Statutory holiday entitlement

Every UK worker is entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year — for someone working a five-day week, that is 28 days, which is also the statutory cap. Bank holidays can count towards the total if the contract says so. The right comes from the Working Time Regulations 1998 and applies to casual and zero-hours staff as much as to full-timers.

Irregular hours and part-year workers

For leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, the Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023 gave irregular-hours and part-year workers their own regime: holiday accrues at 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period. Employers may also choose rolled-up holiday pay for these workers — paying the 12.07% as an uplift each payday — provided it is itemised separately on the payslip. This resolved years of uncertainty about casual workers' holiday after the Harpur Trust v Brazel case.

Holiday pay

Holiday pay must reflect normal pay, not a bare basic rate: for at least four of the 5.6 weeks, regular overtime, commission and similar payments count. Workers must get the chance to actually take their leave — holiday can only be paid out instead of taken when employment ends.

Working Time Regulations 1998, regulations 13–16, as amended by the Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023. Calculators and guidance on GOV.UK.

Related terms

• Bank holidays
• Zero-hours contract
• Term-time contract