Standard Working Pattern Annual Leave Calculator

How it works

This calculator compares the employee's working pattern with the full-time working pattern and applies the same proportion to the full-time annual holiday entitlement.

Where the calculation is made in days, the calculator uses the employee's working days compared with the full-time working days.

Where the calculation is made in hours, the calculator uses the employee's weekly hours compared with the full-time weekly hours.

What is a standard working pattern?

A standard working pattern is one where the employee's normal working days and daily hours are consistent from week to week.

For example, an employee working Monday to Friday for 8 hours each day has a standard full-time working pattern. An employee working Monday to Friday for 5 hours each day has a standard part-time working pattern because they work each of the same working days as the full-time pattern, but fewer hours on each day.

The employee works on the same number of days each week as the full-time pattern, but may work fewer hours on each of those days. For example, a full-time employee might work Monday to Friday for 8 hours per day, while a part-time employee works Monday to Friday for 5 hours per day. The part-time employee still works all of the same working days; only the daily hours are reduced.

When should I use the other calculator?

Use the Compressed & Non-Standard Working Pattern Annual Leave Calculator where the employee works on fewer days than the full-time pattern, works different numbers of hours on different days, compresses their hours into fewer days, or otherwise needs their actual Monday-to-Sunday working pattern to be considered.

Bank holidays and standard working patterns

Bank holidays are not automatically additional paid holiday on top of the statutory minimum. Whether bank holidays form part of an employee's annual entitlement depends on the employer's arrangements and the wording of the employment contract.

For a standard working pattern where the employee works each of the same working days as a full-time employee, and the same number of hours on each of those days, a bank holiday falling on one of those working days can be treated using the employee's normal daily hours. This calculator does not need to examine the individual bank holiday dates because the employee's daily hours are consistent across all of their working days.

If the employee works different numbers of hours on different days, or a bank holiday may fall on a working day with a different number of hours, use the Compressed & Non-Standard Working Pattern Annual Leave Calculator instead.

Compliance

UK workers are generally entitled to paid annual leave under the Working Time Regulations. The statutory minimum is normally 5.6 weeks' paid holiday each year for workers who are entitled to the statutory minimum.

Part-time workers should receive a pro-rata entitlement compared with a comparable full-time worker. Employers should avoid disadvantaging part-time employees when calculating annual leave.

The calculation method used should reflect the employee's actual working pattern and the terms of their contract.

Before relying on the result

• Check the employee's contractual holiday entitlement.
• Check whether bank holidays are included within the stated annual entitlement.
• Confirm that the employee has a standard and consistent working pattern.
• Check that the employee works the same number of hours on each of their normal working days.
• Check any applicable carry-over arrangements.
• Consider whether the employee has taken statutory family-related leave or sickness absence that may affect holiday entitlement or carry-over.