Statutory Annual Leave Details
📊 Annual Leave Entitlement Breakdown
Almost all workers in the UK—including full-time, part-time, agency workers, and zero-hours contract staff—are entitled to statutory paid holiday (annual leave).
Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, statutory annual leave protects worker health and well-being.
⚙️ Statutory Annual Leave Entitlement Rules for 2026/27
1. Full-Time Workers
- Statutory Minimum: 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year.
- Maximum Statutory Cap: Capped at 28 days per year for workers on a 5-day week (5 days × 5.6 weeks = 28 days).
- Working 6 Days a Week: If you work 6 days a week, your statutory entitlement is still capped at 28 days.
2. Part-Time Workers (Pro-Rata Rules)
Part-time workers are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks of paid holiday pro-rata based on the number of days worked per week:
- 3 Days a Week: 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days paid holiday per year.
- 2 Days a Week: 2 × 5.6 = 11.2 days paid holiday per year.
3. Irregular Hours & Zero-Hours Contract Workers
For workers with irregular hours or zero-hours contracts (following April 2024 regulations), holiday accrues at 12.07% of actual hours worked during a pay period.
📊 Practical Holiday Entitlement Worked Examples
Below are two worked calculation examples illustrating full-time and part-time statutory entitlement:
- Days worked per week: **5 Days**
- Statutory multiplier: **5.6 Weeks**
- Calculation: 5 × 5.6 = **28.0 Days**
Result: Entitled to 28 days paid annual leave per year (employers can include 8 bank holidays in this total).
- Days worked per week: **3.5 Days**
- Statutory multiplier: **5.6 Weeks**
- Calculation: 3.5 × 5.6 = **19.6 Days**
Result: Entitled to 19.6 days paid annual leave per year.
📑 Common Pitfalls & Employer Warnings
- Assuming Bank Holidays Are Extra: Employers are NOT legally required to give bank holidays off on top of statutory leave. Employers can choose to include the 8 official UK bank holidays as part of your 28 days statutory annual leave.
- Rollover / Carry-Over Rules: Statutory holiday generally must be taken during the leave year (“use it or lose it”). However, if you are unable to take leave due to maternity leave or long-term sick leave, you have the legal right to carry over accrued holiday.
- Replacing Leave with Cash (Rolled-up Holiday Pay): Employers cannot pay you cash in lieu of statutory holiday during your employment, except upon termination of employment.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes. You continue to accrue statutory paid annual leave at your normal rate during all periods of statutory absence, including sick leave, statutory maternity leave, paternity leave, and adoption leave.
For irregular hours workers, employers can pay 'rolled-up holiday pay' by adding an extra **12.07%** to the worker's hourly pay rate for hours worked in that pay period.
Yes. Employers can direct when employees take holiday (e.g. mandatory Christmas office shutdowns). The employer must give notice that is twice as long as the amount of holiday they want you to take.
When leaving employment, your employer must pay you for any accrued but untaken statutory holiday up to your final working day (payment in lieu of holiday).