United Kingdom

UK Holiday Entitlement Explained

Published 12/08/2026 Updated 12/08/2026

Understand the UK statutory holiday entitlement baseline, part-time calculations, and how bank holidays may be included.

Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid statutory holiday each leave year. For someone working five days a week, that is normally 28 days; the statutory total is capped at 28 days for people working more than five days a week.

Part-time and irregular work

Part-time entitlement is generally proportionate to days worked. Irregular-hours and part-year calculations use specific accrual rules, so use the current GOV.UK holiday entitlement guidance and calculator rather than relying on a generic formula for an individual case.

Are bank holidays included?

An employer can include bank or public holidays within the statutory entitlement. They do not have to provide bank holidays as additional paid days. Your contract or policy should say whether the workplace closes and whether those days come from your allowance.

What to verify

Check your leave-year dates, working pattern, contractual allowance, treatment of bank holidays, carry-over rules, and any changes during the year. Northern Ireland readers should also consult NI Direct employment guidance.

This page gives general information, not advice for an individual dispute. For workplace guidance, use GOV.UK, NI Direct, or Acas. To plan dates after confirming your allowance, check the next UK bank holiday and map possible breaks in Offdays.

Turn the date into a plan

Map your time off in Offdays

Build a clearer leave plan around united kingdom holiday dates, track your allowance, and open the app with your planning context already attached.