Free UK holiday policy template to edit and download

Use the template

Draft your holiday policy

Replace every square-bracket prompt and make the policy match the leave rules, approval process and records your team will actually use.

Editable holiday policy

Holiday policy

1. Purpose and scope

This policy explains how [organisation name] manages annual leave for [employees / workers covered]. It should be read with each person's written terms.

Policy owner: [name or role]
Leave year: [start date] to [end date]
Request route: [system / named contact]
Employment-law jurisdiction: [England, Scotland or Wales / Northern Ireland]

2. Entitlement and bank holidays

Your annual leave entitlement is shown in your written terms. It is [inclusive / exclusive] of bank and public holidays.

Regular-hours staff receive [days / hours] for a complete leave year, adjusted for their working pattern and for starters or leavers where needed.

Irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue statutory leave under the rules that apply to their leave year and pay period. We use the current official guidance for their working pattern and jurisdiction.

Extra contractual leave: [set out any rules that differ from statutory leave].

3. Requesting leave

Submit a request through [route] with as much notice as possible and at least [policy notice]. Do not book non-refundable travel until leave is approved.

Managers consider service cover, existing approved leave, rest and fairness across the team. Where requests clash, the decision will use [published criteria] rather than an automatic first-come rule alone.

Approval is not guaranteed for a particular date, but the organisation will not prevent anyone from taking their statutory entitlement.

4. Refusal, cancellation and planned closure

If a request cannot be approved, the manager will explain the operational reason and discuss other dates.

The organisation will only cancel approved leave when there is a clear business need and will give the notice required by the contract and current law.

The organisation may require leave during [shutdown / closure periods]. We will give the required notice and explain how the days are deducted.

5. Carry-over

The normal carry-over limit is [amount] and requires [approval], unless statutory rules require a different outcome.

Different rules can apply where leave could not be taken because of sickness, statutory family leave, or because the organisation did not give a reasonable opportunity and encouragement to take it. The policy owner will check current guidance before deciding.

6. Sickness and family leave

Annual leave continues to accrue during sickness absence and statutory family leave. Tell [contact] promptly if illness affects booked leave so the absence and evidence can be handled under the relevant policy.

7. Starters and leavers

Entitlement is adjusted for the part of the leave year worked. On leaving, outstanding statutory leave is paid or excess leave may be deducted only where the contract and law allow it. The calculation and any rounding will be recorded.

8. Holiday pay and records

Holiday pay is calculated under the current rules for the person's working and pay pattern. In England, Scotland and Wales, use the current GOV.UK guidance, including the 52-week reference period where it applies. In Northern Ireland, use the current nidirect guidance, which describes a 12-week average for variable weekly pay.

For records made from 6 April 2026 in England, Scotland and Wales, we keep the required annual leave and holiday pay detail for at least six years. This includes leave taken, carried over, holiday pay and payments in lieu, with enough detail to show how pay was worked out.

That Great Britain record duty does not automatically apply in Northern Ireland. For a Northern Ireland worker, follow current Northern Ireland requirements and the organisation's reviewed retention policy.

Records owner: [name or role]
Access: [roles that need access]
Retention location: [approved system]

9. Questions and review

Raise questions with [name or role]. We review this policy after a relevant legal or working-practice change and at least every [period].

Policy version: [version]
Approved by: [name or role]
Approval date: [date]
Next review: [date]

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Make it yours

Make the policy usable in three steps

Set the entitlement, write the real request process and check the exceptions before publishing it.

1
Match the working patterns
Separate regular-hours arrangements from irregular-hours and part-year rules. State how bank holidays and contractual extras are treated.
2
Write the decision process
Name the request route, notice, clash criteria, shutdown rules and who can approve or cancel leave.
3
Check exceptions and records
Cover carry-over, sickness, family leave, starters and leavers, then apply the pay and record rules for Great Britain or Northern Ireland.

Check before you use it

Entitlement matches the written terms for every working pattern in scope
Bank and public holidays are clearly inclusive or additional
Request, refusal, cancellation and shutdown notice rules are current
Carry-over covers sickness, statutory leave and employer prevention
Starter and leaver calculations use an agreed rounding approach
The policy identifies whether Great Britain or Northern Ireland rules apply
The six-year record duty from 6 April 2026 is applied only in England, Scotland and Wales

The policy cannot replace the calculation

Entitlement, holiday pay and record duties depend on the working pattern and jurisdiction. Great Britain and Northern Ireland do not use every rule in the same way. Check the current official guidance for the relevant nation, especially for irregular hours, part-year work, variable pay and disputed cases.

Put the process in one place

Put the policy into everyday use

HollyHR keeps leave entitlement, requests, approvals and the resulting record together. Your policy still decides the rules managers apply.

See time off in HollyHR

Questions

Questions about holiday policies

Guidance behind this template

GOV.UK: holiday entitlementCheck statutory entitlement and working-pattern differences.GOV.UK: booking time offCheck request, refusal, cancellation and required-leave notice.GOV.UK: holiday pay and recordsFor England, Scotland and Wales, check holiday pay and the record duty in force from 6 April 2026.Acas: carrying over holidayCheck carry-over for sickness, statutory leave and employer prevention.nidirect: taking your holidaysFor Northern Ireland, check the current holiday-pay and carry-over guidance.

Do bank holidays have to be additional paid leave?

No. An employer can include bank and public holidays within statutory entitlement. The policy and written terms should say clearly whether they are included or additional.

Can an employer refuse a holiday request?

An employer can refuse particular dates if it follows the contract and gives the required notice, but it cannot prevent a worker from taking their statutory entitlement altogether.

Can approved holiday be cancelled?

It can be cancelled where the contract and law allow, but the employer must give the required notice and should have a clear business reason. Consider the practical cost to the worker before deciding.

When can statutory holiday carry over?

Carry-over can apply under an agreement and in specific situations such as sickness, statutory family leave or where the employer did not give a reasonable opportunity and encouragement to take leave. The amount and deadline depend on the reason.

What holiday records are required in Great Britain from 6 April 2026?

In England, Scotland and Wales, employers must keep detailed records of leave taken, leave carried over, holiday pay and payments in lieu, including what holiday pay contained. Records must be kept for at least six years from the date they were made. This new Great Britain duty does not automatically apply in Northern Ireland.

Do the same holiday pay rules apply across the UK?

No. Great Britain and Northern Ireland have separate employment-law regimes. GOV.UK guidance for Great Britain and nidirect guidance for Northern Ireland currently use different reference periods for some variable-pay calculations, so check the source for the worker's jurisdiction.

Does HollyHR calculate holiday pay?

No. HollyHR records entitlement, requests and approvals. Use payroll and current official guidance for the holiday-pay calculation, particularly where pay or hours vary.

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