Holiday entitlement calculator: use the right working pattern.
Work out the statutory starting point, then record the real leave year, pattern and contractual extras.
How is UK holiday entitlement calculated?
Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory paid leave each year. For a regular five-day worker that is usually 28 days; for other regular patterns, multiply weekly working days by 5.6, subject to the statutory cap.
Irregular-hours, part-year, starter and leaver calculations use more specific methods, so use the official calculator for the final answer.
What matters
Start with the rule
Most workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory paid leave each year. For a regular five-day worker that is usually 28 days; for other regular patterns, multiply weekly working days by 5.6, subject to the statutory cap.
Write down the decision
Keep the policy, dates, calculation inputs and decision together so another person can understand what happened.
Check the current source
Use the official GOV.UK calculator for the current method and edge cases; this page explains the inputs rather than inventing a parallel statutory engine.
A practical checklist
For a small team, a short repeatable process beats an impressive policy nobody follows.
- Choose the correct leave year
- Identify regular, irregular-hours or part-year status
- Use the actual weekly pattern
- Separate statutory and extra contractual leave
- Pro-rate starters and leavers correctly
- Record rounding and bank-holiday treatment
Where software helps — and where it does not
HollyHR can keep the relevant people record, dates, documents, leave and working pattern in one place. It cannot decide a legal, medical or employee-relations question for you.
Use the official GOV.UK calculator for the current method and edge cases; this page explains the inputs rather than inventing a parallel statutory engine.
Check the source, not just our summary
Rules and product pages change. These are the first-party references behind this page.
Questions people ask
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a practical summary for UK small teams. Check the linked official guidance and take qualified advice for a specific or disputed case.
Why keep the source with the calculation?
Rates and rules change. Recording the inputs, date and source makes the answer reviewable instead of becoming an unexplained number in a spreadsheet.
Can HollyHR track this?
HollyHR can hold the underlying employee, working-pattern, leave and document records. It does not present itself as a legal-advice engine.
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Keep reading: Annual leave meaning · Working patterns