Holiday pay calculator
Work out accrued but untaken statutory holiday pay owed to you when you leave a job.
Out of 365 days. If your leave year runs 1 January to 31 December and you leave on 30 June, that's roughly 181 days.
This is ordinary taxable pay, not part of the £30,000 tax-free termination-payment exemption. Figures are correct to our knowledge against the Working Time Regulations 1998 as at 22 August 2026, and are indicative only, not legal advice. Read how our figures are checked.
How is accrued holiday pay calculated on termination?
Statutory annual leave builds up at 5.6 weeks a year (capped at 28 days), pro-rated to how much of your leave year you worked before leaving. Subtract any days you have already taken, then multiply the remainder by your daily rate of pay to get the amount owed.
The standard accrual formula
Full-year entitlement (days) = 5.6 × contractual working days per week, capped at 28 days. Accrued entitlement = full-year entitlement × (days elapsed in the leave year / total days in the leave year). Amount owed = (accrued entitlement − days already taken) × daily rate of pay, where daily rate is weekly pay divided by working days per week.
How holiday pay appears in a settlement agreement
Accrued holiday pay is ordinary earnings, not compensation for loss of employment, so it is taxable in full, unlike the ex gratia element of a settlement payment that can benefit from the £30,000 tax-free threshold. A well-drafted settlement agreement itemises accrued holiday separately from that ex gratia sum. See our redundancy tax calculator for how the wider payment is split between taxable and tax-free elements.
Not sure your settlement agreement covers your holiday correctly?
Missing or miscalculated accrued holiday is a common gap in a first draft settlement agreement. Our SRA-regulated solicitors review your agreement the same working day. It is free to you when your employer pays the fee, which is the case in nearly every UK settlement agreement.
Holiday pay: frequently asked questions
How much holiday pay am I owed when I leave a job?
You are owed pay for any statutory annual leave you have accrued for the current leave year but not yet taken. Statutory leave builds up at 5.6 weeks a year (capped at 28 days), pro-rated to how much of the leave year you have worked, minus any days you have already taken.
Is accrued holiday pay taxed?
Yes. Unlike genuine redundancy or termination compensation, accrued holiday pay is ordinary earnings and is taxed as normal pay in full, whether it is paid through final payroll or listed as a line in a settlement agreement. It does not benefit from the £30,000 termination-payment exemption.
How does holiday pay appear in a settlement agreement?
A settlement agreement will usually itemise accrued but untaken holiday separately from any ex gratia termination payment, precisely because the two are taxed differently: holiday pay in full as earnings, the ex gratia element potentially tax-free up to £30,000. Check your agreement states the holiday figure and days it covers.
What if I have taken more holiday than I have accrued?
Some employers can lawfully deduct for holiday taken in excess of what has accrued, if the contract allows it. This calculator only shows what is owed to you for untaken accrued leave; it does not calculate a deduction the other way.
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<p style="margin:0 0 8px;font-size:13px;font-weight:600;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.03em;color:#00727a;">Statutory paid annual leave</p>
<p style="margin:0 0 8px;font-size:28px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.1;">5.6 weeks (capped at 28 days)</p>
<p style="margin:0 0 14px;font-size:13px;color:#5b6b6a;">Working Time Regulations 1998, regs 13 and 13A. Unused statutory leave is paid on termination even if the employer's own policy says otherwise.</p>
<p style="margin:0;font-size:12px;color:#5b6b6a;">Source: <a href="https://settlement-advice.com/holiday-pay-calculator/" style="color:#00727a;text-decoration:underline;" rel="noopener">Settlement Advice, holiday pay calculator</a></p>
</div>Please keep the attribution line and link back to the calculator. See /embed/ for terms of use.
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Correct to our knowledge as at 22 August 2026, indicative only, not legal advice. Read how our figures are checked.