Annual Leave Calculator UK (2026)

UK Annual Leave Entitlement Explained

The Legal Minimum

All workers in the UK are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year. This applies to full-time employees, part-time employees (pro-rata), agency workers (after 12 weeks), and zero-hours contract workers.

For someone working 5 days per week, 5.6 weeks equals 28 days.

Bank Holidays

Here's where confusion often starts: employers can count bank holidays as part of the 5.6 weeks statutory entitlement. They don't have to give bank holidays on top.

Scenario	Annual Leave	Bank Hols	Total
Statutory minimum (bank hols included)	20 days	8 days	28 days
Statutory + bank hols extra	28 days	8 days	36 days
Enhanced (common)	25 days	8 days	33 days

Part-Time Calculations

Part-time workers receive the same 5.6 weeks entitlement, calculated based on their working pattern.

Formula: Days worked per week × 5.6 = Annual leave entitlement

Pro-Rata Leave for New Starters

When someone joins mid-year, their annual leave entitlement is calculated pro-rata based on when they started.

Formula: (Full entitlement ÷ 12) × Months remaining = Pro-rata entitlement

Tracking Annual Leave for Your Team

Once you have more than a few employees, calculating and tracking annual leave becomes time-consuming. OrOut handles all of this automatically. Set up your leave policy once, and the system calculates entitlements, tracks balances, and manages carry-over.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the minimum annual leave in the UK?

5.6 weeks, which equals 28 days for someone working 5 days per week. Bank holidays can be included in this.

Can my employer refuse annual leave?

Yes, but they must give adequate notice (at least as many days as the leave requested). They can also set blackout periods.

What happens to my annual leave if I resign?

You're entitled to be paid for any accrued but untaken leave. If you've taken more than accrued, your employer may deduct this from final pay.