How much paid holiday am I entitled to?
Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave — that's 28 days for a five-day week. The basis is the Working Time Regulations 1998. The 28 days is the statutory cap (employers can offer more by contract), and bank holidays can count toward it — they're not a separate legal right. Holiday pay must reflect your normal pay, including regular overtime and commission. For irregular-hours and part-year workers (for leave years from 1 April 2024), leave accrues at 12.07% of hours worked, and they may be paid rolled-up holiday pay — an itemised extra 12.07% on each payslip. The genuinely self-employed have no statutory entitlement. In short: yes, 5.6 weeks for most, pro-rata for part-timers.
📋 The rules
- Most workers get 5.6 weeks' paid leave a year
- That's 28 days for a 5-day week (statutory cap)
- Holiday pay must include regular overtime/commission
- Irregular-hours/part-year: accrue 12.07% of hours
- Bank holidays can count toward the 5.6 weeks
🔓 Exceptions
- Rolled-up holiday pay only for irregular-hours and part-year workers
- The genuinely self-employed have no statutory entitlement
- Up to 1.6 weeks may carry over by agreement
⚠️ Penalties & fines
There's no fixed fine — unpaid holiday is enforced at an employment tribunal. You must claim within 3 months less one day of the underpayment (or the last in a series), and unlawful-deduction series claims are capped at 2 years' back-pay. Holiday pay must be normal pay, so excluding regular overtime or commission can itself be an unlawful deduction. Beware a myth: "part-time and zero-hours workers don't get paid holiday" is false — they accrue holiday proportionately (12.07% of the hours they work), and may receive it as rolled-up pay. To check yours: work out your 5.6 weeks (or 12.07% if irregular hours), make sure your holiday pay matches your normal earnings, and raise any shortfall promptly.
📎 Official sources
- GOV.UK — holiday entitlement rights →
- ACAS — calculating holiday pay →
- GOV.UK — holiday pay and entitlement reforms →
❓ Frequently asked
How much paid holiday am I entitled to?
Almost all workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave per year. For someone working five days a week, that equals 28 days, which is the statutory maximum an employer must give, although they can offer more. Bank holidays aren't a separate right and can be counted as part of the 5.6 weeks.
Does holiday pay include overtime?
Yes, for regular overtime. Holiday pay must reflect your normal pay, so where you regularly work overtime or earn commission, that should be factored into your holiday pay rather than being based on basic pay alone. Excluding regular additional earnings from holiday pay can amount to an unlawful deduction from wages.
Do part-time and zero-hours workers get holiday?
Yes. It's a myth that part-time, casual or zero-hours workers don't get paid holiday. They accrue leave in proportion to the hours they work, at a rate of 12.07% of those hours for irregular-hours and part-year workers. They may be paid this as rolled-up holiday pay, shown as a separate amount on each payslip.
Do bank holidays count as holiday?
They can. There's no automatic legal right to take bank holidays off or to be paid extra for them. An employer can include bank holidays within your 5.6 weeks' statutory entitlement, or grant them on top, depending on your contract. Always check your contract to see how bank holidays are treated where you work.
What if my employer underpays my holiday?
If your employer doesn't give you the leave or holiday pay you're entitled to, you can bring a claim at an employment tribunal. You generally must claim within three months less one day of the underpayment, or the last in a series of underpayments. Claims for a series of unlawful deductions are capped at two years' back-pay.
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