Holiday Pay UK — Free Calculator 2025

Overview

Calculate Holiday Pay UK using the official rates and regulations for United Kingdom.

How it works

Enter the base amount and the calculator will apply the relevant rates and brackets to compute the result.

Understanding Your Holiday Entitlement and Pay Rights

Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, almost all workers in the UK are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year, which equates to 28 days for someone working a five-day week. This entitlement includes the eight public and bank holidays in England and Wales, though employers can choose whether these count towards the 28-day minimum. Part-time workers receive a pro-rata entitlement, so someone working three days per week is entitled to 16.8 days of annual leave. Holiday pay must be calculated based on a week's pay, which depends on whether the worker has regular hours or variable hours. For workers with regular hours and fixed pay, a week's pay is simply their contractual weekly amount. For workers with variable hours, the pay is calculated as the average weekly pay over the previous 52 weeks, or the number of complete weeks worked if less than 52. This calculation must include regular overtime, commission, and bonuses that are normally received, ensuring that holiday pay reflects actual earnings rather than just basic salary. Employers who fail to calculate holiday pay correctly, particularly by excluding regular overtime or commission, face employment tribunal claims that can extend back two years under the Deduction from Wages provisions.

Calculating Holiday Pay for Irregular Hours Workers

Workers on zero-hours contracts, agency workers, and those with irregular schedules face particular complexity in holiday pay calculations. Since January 2024, a rolled-up holiday pay system has been reintroduced for irregular hours workers, where holiday pay is included as an additional 12.07% on top of hourly pay rather than being paid when leave is taken. This percentage figure represents the statutory accrual rate, meaning workers accrue holiday at 12.07% of hours worked during the leave year. The 12.07% figure is derived from the 5.6 weeks of statutory entitlement divided by the 46.4 working weeks remaining in the year. For workers who prefer to take actual leave days, their holiday pay is calculated using the 52-week average, including all work performed for the same employer. This is particularly important for agency workers who may work for the same hirer through different agencies, as the reference period must aggregate all work performed in that role regardless of which agency arranged it.

Accrued Holiday on Termination and Carry-Over Rules

When employment ends, workers are entitled to payment for any accrued but unused holiday entitlement, calculated based on their normal week's pay including regular overtime and commission. This payment in lieu must reflect the full statutory entitlement, not just the contractual entitlement if this is less generous. Workers who have taken more holiday than they have accrued at the date of termination can have the excess deducted from their final pay, though the deduction clause must be explicitly stated in the employment contract. Holiday can generally only be carried over to the next leave year if the employment contract permits it, though there are statutory exceptions for workers on maternity, paternity, or adoption leave, and those unable to take holiday due to sickness. The European Court of Justice ruling in the Sweeney v Burns International Security case established that workers who are unable to take holiday due to sickness can carry over unused entitlement indefinitely, though UK case law has placed some limits on this principle. Our calculator helps workers and employers accurately determine holiday entitlement, accrued leave, and payment due on termination based on individual working patterns and pay structures.

Using Our Holiday Pay Calculator

Our holiday pay calculator helps both workers and employers accurately determine entitlement and pay for any working pattern. For full-time and part-time workers with regular hours, simply enter your annual entitlement and working days to calculate accrued leave at any point in the year. For variable-hours workers, the calculator uses the 52-week reference period to determine average weekly pay, ensuring holiday pay reflects actual earnings including overtime and commission. The calculator also handles termination payments, showing the value of accrued but unused leave and any excess deductions for leave taken but not accrued. This eliminates the common errors that lead to employment tribunal claims and ensures compliance with the Working Time Regulations.