The short answer: 5.6 weeks, capped at 28 days
Almost every worker in the UK — full-time, part-time, agency and zero-hours — is legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations 1998. Multiply your working days per week by 5.6, and cap the result at 28 days. That cap is the detail most people miss: a six-day week still gives 28 days, not 33.6.
Entitlement by working pattern
| Days worked per week | Statutory days per year |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 5.6 days |
| 2 days | 11.2 days |
| 3 days | 16.8 days |
| 4 days | 22.4 days |
| 5 days | 28 days |
| 6 days | 28 days (capped) |
Fractional days cannot be rounded down by your employer — 16.8 days means 16 full days plus 0.8 of a day, usually handled by rounding up or by adjusting shift times.
Irregular hours: the 12.07% accrual
For irregular-hours and part-year workers, holiday accrues at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. The figure is 5.6 weeks divided by the 46.4 weeks left in the year. Work 100 hours in a month and you accrue 12.07 hours of leave, rounded to 12 hours. Rolled-up holiday pay (an extra 12.07% on hourly pay) is lawful for these workers only, and must be itemised separately on the payslip. Try the holiday pay calculator for your own pattern.
Bank holidays, carry-over and leaving
Bank holidays are not extra by law: an employer can count the 8 bank holidays in England and Wales inside your 28 days, leaving 20 days you choose — or give them on top, for 36 in total. Unused leave normally expires at the leave-year end unless your contract allows carry-over; the exceptions are long-term sickness and family leave, where up to 4 weeks can carry over. When you leave a job, accrued but untaken holiday is paid out pro-rata to your leaving date.
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