What is statutory annual leave?

Every employee is entitled to paid time off. The statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks per year. Your contract can offer more. You're paid your normal rate for holiday.

5.6 weeks per year minimum. This is roughly 20 days for a standard 5-day week.

The calculation: your weekly hours × 5.6 = annual leave entitlement. For a 40-hour week, that's 224 hours/year (or 28 days).

If you work part-time (20 hours/week), your leave is 112 hours/year (also pro-rata).

This depends on your contract. Some contracts include bank holidays in the 5.6 weeks (so 20 days takes up statutory leave). Others are separate. Check your contract.

If you work weekends or shifts and don't get standard bank holidays off, your leave entitlement isn't reduced—you still get 5.6 weeks.

Your employer decides when you take leave (subject to reasonable notice). You can request times, but your employer can refuse if business needs require it. You cannot carry over unused leave unless your contract allows it (and even then, at least 2 weeks must be used each year).

If you leave your job, your employer must pay you for accrued but unused holiday. This is a legal entitlement—your employer cannot withhold it.

If you've had 15 days off from a 20-day entitlement and leave, you should be paid for the remaining 5 days.

You're paid at your normal rate. For salaried employees, this is simple—your salary divided by the number of working days, × number of holiday days. For hourly workers, it's hourly rate × hours.

Bonuses and commissions: These don't automatically become part of holiday pay unless your contract says they do. Check your contract.