Variable & irregular hours

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Zero-hours, irregular and annualised contracts accrue holiday as you work it. Since April 2024 the standard method is 12.07% of hours worked — enter the hours in a period to see the leave earned.

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How this calculation works

Since 6 April 2024, holiday for irregular-hours and part-year workers accrues at 12.07% of the hours actually worked in each pay period. The figure isn't arbitrary: 5.6 weeks of leave is 12.07% of the 46.4 working weeks left in a 52-week year, so applying 12.07% reproduces the statutory entitlement however unpredictable the hours are.

Employers may pay this as rolled-up holiday pay, but it must appear as a separate, itemised 12.07% uplift on the payslip rather than being folded into the basic rate. Alternatively it can be banked into a balance drawn down when leave is taken — one method, applied consistently.