Free tool for UK recruitment agencies
UK working time and holiday calculator: statutory leave, 12.07% accrual and the 48-hour week
Three checks under the Working Time Regulations 1998 for agencies that supply temps and contractors: the statutory holiday of a worker on regular hours, the holiday an irregular-hours or part-year worker builds up in a pay period, with rolled-up holiday pay, and average weekly hours over a 17-week reference period. Every assumption is shown and can be changed. The results are estimates based on the statutory minimum, not legal advice.
Statutory holiday entitlement
For a worker on regular hours for the whole leave year.
Half-days are accepted, for example 2.5.
Holiday entitlement
Statutory paid holiday a year: 28 days
- Statutory paid holiday a year
- 28 days
Minimum for a full leave year, capped at 28 days. Bank holidays can count towards it. A worker who starts or leaves part way through the year gets a proportion.
Irregular hours and part-year workers
Holiday built up in one pay period, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.
Hours actually worked, whatever the pay period: a week, a fortnight or a month.
Gross pay for those hours, used for rolled-up holiday pay. Enter 0 if you only need the hours.
Holiday accrued
Holiday accrued this pay period: 4 hours
- Holiday accrued this pay period
- 4 hours
- 12.07% before rounding
- 3.621 hours
- Rolled-up holiday pay (12.07%)
- £45.26
- Pay including rolled-up holiday pay
- £420.26
Accrual stops once 28 days have built up in the leave year. Rolled-up holiday pay must be paid with the pay for work done and shown on the payslip.
48-hour week
Average weekly working time over the reference period, for a worker aged 18 or over.
17 by default. Up to 52 if an agreement provides for it, or the weeks worked so far if the worker started less than 17 weeks ago.
If the period includes annual leave, sick leave or family leave, enter the hours worked on the same number of days just after the period. Enter 0 otherwise.
Weekly average
Average weekly hours: 46.82 hours
- Average weekly hours
- 46.82 hours
- Hours counted (A + B)
- 796 hours
- 48-hour limit over the period
- 816 hours
- Hours left before the limit
- 20 hours
Count working time only, not lunch breaks, holiday or on-call time away from the workplace. Some jobs have other limits or reference periods.
How the calculation works
Workers, including agency workers, are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. For someone on regular hours all year, that is 5.6 times the days they work each week, capped at 28 days: a five-day week gives 28 days, a three-day week 16.8 days, and a six-day week is still capped at 28 days. Bank holidays can be counted within it, and an employer can give more than the minimum.
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, irregular-hours and part-year workers build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours they work in each pay period, up to 28 days a year. 12.07% is 5.6 weeks of holiday divided by the 46.4 weeks worked in a year. A worker is an irregular-hours worker if, under their contract, the number of paid hours they work in each pay period is wholly or mostly variable. A part-year worker is required by their contract to work only part of the year, with periods of at least a week that they are not required to work and are not paid for.
For these workers only, the employer can pay holiday pay as a 12.07% uplift on pay for work done, known as rolled-up holiday pay. It must be paid at the same time as that pay and shown on the payslip. It cannot be used for regular-hours workers, or for leave years that began on or before 31 March 2024.
Working time must not exceed 48 hours a week on average, normally over a 17-week reference period. The period can be extended to 52 weeks by agreement, and covers the time worked so far for someone who started less than 17 weeks ago. Single weeks above 48 hours are allowed as long as the average stays at or below 48. Days of annual leave, sick leave and maternity, paternity, adoption or parental leave are excluded: the hours from the same number of days worked just after the reference period are added instead.
