UK HR Term
Statutory holiday
Statutory holiday is the minimum paid annual leave a UK worker is legally entitled to under the Working Time Regulations 1998 — 5.6 weeks per year (28 days for a full-time five-day worker), inclusive of bank holidays.
In plain English
Every UK worker is legally entitled to a minimum amount of paid time off each year. Set by the Working Time Regulations 1998, the minimum is 5.6 weeks — for a worker doing five days a week, that's 28 days a year, including bank holidays.
The two pots
The 5.6 weeks is made up of:
- 4 weeks of EU-derived leave (the original Working Time Directive minimum)
- 1.6 weeks of additional UK leave added in 2009
The split matters because the two pots have different carry-over rules.
Pro-rata for part-time
The 5.6-week entitlement applies to all workers, full or part-time. Part-timers get the same 5.6 weeks but in fewer days — calculated as days worked per week × 5.6, capped at 28.
Pro-rata for irregular hours
Workers without a regular pattern (zero-hours, casual, term-time-only) accrue holiday at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period. The figure represents 5.6 weeks of leave divided by the remaining 46.4 weeks of the year.
What's included
- Holiday accrues from day one of employment
- Holiday continues to accrue during sickness, maternity, paternity, and other family leave
- Bank holidays are included by default unless the contract gives them as extra
- Statutory holiday cannot be paid in lieu while still employed (only on termination)
Above the minimum
Many employers offer more than 5.6 weeks — common is 25 days plus bank holidays. Anything above the statutory floor is purely contractual.