Work out the holiday pay you're actually owed, even on variable hours.
For site workers, zero-hours and irregular-hours staff whose employers 'don't do holiday pay' or roll it into the hourly rate (which is unlawful).
Sound familiar?
- “My contract says my hourly rate includes holiday pay. I've been told that's not allowed any more.”
- “I'm on zero hours. How the hell am I supposed to get holiday pay?”
- “I worked loads of overtime last year. Does that count towards my holiday rate?”
- “I left a firm three months ago and never got paid for the holiday I had left.”
What this tool does
Calculates your statutory holiday entitlement and holiday pay based on your hours worked, including the 52-week reference period for variable hours. It includes regular overtime where the law requires it.
Optional.
What the law actually says
- •The Working Time Regulations 1998 give you 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year (28 days for a five-day week). That's a floor, not a ceiling.
- •Holiday pay must be based on your 'normal pay'. That includes regular overtime, commission and shift premiums where they form part of your usual earnings.
- •Rolled-up holiday pay (a bit extra each hour instead of paid leave) is unlawful for most workers after the 2024 reforms, with narrow exceptions for irregular-hours staff.