Holiday pay calculator for leaving a job (UK)

How much holiday you are owed when you leave, and roughly what it is worth.

Your holiday year started on Often 1 January or 1 April. Check your contract. If you started the job this holiday year, use your start date. Please choose a date.

Your last day Please choose a date.

Days you work a week

Holiday per year (days) Filled in with the legal minimum for your days (5.6 weeks, capped at 28 days). Change it if your contract gives you more. Please enter your yearly holiday.

Holiday days already taken this holiday year

Your pay for one working day (optional) Roughly: yearly salary divided by 52, then by the days you work a week.

How holiday owed is worked out

If you leave partway through your holiday year, you build up a share of your yearly holiday in proportion to how much of the year you worked. Take away what you have already used, and the rest is owed to you.

Holiday built up = yearly holiday × (days of the holiday year worked ÷ days in the holiday year)

ACAS gives this example: someone who works 5 days a week, gets the 5.6 weeks' minimum (28 days) and leaves after 26 weeks of the year has built up 14 days.

Irregular hours and part-year workers

For holiday years that started on or after 1 April 2024, holiday builds up at 12.07% of the hours you actually work. The figure comes from 5.6 weeks of holiday out of the 46.4 weeks left to work in a year.

gov.uk's example: working 68 hours in a month builds up 8.2 hours of holiday, which the employer can round to 8 hours.

Getting paid for it

Leaving is the only time you can be paid instead of taking your statutory holiday.
Your employer must pay for untaken statutory holiday, even if you are dismissed for gross misconduct.
If you took more holiday than you built up, they can only take it back from your final pay if you agreed to that in writing beforehand.
You may be able to use your remaining holiday during your notice period instead.
Bank holidays may or may not count as part of your yearly holiday. Check your contract.

Holiday pay FAQs

Do I get paid for unused holiday when I leave a job?

Yes. Your employer must pay you for any statutory holiday you have built up but not taken. This is called payment in lieu.

How do I work out holiday owed when leaving?

Multiply your yearly holiday by the share of the holiday year you worked, then take away the days you have already used. The calculator above does this for you.

Can my employer take money back if I used too much holiday?

Only if you agreed to it in writing beforehand, for example in your contract.

How much holiday do part-time workers get?

5.6 weeks a year, in proportion to the days worked. Working 3 days a week gives at least 16.8 days a year.

How is holiday worked out for irregular hours?

For holiday years starting on or after 1 April 2024, holiday builds up at 12.07% of the hours you work in each pay period.

Can I take my remaining holiday during my notice period?

You may be able to, if your employer agrees to the dates. Otherwise it should be paid in your final pay.

Sources: ACAS: holiday entitlement ACAS: holidays and final pay gov.uk: taking holiday before leaving a job gov.uk: holiday pay reforms from 2024

Last reviewed: 24 September 2026. General guidance only, not legal advice. For anything complex, call ACAS on 0300 123 1100.