Working out holiday entitlements (for employees on fixed hours)

I’m often asked for a quick way to work out people’s holiday entitlements so here goes.  Please note that this applies to people working fixed hours only.

 Every employee working fixed hours is entitled to 5.6 weeks holiday (this includes their Bank Holiday/Public Holiday entitlement).

 To work out exactly how many days each employee is entitled to per year:

 Number of days a week worked         X          5.6      =            Annual holiday entitlement

So, on that basis, an employee who works full-time, five days a week, is entitled to 28 days holiday per year (5.6 x 5). 

A few points to note:

• Where the answer is not a round number, you should always round up (in favour of the employee).  For example, an employee working 3 days a week gets 17 days annual leave, despite the actual entitlement being 16.8. 
  
• This calculation does not apply when an employee’s hours change from week to week. 
• The figures include the Bank Holiday or Public Holiday entitlements.  All employees get these entitlements, regardless of what days of the week they actually work.  Some people think if an employee doesn’t usually work Mondays then they don’t get the same Bank Holiday entitlement – that’s not correct.