Pro-rata holiday calculator

“Pro-rata” just means in proportion. A part-timer gets the same 5.6 weeks as a full-timer — a week simply contains fewer of their working days. Starting or leaving mid-year scales the annual figure by the fraction of the leave year you're employed.

The pro-rata rule

2026/27

days per week × 5.6 × months employed ÷ 12

Employers normally round a starter's figure up to the nearest half day (gov.uk practice); it can't be rounded down below the statutory amount.

Your pattern and period

12 for a full year; a starter joining halfway = 6. Part months count — use 7.5 for 7½ months.

Worked examples

Common pro-rata results (statutory minimum)
PatternPeriodEntitlement
3 days/weekfull year16.8 days
2 days/weekfull year11.2 days
5 days/week6 months14 days
4 days/week9 months16.8 days
2.5 days/weekfull year14 days

The same proportion applies to contractual extras: if the full-time deal is 33 days including bank holidays, a 3-day-a-week colleague gets 33 × 3/5 = 19.8. For how the 8 bank holidays are shared fairly, see the bank-holiday pro-rata page.

Common questions

How do I pro-rata holiday for a new starter?
Multiply the full-year entitlement by the months remaining in the leave year ÷ 12 (or days remaining ÷ 365 for precision). A 5-day worker joining with 6 months left: 28 × 6/12 = 14 days. Round up to the nearest half day.
Do part-timers get paid the same for a day's holiday?
A day's holiday pay reflects that person's normal pay for that day. Pro-rata affects how many days you get, not the value of each one.
What about compressed hours — full-time in 4 days?
Work in hours instead of days: 37.5 hours over 4 days still earns 5.6 × 37.5 = 210 hours, but each day off uses ~9.4 hours. The main calculator has an hours mode for exactly this.
My hours vary every week — can I still use this?
No — irregular and zero-hours patterns accrue at 12.07% of hours actually worked instead. Use the zero-hours calculator.

Sources for the figures on this page

Last checked 3 July 2026

How we keep these current: methodology & update policy.