- Statutory holiday (regular hours) = days worked a week × 5.6, capped at 28 days
- Holiday accrued (irregular hours or part-year) = hours worked in the pay period × 12.07%; a fraction of 30 minutes or more counts as a full hour, a smaller fraction as zero
- Rolled-up holiday pay = pay for work done in the pay period × 12.07%, rounded to the penny
- Average weekly hours = (A + B) ÷ C, where A is the hours worked in the reference period, B the hours worked just after it to replace excluded days, and C the number of weeks. The limit is exceeded only if the average is above 48 hours
Figures and sources
- Statutory holiday: 5.6 weeks a year, limited to 28 days (gov.uk)
- Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 13A: total statutory leave subject to a maximum of 28 days
- Irregular-hours and part-year workers: 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, with a worked example (gov.uk)
- Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 15B: accrual at 12.07%, 28-day cap and rounding, for leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024
- Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 15F: who is an irregular-hours or part-year worker
- Holiday pay and rolled-up holiday pay (gov.uk)
- Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 16A: rolled-up holiday pay as a 12.07% uplift
- Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 4: 48-hour average, 17-week reference period and the (A + B) ÷ C formula
- Calculating average weekly working hours over 17 weeks (gov.uk)
- Opting out of the 48-hour week (gov.uk)
Rules checked on 5 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much statutory holiday is a UK worker entitled to?
5.6 weeks a year, limited to 28 days. A worker on a five-day week gets at least 28 days, which can include bank holidays. A part-time worker on regular hours gets 5.6 times the days they work each week, for example 16.8 days for three days a week. Working six days a week does not raise the statutory minimum above 28 days.
Who counts as an irregular-hours or part-year worker?
An irregular-hours worker is someone whose paid hours in each pay period are, under their contract, wholly or mostly variable. A part-year worker is someone who, under their contract, works only part of the year and has periods of at least a week that they are not required to work and are not paid for. Sick leave and statutory leave are ignored when deciding whether someone is a part-year worker.
How does the 12.07% holiday accrual work?
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, an irregular-hours or part-year worker accrues 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period, on the last day of that pay period. A fraction of less than 30 minutes counts as zero and 30 minutes or more as a full hour: 30 hours worked gives 3.621 hours, so 4 hours of holiday. The worker cannot accrue more than 28 days in a leave year. Holiday also builds up during sick leave and statutory leave, based on a 52-week average that this calculator does not cover.
Is rolled-up holiday pay allowed in the UK?
Only for irregular-hours and part-year workers, and only for leave years that began on or after 1 April 2024. The employer adds 12.07% to the pay for work done, pays it at the same time and shows the holiday pay on the payslip. For workers on regular hours, holiday pay cannot be included in the hourly rate.
How is the 48-hour week calculated?
Working time is averaged over a reference period, normally 17 weeks, and must not be more than 48 hours a week on average. A worker can work more than 48 hours in some weeks if other weeks bring the average down. Annual leave, sick leave and family leave do not lower the average: the hours worked on the same number of days just after the reference period are counted in their place.
Can a worker opt out of the 48-hour week?
Yes, if they are 18 or over. The opt-out must be voluntary and in writing, and a worker cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly for refusing to sign one. They can cancel it with at least 7 days’ notice, or up to 3 months if the agreement says so. Some workers cannot opt out, for example airline staff and many road transport workers, and workers under 18 cannot work more than 40 hours a week.
Does Marvin calculate holiday or working hours?
No. Marvin records contractor timesheets in days and half-days, has them approved by the client and turns approved days into the client invoice. It does not run payroll, calculate holiday entitlement or holiday pay, handle hourly timesheets or decide IR35 status. Use this calculator as a first check, and your payroll provider or advisers for the final figures.
Run your contract desk in Marvin
Marvin is recruitment software for agencies. On contract placements, it invoices at the day rate and records timesheets in days and half-days, with client sign-off from a secure link. It does not run PAYE or RTI payroll, decide IR35 status or handle hourly timesheets.
More free tools
- Contractor day rate calculatorTurn a permanent salary into an equivalent gross day rate.
- Recruitment fee calculatorPlacement fee as a percentage of salary, with VAT.
- Contract margin calculatorPay rate against charge rate: margin, markup and total.
- Late payment interest calculatorStatutory interest and fixed compensation on a late invoice.
- Contractor timesheet templateMonthly timesheet in days and half-days, with client sign-off.
Let's talk about your goals
30 minutes to understand your challenges and show you how Marvin can transform your day-to-day.