Minimum statutory requirements

The minimum statutory requirement for full-time employees or workers is 28 days or 5.6 weeks which can include public holidays.

The minimum statutory entitlement of part-time employees or workers is based on the time that they work. So, a part-time employee who works 2.5 days per week is entitled to 14 days' paid holiday per year or 2.8 weeks including public holidays.

Some organisations may provide staff with an enhanced holiday entitlement which is sometimes linked to length of service.

Full-time workers

Full-time workers annual holiday entitlement normally accrues at 2.33 days per month.

Part-time workers

Part-time workers annual holiday entitlement will be pro-rata to their normal working hours.

Casual workers

Holidays may be worked out with reference to days or hours (or even minutes in some organisations) depending on the employment relationship. Casual workers, for example, may accrue only brief periods of holiday entitlement.

Agency workers

Agency workers are entitled to the minimum holiday entitlement set out in the Working Time Regulations 1998 – this is 5.6 weeks a year, pro-rated.

However, under the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, agency workers are entitled to the same holiday benefits as their comparable permanent colleagues after a qualifying period of employment. The regulations, which came into force on 1 October 2011, state that certain agency workers will have the same rights to holidays as a permanent employee with the same length of service. There is a 12-week qualifying period, during which the agency worker must be engaged in the same role or in duties which are not substantially different. The 12-week qualifying period does not have to be continuous and there can be breaks on specific grounds, for example, sickness or jury service leave.

Genuine short term agency staff will not qualify for these enhanced rights.