Irregular-hours and part-year workers build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours they work in each pay period (for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024). Most other workers get 5.6 weeks a year, capped at 28 days. A week's holiday pay for variable pay is the average over the last 52 weeks in which the worker was paid.
Calculator
1. Irregular hours or part-year: 12.07% accrual and rolled-up pay
Enter one pay period. Leave accrues on the last day of each pay period.
2. A week's holiday pay: the 52-week average
For irregular hours or variable pay. Paste weekly gross pay, most recent week first, one figure per line. Include weeks with £0; they are skipped.
3. Regular hours: 5.6 weeks, and starters or leavers
For workers with the same days every week, full- or part-time. Dates are optional: add them to pro-rata a part year.
How it works
Irregular-hours and part-year workers. At the end of each pay period, multiply the hours worked by 12.07%. A fraction under half an hour is dropped; half an hour or more becomes a full hour. 12.07% is 5.6 weeks ÷ (52 − 5.6 weeks). It applies to leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.
Worked example. A zero-hours worker paid weekly works 30 hours and earns £400. Leave: 30 × 12.07 ÷ 100 = 3.621, so 4 hours. If you use rolled-up holiday pay instead, add 12.07% of £400 = £48.28 to that week's pay and show the holiday pay amount on the payslip.
A week's pay when pay varies. Take the last 52 weeks in which the worker was paid. Skip unpaid weeks and count back further, but no more than 104 weeks. If they have fewer than 52 paid weeks, use the weeks they have. Divide the total by the number of paid weeks.
Regular hours. Multiply the days worked a week by 5.6, up to 28 days. Someone on 3 days a week gets 3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days. A 6-day worker still gets 28. For a starter or leaver, this tool multiplies the year's entitlement by the share of the leave year they are employed.
Doing this for a whole team every pay period? The UK Holiday Pay Calculator (£13.99, Excel and Google Sheets) does the 12.07% accrual, rolled-up pay and 52-week averages for each worker. Just need entitlement? Try the Holiday Entitlement Calculator Lite (£2.99). To track who is off and when, see the PTO & Leave Tracker, or get both in the UK HR & Absence Bundle (£42.99).
Frequently asked questions
What is 12.07% holiday pay?
It is the rate at which irregular-hours and part-year workers build up holiday: 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. It comes from 5.6 weeks ÷ (52 − 5.6) weeks of work.
How do you round 12.07% holiday accrual?
Under regulation 15B(5) of the Working Time Regulations, a fraction of less than 30 minutes is treated as zero and 30 minutes or more as one hour. So 30 hours worked gives 3.621 hours, which rounds to 4.
Who can be paid rolled-up holiday pay?
Only irregular-hours and part-year workers, and only for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. You cannot roll holiday pay into the hourly rate for regular-hours workers. It must be paid at the same time as the pay for the work, and the payslip must show the holiday pay amount (regulation 16A).
Is rolled-up holiday pay 12.07% of all pay?
It is 12.07% of the worker's pay for the pay period. Holiday pay for these workers should be at their normal rate, which includes commission and regular overtime but not usually bonuses. Some worked examples round an intermediate step, so results can differ by a few pence.
How many weeks do I use to average holiday pay?
Use the last 52 weeks in which the worker was paid. Skip weeks with no pay and count further back, up to a maximum of 104 weeks. If they have worked fewer than 52 weeks, average the full weeks they have.
Is holiday capped at 28 days?
Yes. Statutory paid holiday is 5.6 weeks a year, capped at 28 days. A 6-day-a-week worker still gets 28 days. Employers can give more, and bank holidays can count towards the 28.
Can holiday be paid instead of taken?
Only when the worker leaves. On leaving, the employer must pay for untaken statutory leave, even after a dismissal for gross misconduct.
How long must I keep holiday records?
From 6 April 2026, GOV.UK says employers must keep records of annual leave and holiday pay for at least 6 years. Not being able to show them can lead to a fine.
More free tools
Related guides: Holiday pay for irregular-hours workers.
Sources
- Holiday entitlement – GOV.UK
- Calculate leave entitlement – GOV.UK
- Holiday pay – GOV.UK
- Calculating holiday pay for workers without fixed hours or pay – GOV.UK
- Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 15B – legislation.gov.uk
- Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 16A (rolled-up holiday pay) – legislation.gov.uk
- Holiday entitlement calculator – GOV.UK
- Holiday entitlement – Acas
Last checked: November 2026. Covers statutory rules in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own rules (see nidirect). This tool gives general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Figures are estimates based on what you enter and the rules in the sources above; rules change, so check the sources or take professional advice before relying on a result. Made by PHK MEDIA LTD.