Statutory Protected Carryover

How this calculation works

The Working Time Regulations 1998 protect 4 weeks of your annual leave (Regulation 13) specifically when you couldn't take it for a defined reason — long-term sickness, maternity, parental, shared parental or carer's leave. Where one of these applies, you're entitled to carry the unused portion into the next leave year, pro-rated to your working pattern rather than lost outright.

This protected carryover must be used within 18 months of the end of the leave year in which it accrued, and it continues to accrue while you're off — holiday doesn't stop building up just because you're on long-term sick leave or family leave. It's a distinct right from any contractual carryover your employer's policy might separately allow.