, and what you get when you leave.
Updated July 2026 · 8 min read
General information only — not financial, legal or tax advice. Rates and rules change; check GOV.UK or official resources before making decisions.
Key takeaways
- Almost all UK workers get at least 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year — 28 days if you work five days a week.
- Part-time staff get the same 5.6 weeks, pro-rated: 4 days a week = 22.4 days; 3 days = 16.8 days.
- Bank holidays do not have to be extra — your employer can include them inside the 5.6 weeks unless your contract says otherwise.
- Holiday pay should reflect your normal pay for the leave you take; our calculator estimates its value from your hourly rate and weekly hours.
- When you leave, you are usually paid for statutory holiday accrued but not taken — check your final payslip.
How is holiday pay calculated in the UK?
Statutory holiday entitlement is 5.6 weeks of paid leave each leave year. Multiply the days you normally work each week by 5.6. For a five-day week that is 28 days — the legal cap for full-time workers. Six-day weeks still top out at 28 days.
Holiday pay is the money you receive for those days off. For regular hours it is usually your normal pay for that period. Use our Holiday Pay Calculator to turn days worked, hourly rate and weekly hours into entitlement days and an estimated pay value.
What is the statutory holiday entitlement?
Under the Working Time Regulations, almost all workers — employees and many casual or agency workers — are entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid annual leave from day one. That is the legal minimum; your contract can offer more.
The 28-day figure is for a standard five-day week. It is not a universal flat number for every job. Always start from days (or hours) worked per week × 5.6, then check whether your employer includes bank holidays inside that total.
| Days per week | Calculation | Statutory days |
|---|---|---|
| 5 days | 5 × 5.6 | 28 days (cap) |
| 4 days | 4 × 5.6 | 22.4 days |
| 3 days | 3 × 5.6 | 16.8 days |
| 2 days | 2 × 5.6 | 11.2 days |
| 1 day | 1 × 5.6 | 5.6 days |
Do bank holidays count as holiday?
There is no automatic right to paid bank holidays on top of the 5.6 weeks. Employers can include bank holidays within statutory leave. In England and Wales there are usually eight bank holidays a year — if they sit inside your 28 days, you may only have about 20 flexible days left.
Check the wording in your contract. "28 days including bank holidays" is different from "28 days plus bank holidays". The second package is more generous and above the legal minimum.
How does holiday entitlement work if I am part-time?
Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks, scaled to their pattern. Someone on three days a week gets 16.8 days a year, not half of 28 in a vague sense — the formula is days worked × 5.6.
If you move from full-time to part-time mid-year, entitlement is usually recalculated for the rest of the leave year. Your employer should still meet the statutory minimum for each period.
Worked example: full-time holiday pay value
You work five days a week, 37.5 hours, at £15 an hour. Statutory entitlement is 28 days. Weekly pay is 37.5 × £15 = £562.50. Over 5.6 weeks that holiday pay is worth about £3,150 before tax — the figure our calculator shows for that pattern.
At £20 an hour and 40 hours a week, weekly pay is £800 and 5.6 weeks of holiday pay is about £4,480. These are estimates of the paid leave value, not extra cash on top of your salary if you are already paid for those weeks.
| Hourly rate | Weekly hours | Weekly pay | Holiday pay value |
|---|---|---|---|
| £15 | 37.5 | £562.50 | £3,150 |
| £20 | 40 | £800 | £4,480 |
Worked example: part-time holiday pay
Work four days a week at £15 an hour for 30 hours. Entitlement is 22.4 days. Weekly pay is £450; 5.6 weeks of that pay is about £2,520. On three days at £14 an hour for 22.5 hours, entitlement is 16.8 days and holiday pay value is about £1,764.
Compare that with a two-day week at £16 an hour for 16 hours: 11.2 days' entitlement and about £1,434 of holiday pay value. Pro-rata days and pay move together.
What counts as holiday pay — overtime and commission?
Holiday pay should reflect normal remuneration for many workers, not only basic salary. Regular overtime, commission and some allowances may need to be included, depending on how often they are paid and case law / GOV.UK guidance for your situation.
Irregular-hours and part-year workers often have special accrual rules (for example accruing leave as a percentage of hours worked). If your hours swing week to week, ask payroll how they average your holiday pay and check GOV.UK for the current method.
- Basic salary or hourly rate for the leave period.
- Regular overtime or commission that forms normal pay.
- Contractual enhancements above the 5.6-week minimum.
- Accrued but unused statutory leave when you leave.
What happens to holiday when I leave a job?
You usually get paid for statutory holiday you have accrued but not taken. Employers may also ask you to take remaining leave during your notice period. Contractual leave above the statutory minimum follows the contract.
Your final payslip should show any holiday pay. If the figure looks wrong, compare accrued days with days taken and raise it with payroll quickly — ideally before you leave.
Check your holiday entitlement and pay
Use the Holiday Pay Calculator to estimate statutory days and the cash value of 5.6 weeks' pay from your rate and hours. For part-time salary figures, try the Pro-rata Salary Calculator. For take-home pay on the salary you earn, use the PAYE Salary Calculator.
Estimates only — your contract and leave year rules decide the exact figure. Confirm details on GOV.UK holiday entitlement guidance or with ACAS if something looks wrong.
Frequently asked questions
- How many days holiday am I entitled to in the UK?
- The legal minimum is 5.6 weeks a year. On a five-day week that is 28 days. Part-time workers get days worked per week × 5.6. Your employer can offer more in the contract.
- How is holiday pay calculated?
- Entitlement is days (or hours) worked per week × 5.6, capped at 28 days for full-time patterns. Holiday pay is normally your usual pay for those days — our calculator estimates it as weekly pay × 5.6 from your hourly rate and hours.
- Are bank holidays included in my 28 days?
- They can be. There is no automatic right to paid bank holidays on top of statutory leave. Many contracts include bank holidays within the 5.6 weeks — check whether yours says "including" or "plus" bank holidays.
- Do part-time workers get 28 days holiday?
- Not usually. They get 5.6 weeks pro-rated to their working pattern — for example 22.4 days on a four-day week and 16.8 days on a three-day week — unless the contract is more generous.
- What happens to unused holiday when I resign?
- You are normally paid for statutory holiday accrued but not taken. Your employer may require you to take some leave in your notice period. Any extra contractual leave depends on your contract.
- Is holiday pay taxed?
- Yes. Holiday pay is treated as earnings. Income tax and National Insurance are deducted through PAYE like your normal wage, so the net amount in your bank is lower than the gross holiday pay value.
Try the calculator
Put this into numbers with our free UK calculators.
Need free help? See our useful UK resources including MoneyHelper and StepChange.