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Your Holiday Rights at Work: What UK Employers Must Provide in 2026

5 March 2026

I'm going to be blunt: too many UK workers are being short-changed on their holiday. Some employers do it deliberately. Most do it through ignorance. Either way, you're the one losing out. If you work in the UK -- full-time, part-time, zero-hours, agency, whatever -- the law says you get paid time off. And you should know exactly how much.

The Statutory Minimum: 5.6 Weeks

The Working Time Regulations 1998 give almost every UK worker a minimum of 5.6 weeks' paid annual leave per year. For a standard five-day week, that's 28 days. But here's the catch that trips everyone up: that 28 days can include bank holidays. Your employer doesn't have to give you bank holidays on top. They can count them as part of your 28. And plenty do.

This right kicks in from day one. Not after your probation period. Not after three months. Day one. Your employer can set rules about when you take leave and require notice, but they cannot deny you the leave itself.

How Pro-Rata Works for Part-Time Workers

Part-time? Your entitlement is pro-rata. You get the same proportion of leave as a full-time worker, just scaled to your hours. Three days a week? That's 3 x 5.6 = 16.8 days of paid holiday per year.

Here's where some employers try it on. If full-time staff get extra holiday above the statutory minimum -- say 25 days plus bank holidays -- you're entitled to the same proportional increase. Giving full-timers more and not adjusting for part-timers is unlawful discrimination under the Part-Time Workers Regulations 2000. I've seen this happen in shops, restaurants, offices. If it's happening to you, challenge it.

Irregular Hours and Zero-Hours Contracts

Zero-hours contracts don't mean zero holiday. You accrue holiday on every hour you work, at a rate of roughly 12.07%. That number comes from 5.6 weeks divided by the 46.4 working weeks in a year. It's not complicated maths, but it's maths that a lot of employers conveniently forget to do.

Since April 2024, employers can use "rolled-up holiday pay" for irregular-hours workers. That means adding a holiday pay supplement to every payslip instead of saving it up. If your employer does this, check your payslip. There should be a separate line showing the holiday pay element, and it should be at least 12.07% of your pay for that period. If you can't see it, ask questions.

Don't let them fob you off: Even if you're on a zero-hours contract and haven't had shifts for weeks, your accrued holiday doesn't vanish. That time off is yours. You've earned it.

What Counts as a Working Day?

A working day is any day you'd normally be working. Monday to Friday worker? Simple. But if you work shifts of varying lengths, things get messier. If your normal shift is 10 hours, one day's holiday should use 10 hours of your entitlement, not the generic 7 or 8.

The cleanest approach -- and the one I always recommend -- is to convert everything into hours. Work out your total annual hours, divide by working weeks to get your average weekly hours, then multiply by 5.6. That gives you your total holiday hours for the year. No arguments.

Holiday Pay: What You Should Actually Receive

You're entitled to your normal pay when you take holiday. Straightforward for salaried workers, but a minefield for anyone with variable earnings. After years of court battles, the law now says holiday pay should reflect what you normally earn -- including regular overtime, commission, and other recurring payments. Not just basic pay.

For variable earners, your employer should average your pay over the previous 52 paid weeks (skipping any weeks with no pay). That average becomes your holiday pay rate. If your employer is only paying basic rate when you regularly earn more through overtime or commission, they're underpaying you. Full stop.

Rolled-up holiday pay used to be in a legal grey area, but since April 2024 it's officially permitted for irregular-hours and part-year workers, as long as it's clearly shown on the payslip and calculated correctly.

Your Employer's Obligations

Let me spell these out, because some employers seem to need reminding:

What If Your Employer Isn't Complying?

Start by raising it informally. Plenty of holiday disputes come from genuine misunderstandings rather than malice. But if talking to your manager or HR gets you nowhere, contact ACAS on 0300 123 1100. They'll give you free advice and can try to mediate.

If that doesn't work either, you can take your employer to an employment tribunal. Claims for unpaid holiday generally need to be filed within three months of the date you should've been paid. Don't sit on it.

Holiday During Notice Periods

When you resign or get dismissed, you keep accruing holiday during your notice period. Your employer can make you take remaining holiday during notice, but they have to give proper notice to do it. Any accrued holiday you haven't taken when you leave must be paid out in your final pay packet.

Flip side: if you've taken more holiday than you've earned by your leaving date, the employer can deduct the overpayment from your final salary -- but only if your contract specifically allows it. Check yours.

Agency Workers and Holiday Rights

Agency workers get 5.6 weeks from day one of any assignment. Same as everyone else. Your agency is responsible for making sure you get it. If you're not sure your holiday pay is being calculated right, ask the agency for a breakdown. The Agency Workers Regulations say they have to give you clear information about your pay and deductions.

The Bottom Line

Paid holiday isn't a bonus. It isn't a perk your employer generously grants you. It's a legal right. Every worker in the UK gets 5.6 weeks, and your employer has to let you take it, pay you properly for it, and pay out what's left when you go. If any of that isn't happening, you've got legal options. Use our Holiday Entitlement Calculator to check exactly how many days you're owed.

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