Answers · UK 2025/26

How is holiday pay calculated for part-time workers?

Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks of statutory paid holiday as full-timers, but in proportion to the days they work. Someone working 3 days a week gets 5.6 multiplied by 3, about 16.8 days of paid holiday a year, paid at their normal rate of pay.

Last updated: 7 June 2026Last reviewed: 7 June 2026How we verify

Full answer

Part-time workers are entitled to the same statutory holiday as full-time workers, calculated on a pro-rata basis. The legal minimum in the UK is 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. For a full-time worker on five days a week this works out at 28 days, which can include bank holidays. For a part-time worker, you multiply 5.6 by the number of days you work each week. So someone working three days a week is entitled to 5.6 multiplied by 3, which is 16.8 days of paid holiday a year, and someone working four days a week gets 5.6 multiplied by 4, which is 22.4 days. Part-day entitlements are usually rounded up or managed in hours rather than forcing you to take fractions of a day. For workers with irregular hours or who work part of the year, holiday is often worked out as 12.07% of the hours they actually work, reflecting the proportion that 5.6 weeks bears to the rest of the working year. Holiday pay must be paid at your normal rate of pay, and for workers without fixed hours it is based on average earnings over the previous 52 weeks in which you were paid, ignoring weeks with no pay. This average should include regular overtime, commission and similar payments, not just basic pay, so your holiday pay reflects what you usually earn. You cannot normally be paid in lieu of statutory holiday except when your job ends. Use a holiday pay or take-home pay calculator to work out your pro-rata entitlement and what each day of holiday is worth.