Holiday Entitlement for Part-Time Workers: How to Calculate Pro-Rata Leave
Learn how to calculate holiday entitlement for part-time workers in the UK. Covers pro-rata calculations, bank holidays, and common employer mistakes.
Part-Time Workers Get the Same Holiday Rights
Under UK law, part-time workers are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year as full-time workers. The difference is that their entitlement is calculated pro-rata based on their working pattern.
This is a commonly misunderstood area of employment law. Many employers accidentally under-calculate holiday for part-time staff, which can lead to costly tribunal claims. Use our holiday entitlement calculator to get accurate figures.
How to Calculate Pro-Rata Entitlement
The formula is straightforward:
Holiday entitlement = 5.6 weeks × days worked per week
The statutory maximum is capped at 28 days, regardless of how many days per week someone works.
Entitlement by Working Pattern
| Days per Week | Statutory Entitlement | In Hours (7.5h day) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | 5.6 days | 42.0 hours |
| 1.5 days | 8.4 days | 63.0 hours |
| 2 days | 11.2 days | 84.0 hours |
| 2.5 days | 14.0 days | 105.0 hours |
| 3 days | 16.8 days | 126.0 hours |
| 3.5 days | 19.6 days | 147.0 hours |
| 4 days | 22.4 days | 168.0 hours |
| 4.5 days | 25.2 days | 189.0 hours |
| 5 days | 28.0 days | 210.0 hours |
Handling Bank Holidays for Part-Time Workers
Bank holidays are one of the trickiest areas for part-time workers. Key principles:
- There is no automatic right to paid bank holidays — they can be included in the 5.6 weeks
- Part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than full-time workers
- If full-time staff get bank holidays on top of 20 days, part-timers must get the pro-rata equivalent
Example: Fair Bank Holiday Treatment
If your full-time (5-day) workers get 20 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (28 days total), a 3-day worker should get:
- Total entitlement: 28 × (3/5) = 16.8 days
- This is the same as the statutory minimum of 5.6 × 3 = 16.8 days
Bank Holidays by UK Region
| Region | Bank Holidays per Year |
|---|---|
| England | 8 |
| Wales | 8 |
| Scotland | 9 |
| Northern Ireland | 10 |
When Part-Timers Don't Work on Bank Holiday Days
If a part-time worker never works on Mondays (when most bank holidays fall), they shouldn't lose out. The fairest approach is to convert all entitlement to hours and let the employee take those hours on their normal working days.
Irregular Hours and Part-Year Workers
From April 2024, a new method for calculating holiday for irregular hours and part-year workers was introduced. Under this method, holiday accrues at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period.
This applies to workers whose hours vary significantly from week to week, or who only work part of the year (such as term-time workers or seasonal staff).
Rolled-Up Holiday Pay
From April 2024, employers can also use rolled-up holiday pay for irregular hours and part-year workers. This means adding 12.07% to every payment instead of paying separately when holiday is taken. The worker must be clearly told they are receiving rolled-up holiday pay.
Part-Year Workers
Workers who start or leave partway through the leave year have their entitlement pro-rated:
Pro-rata entitlement = full entitlement × (months worked ÷ 12)
| Months Worked | Entitlement (5-day worker) | Entitlement (3-day worker) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | 7.0 days | 4.2 days |
| 6 months | 14.0 days | 8.4 days |
| 9 months | 21.0 days | 12.6 days |
Carrying Over Unused Holiday
Holiday carry-over rules apply equally to part-time and full-time workers:
- The first 4 weeks (EU-derived leave) generally cannot be carried over — use it or lose it
- The additional 1.6 weeks can be carried over if your policy allows
- Exceptions exist for maternity/paternity leave, sickness, or when the employer prevented holiday being taken
Holiday Pay on Leaving
When a part-time employee leaves, they are entitled to be paid for any accrued but untaken holiday. Calculate this based on the proportion of the leave year worked minus holiday already taken.
Conversely, if an employee has taken more holiday than they have accrued at the point of leaving, you may be able to deduct the overpayment from their final pay — but only if their contract allows it.
Common Employer Mistakes
- Rounding down: an entitlement of 16.8 days should be rounded up to 17 days, not down to 16. Always round in the employee's favour
- Forgetting bank holidays: if full-time staff get bank holidays on top of their base allowance, part-timers must get the pro-rata equivalent
- Using the wrong pay rate: holiday pay should be based on normal weekly earnings, including regular overtime and commission
- Not recalculating when hours change: if a part-timer increases their days, their holiday entitlement must be recalculated
- Treating all part-timers the same: a 4-day worker gets different entitlement than a 3-day worker
Key Takeaways
- Part-time workers get 5.6 weeks holiday, calculated pro-rata
- The statutory maximum is capped at 28 days regardless of working pattern
- Bank holidays must be handled fairly — convert to hours if needed
- Irregular hours workers accrue holiday at 12.07% of hours worked
- Always round fractional days in the employee's favour
Use our holiday entitlement calculator to get accurate figures for any working pattern.