Holiday pay calculator
This holiday pay calculator UK employers and workers can both use starts from one figure: holiday pay entitlement is 5.6 weeks a year, whatever pattern you work. Everything else, the 28 days, the 12.07%, is that one figure expressed for a different work pattern.
Updated 13 September 2026
Your holiday pay entitlement #
| Days worked each week | 5 |
| Statutory entitlement | 5.6 weeks |
| Holiday entitlement | 28.00 days a year |
| Average weekly pay | £600.00 |
| A day's pay | £120.00 |
| Full entitlement is worth | £3,360.00 |
How to calculate holiday pay: the two steps #
Holiday pay UK rules split into two questions, and holiday pay rules only make sense once you keep them apart.
People run these together and get confused. They are separate.
- Entitlement is how much leave you get. 5.6 weeks, always
- Holiday pay is what each week of that leave is worth. A week's normal pay
Where pay does not vary, a week's holiday pay is simply a week's pay. Where it does vary, average it over the previous 52 weeks, skipping any week in which no pay was earned and going further back to make up the 52.
Holiday pay entitlement by days worked #
| Days a week | Statutory holiday | Often described as |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 28.0 days | 20 days plus 8 bank holidays |
| 4 | 22.4 days | 16.0 days plus bank holidays |
| 3 | 16.8 days | 12.0 days plus bank holidays |
| 2 | 11.2 days | 8.0 days plus bank holidays |
| 1 | 5.6 days | 4.0 days plus bank holidays |
The right-hand column is why so many contracts say "20 days plus bank holidays". That is the statutory minimum written a different way, not a benefit above it.
The 12.07% rule #
Holiday pay accrual for irregular hours and part-year workers runs at 12.07% of hours worked. Holiday pay percentage searches almost always mean this figure.
It is not a lesser entitlement. 5.6 weeks of holiday in a 52 week year leaves 46.4 working weeks, and 5.6 divided by 46.4 is 12.07%. Same right, different arithmetic.
Holiday pay and overtime #
Holiday pay on overtime is the question that produces the most disputes, and the answer turns on how regular the overtime is.
Where overtime is regular enough to count as normal pay, holiday pay and overtime go together: it must be included in at least the first four weeks of holiday pay. Genuinely occasional overtime does not have to be. The same applies to commission and shift premiums.
Holiday pay rate is therefore not always basic pay. A worker whose basic is £500.00 a week but who regularly earns £600.00 with overtime should be paid closer to the £600.00 while on leave.
Holiday pay monthly, and paying it correctly #
Holiday pay monthly is not a separate calculation. A salaried worker on fixed hours is paid the same each month whether they take leave or not, so the entitlement is about time off rather than money. The calculation above matters when pay varies, when someone leaves partway through a year, or when hours are irregular.
Getting it wrong on the low side also risks the minimum wage, because underpaid holiday drags the effective hourly rate down. The National Minimum Wage guide covers that interaction, and the wider employer duties are in payroll for small business.
Common questions #
How is holiday pay calculated?
Entitlement first, then pay. Statutory entitlement is 5.6 weeks a year, so a five day week gives 28 days. Holiday pay is then a week's normal pay for each week of leave, averaged over the previous 52 weeks if pay varies.
What is holiday pay?
Pay you receive while on annual leave. It should reflect what you normally earn, which means regular overtime, commission and shift premiums count, not just basic salary.
What is the holiday pay percentage?
12.07%. It applies to irregular hours and part-year workers, who accrue holiday as 12.07% of the hours they actually work. It is the same 5.6 weeks expressed differently, not a separate entitlement.
How much holiday am I entitled to?
5.6 weeks. For a five day week that is 28 days, for four days it is 22.4, for three days 16.8. Statutory entitlement is capped at 28 days however many days a week you work.
Do bank holidays count as holiday?
They can. There is no automatic right to paid leave on a bank holiday, and an employer may include the 8 bank holidays within your 5.6 weeks. Many contracts say "20 days plus bank holidays", which is exactly the 28 day statutory minimum.
How is holiday pay calculated for zero hours contracts?
Through the 12.07% accrual. A zero hours worker builds up holiday in proportion to the hours worked, and holiday pay is based on average pay over the previous 52 weeks. Rolled-up holiday pay is permitted for these workers.
Does holiday pay include overtime?
Regular overtime, yes. Where overtime is worked regularly enough to count as normal pay, it must be included in at least the first four weeks of holiday pay. Genuinely occasional overtime does not have to be.
How is holiday pay calculated for casual workers?
The same way as for zero hours: 12.07% of hours worked, paid at the average hourly rate over the previous 52 weeks. Holiday pay for casual workers is an entitlement, not a discretionary extra.