You have the right to paid holiday (‘statutory annual leave’) whether you work:
- full time
- part time
- under a zero-hours contract
The amount of days you get depends on:
- how many days or hours you work
- any extra agreements you have with your employer
You build up (‘accrue’) holiday from the day you start working, including when you're on:
- a probationary period
- sick leave
- maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave
Your employer can choose to give you more holiday than the statutory entitlement. Your employment contract should say how much holiday you get.
Find out more about employment contracts.
1. Statutory annual leave
You’re entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday (statutory annual leave) a year.
Your 5.6 weeks’ legal minimum holiday is usually made up of:
20 days = 4 weeks
+ 8 days (which can be the year's bank holidays) = 1.6 weeks
Part time
If you work part time, you’re still entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday, just in proportion to the hours you work ('pro rata').
You can work this out by the number of days you work a week x 5.6.
For example, if you work 3 days a week, you’re entitled to 16.8 days’ paid holiday (3 x 5.6) a year.
If your employer gives full-time employees more than the statutory annual leave (for example, 6 weeks), then part-time employees must get the same, calculated pro rata.
Shift, term-time and zero-hours workers
You must still get 5.6 weeks' holiday as a minimum if you work irregular hours, such as:
- shifts
- term-time work
- zero-hours contracts
If you’re self-employed (run your own business), you’re not usually entitled to paid holiday but it could depend if you’ve been employed on a contract. It’s a good idea to check your employment status to see what your entitlement is.
Holiday calculator
Maternity leave
You still accrue your holiday entitlement while on:
- maternity leave
- paternity leave
- adoption leave
- shared parental leave
For example, if you take a year of maternity leave, you'll return with a whole year’s accrued holiday.
It’s best to talk to your employer to arrange whether you’re going to take this holiday before or after your maternity leave.
If your employer gives more holiday than the statutory amount, you should check your contract to see how you need to book that time off.
If you’re not sure how much holiday you should get
If you’re still not sure what your holiday entitlement is, you can:
- talk with your manager, someone in HR or your employer
- check your written terms ('written statement of employment particulars')
- get legal advice, for example from Citizens Advice or your trade union