Holiday Calculator

How the 12.07% rule works

Almost all UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid statutory holiday a year (4 weeks under regulation 13 of the Working Time Regulations, plus 1.6 weeks under regulation 13A). That leaves 46.4 working weeks in the year.

Dividing the holiday by the time actually worked gives the accrual rate:

5.6 ÷ 46.4 = 0.1207 → 12.07%

So for every hour worked, a worker accrues 12.07% of an hour as paid holiday.

Who it’s for

The 12.07% method is used for workers with irregular hours, casual, zero-hours or part-year contracts, where a fixed weekly entitlement doesn’t fit. Staff on fixed, regular hours instead have holiday pay based on a rolling 52-week average of earnings (including overtime and commission), so this calculator isn’t the right tool for them.

Is this still valid? (April 2026 update)

Yes. The 12.07% accrual method — and the option of rolled-up holiday pay introduced in 2024 — remain valid for irregular-hours and part-year workers under the rules in force from April 2026. The statutory 5.6-week entitlement is unchanged.

What changed in April 2026 is record-keeping: employers must now keep adequate records of holiday entitlement, leave taken and how holiday pay was calculated, and retain them for six years. So keep a note of each calculation you make here.

This calculator is a guide based on UK statutory minimums. It does not account for contractual holiday above the statutory minimum, bank holidays, or individual circumstances. For complex cases, check current GOV.UK guidance or take professional advice.