United Kingdom Leave Laws & Holidays

A practical guide to statutory leave and time-off rights in the United Kingdom — annual leave, public holidays, sick pay, family leave and more. Every figure below comes from official UK government guidance on gov.uk. Statutory pay rates shown are for the 2026–27 tax year (from 6 April 2026).

At a Glance

1. Statutory Annual Leave (Paid Holiday)

Almost all workers in the UK are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year (known as statutory annual leave or statutory holiday entitlement).

• For someone working a 5-day week, this equals 28 days of paid leave per year.
• Statutory paid holiday entitlement is capped at 28 days. An employee working six days a week is still only legally entitled to 28 days (not 33.6).
• An employer can offer more than the statutory minimum (contractual holiday), but cannot offer less.

Part-Time and Irregular-Hours Workers

• Part-time workers are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks, which works out as fewer than 28 days. Example: someone working 3 days a week is entitled to 16.8 days (3 × 5.6).
• Irregular-hours and part-year workers build up ("accrue") holiday based on the hours they have actually worked, rather than receiving a fixed number of days up front.

Bank Holidays and Annual Leave

Bank or public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave. An employer can choose to:

• include bank holidays as part of the 5.6-week statutory entitlement, or
• give them on top of statutory annual leave.

This is set by the employment contract.

Holiday Pay, Accrual and Carry-Over

• Workers are entitled to be paid their normal rate during statutory annual leave.
• Holiday continues to accrue during maternity, paternity, adoption and sick leave.
• Unused statutory leave can sometimes be carried over to the next year depending on the circumstances and contract.
• On leaving a job, workers must be paid for any statutory leave they have accrued but not taken.

2. Public (Bank) Holidays

The UK has separate bank holiday calendars for England & Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. There is no automatic legal right to take bank holidays off or to be paid extra for working them — this depends on the employment contract.

Substitute-day rule: if a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a "substitute" weekday becomes the bank holiday — normally the following Monday.

Bank Holidays 2026 — England & Wales (8)

Bank Holidays 2026 — Scotland (9)

Bank Holidays 2026 — Northern Ireland (10)

Key differences: Scotland observes 2nd January and St Andrew's Day (30 November). Northern Ireland uniquely observes St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July, with a substitute Monday in 2026). Scotland's summer bank holiday falls in early August, while England & Wales and Northern Ireland take theirs at the end of August.

3. Working Time and Rest Breaks

Maximum Weekly Working Hours

• Workers cannot be required to work more than 48 hours a week on average, normally averaged over a 17-week period.
• Workers can choose to opt out of the 48-hour limit in writing.
• Under-18s cannot work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week and cannot opt out.
• Some roles are exempt from the 48-hour average — for example armed forces, emergency services, security and surveillance, domestic workers in a private household, sea/air/road transport, and managing executives who control their own hours.

Rest Breaks (Workers Aged 18+)

• Daily break at work: one uninterrupted 20-minute rest break during the working day if working more than 6 hours a day.
• Daily rest: 11 hours' rest between working days.
• Weekly rest: an uninterrupted 24 hours without work each week, or 48 hours each fortnight.

4. Sick Leave — Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

Statutory Sick Pay is the legal minimum an employer must pay an eligible employee who is off work sick.

• Rate (2026–27): £123.25 a week, or 80% of the employee's average weekly earnings — whichever is lower.
• Duration: paid by the employer for up to 28 weeks.
• Paid for the days the employee normally works ("qualifying days").

Important Change from 6 April 2026

The Employment Rights Act 2025 reformed SSP. From 6 April 2026:

• No more waiting days — SSP is now payable from the first qualifying day of sickness (previously the first 3 days were unpaid).
• No Lower Earnings Limit — SSP is available to all eligible employees regardless of how much they earn (previously employees had to earn at least £125 a week / the Lower Earnings Limit). This is why the rate is now the lower of £123.25 or 80% of average weekly earnings.

Other Rules

• Employees must tell their employer they are sick before the employer's deadline (or within 7 days if none is set).
• A fit note is required if the employee is off for more than 7 days in a row (including non-working days).
• Many employers offer contractual ("occupational") sick pay that is more generous than SSP.

5. Maternity Leave and Pay

Statutory Maternity Leave

• Total of 52 weeks, made up of 26 weeks' Ordinary Maternity Leave + 26 weeks' Additional Maternity Leave.
• Eligible employees can take it as a day-one right (no minimum service needed for leave itself).
• The earliest leave can start is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth.
• At least 2 weeks' leave is compulsory immediately after the birth (4 weeks for factory workers).
• Leave can start automatically if the baby arrives early, or if the employee is off with a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the due week.
• At least 8 weeks' notice is required to change the return-to-work date.

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)

Paid for up to 39 weeks:

• First 6 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings (before tax).
• Remaining 33 weeks: £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower.

To qualify for SMP, an employee generally needs sufficient continuous service and earnings. Tax and National Insurance are deducted as with normal pay.

6. Paternity Leave and Pay

Statutory Paternity Leave

• Up to 2 weeks' leave.
• Can be taken as one 2-week block or as two separate 1-week blocks (a flexibility introduced from April 2024).
• Leave cannot start before the birth and must end within 52 weeks of the birth (or due date if the baby is early).
• 28 days' notice is required to change the start date.
• The same entitlement applies even with more than one child (e.g. twins).

Statutory Paternity Pay

• £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower.

7. Shared Parental Leave and Pay (SPL / ShPP)

Shared Parental Leave lets parents share leave and pay in the child's first year, after having a baby, using a surrogate, adopting, or fostering-to-adopt.

• Parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between them.
• The amount available depends on how much maternity (or adoption) leave and pay the mother/primary adopter chooses not to take. Example: if the mother takes 22 weeks of Maternity Leave and pay, the couple can share the remaining 30 weeks of SPL and 17 weeks of ShPP.
• Leave can be taken in blocks, allowing parents to be off together or at different times.
• Statutory Shared Parental Pay: £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower.
• Parents must give their employer the required notice of how they intend to use the leave.

8. Adoption Leave and Pay

Statutory Adoption Leave

• Total of 52 weeks — 26 weeks Ordinary + 26 weeks Additional Adoption Leave.
• Leave can start up to 14 days before the child starts living with the adopter (UK adoptions); when the child arrives in the UK or within 28 days (overseas adoptions); or the day the child is born or the day after (surrogacy).
• Only one person in a couple can take adoption leave; the other may be eligible for paternity leave.
• 8 weeks' notice to change the return-to-work date.

Statutory Adoption Pay

Paid for up to 39 weeks:

• First 6 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings.
• Remaining 33 weeks: £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower.

9. Neonatal Care Leave and Pay

A newer entitlement (introduced for babies born on or after 6 April 2025) for parents whose baby needs neonatal care.

• Up to 12 weeks of Neonatal Care Leave — a day-one right for eligible employees.
• Qualifying condition: the baby spends 7 or more continuous days in neonatal care.
• One week of leave is earned for every 7 consecutive days the baby is in neonatal care.
• It is taken on top of other leave such as maternity or paternity leave.
• All leave must be taken within 68 weeks of the baby's birth.
• Statutory Neonatal Care Pay: £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower. Pay requires at least 26 weeks' continuous employment and meeting the earnings condition.
• Available to employees in England, Scotland and Wales.

10. Unpaid Parental Leave

Separate from Shared Parental Leave, this is unpaid leave to care for a child.

• 18 weeks per child (and per adopted child), available up to the child's 18th birthday.
• Usually limited to a maximum of 4 weeks per child per year (unless the employer agrees otherwise).
• Must be taken in whole weeks, unless the employer agrees otherwise or the child is disabled.
• Generally requires 1 year's continuous employment.
• Entitlement is attached to the child, not the job — unused weeks carry over if the employee changes employer.
• Employment rights (such as holiday accrual and the right to return to a job) are protected during the leave.

11. Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay

Also known as "Jack's Law." Available to parents who lose a child under 18 or have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

• 2 weeks' leave — a day-one right for the leave itself.
• Can be taken as 2 weeks together, 2 separate weeks, or just 1 week.
• Must be taken within 56 weeks of the date of death or stillbirth.
• Applies separately to each child who has died.
• Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay: £194.32 a week, or 90% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower. Pay requires at least 26 weeks' continuous employment.

12. Carer's Leave

A day-one right (introduced April 2024) to take time off to care for or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need.

• Up to 1 week of unpaid leave every 12 months ("a week" = the time normally worked over 7 days).
• Can be taken as a whole week, individual days, or half-days.
• If caring for more than one person, still only one week per 12 months, but it can be used across more than one dependant.
• Notice: at least 3 days' notice for a half/full day; for longer periods, at least twice as long as the leave requested.

13. Time Off for Dependants (Emergencies)

A day-one right to a reasonable amount of time off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant (spouse, partner, child, grandchild, parent, or someone who relies on the employee for care).

• No set limit on the amount of time or the number of occasions — it depends on the situation.
• Typically used to handle the immediate emergency and make longer-term arrangements (e.g. a child falls ill: go to the doctor and arrange care).
• Usually unpaid — the employer may pay but is not required to.
• Cannot be used for situations the employee knew about in advance.

14. Other Statutory Time Off

UK employees also have statutory rights to reasonable time off for certain public duties and activities, including:

• Jury service — employees must be allowed time off; the employer is not legally required to pay them, but may claim a loss-of-earnings allowance from the court.
• Public duties — e.g. acting as a magistrate (Justice of the Peace), local councillor, or school governor.
• Trade union duties and activities, and acting as an employee representative.
• Antenatal appointments for pregnant employees (and partners may take time off to attend some appointments).

These rights generally cover reasonable time off and are often unpaid unless the contract says otherwise.

Statutory Pay Rates Summary (2026–27 Tax Year, from 6 April 2026)

Recent and Upcoming Changes to Watch

• SSP reform (from 6 April 2026): the 3 unpaid waiting days and the Lower Earnings Limit have been removed — SSP is now paid from the first qualifying day to all eligible employees regardless of earnings.
• Neonatal Care Leave and Pay (from 6 April 2025): a new day-one right of up to 12 weeks for parents of babies needing neonatal care.
• The wider Employment Rights Act 2025 continues to phase in reforms to UK employment rights — check gov.uk for the latest position before relying on any single entitlement.

Sources

All facts are taken from official UK government guidance on gov.uk:

• Holiday entitlement
• UK bank holidays
• Maximum weekly working hours and Rest breaks at work
• Statutory Sick Pay and SSP changes from 6 April 2026
• Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027
• Maternity pay and leave
• Paternity pay and leave
• Shared Parental Leave and Pay
• Adoption pay and leave
• Neonatal Care Pay and Leave
• Unpaid parental leave
• Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay
• Carer's leave
• Time off for dependants
• Jury duty and Time off for public duties

This guide is for general information only and is not legal advice. UK employment law changes regularly, and many entitlements depend on individual circumstances. Always confirm current rules on gov.uk or with a qualified adviser.