Holiday Entitlement Calculator: The Working for Every Pattern

GOV.UK’s calculator gives you a number without showing the working. Here is the arithmetic itself, so you can check an employer’s figure, pro-rate a mid-year change, or audit a final payslip.

The core formula

Days per week × 5.6 = annual entitlement in days, capped at 28. Hours-based patterns: hours per week × 5.6 = annual entitlement in hours. Irregular patterns: hours worked in the pay period × 12.07% = holiday accrued that period.

Compressed hours is the pattern employers most often get wrong: count in hours, not days, or a 4-day compressed worker gains free holiday relative to colleagues.

Starters: pro rata from the start date

Joining 1 September into a January-December leave year: 4 of 12 months remain, so a five-day worker gets 28 × 4/12 = 9.33, rounded up to 9.5 or 10 days by most employers (rounding must never go down below the statutory figure). In the first year an employer may also operate the accrual system: one twelfth of the annual entitlement crystallises each month.

Leavers: the final payslip check

Entitlement to the leaving date = 5.6 weeks × (days employed this leave year ÷ days in the leave year), minus leave taken. Leaving 30 June, half the year served, five-day worker: 14 days accrued; if 9 were taken, 5 days of pay are due in the final payslip at the normal daily rate. If 16 were taken, the 2-day excess is only repayable where the contract expressly says so.

Holiday pay when pay varies

A week of holiday pay is the average weekly pay over the last 52 weeks in which pay was earned, ignoring unpaid weeks and looking back up to 104 weeks to find 52. Regular overtime, commission and shift premiums count for the 4-week core entitlement - the exclusion of regular overtime is the most common holiday pay underpayment and the basis of most backpay claims.

Related guides

This article provides general information only and is not legal or financial advice. Employment rights depend on your contract, employment status and circumstances. For advice on a specific situation, contact ACAS on 0300 123 1100 or a solicitor regulated by the SRA. Figures relate to the 2026/27 tax year and are verified against GOV.UK at the review date; always confirm current rates on GOV.UK before acting.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate holiday for part-time staff?

Days worked per week multiplied by 5.6. Three days a week is 16.8 days; round up if anything, never down below the statutory figure.

How does the 12.07% method work?

For irregular-hours and part-year workers, multiply hours worked in each pay period by 12.07% - that is the ratio of 5.6 weeks of leave to the 46.4 working weeks of the year.

How is holiday calculated for someone leaving mid-year?

Pro rata to the leaving date: 5.6 weeks times the fraction of the leave year served, minus leave already taken, with any balance paid in the final payslip.

Does overtime count in holiday pay?

Regular overtime, commission and shift allowances must be included for at least the 4-week core entitlement, averaged over the last 52 paid weeks.

What if my employer rounds my entitlement down?

Rounding can never take you below the statutory calculation. 22.4 days can be given as 22.4 or rounded up, but 22 is an underpayment.

Is rolled-up holiday pay legal?

Only for irregular-hours and part-year workers, as a separately itemised 12.07% uplift on each payslip, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. For regular patterns it remains unlawful.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Calculate holiday entitlement
• GOV.UK: Holiday entitlement
• ACAS: Calculating holiday pay