NHS Annual Leave Calculator 2025/26

Part-time annual leave is calculated as: (Your contracted hours / 37.5) x full-time entitlement in hours. Bank holidays are calculated the same way. For example, working 20 hours per week with 3 years of service: WTE = 20 / 37.5 = 0.533. Annual leave = 0.533 x 202.5 = 108 hours. Bank holidays = 0.533 x 60 = 32 hours. Total = 140 hours. In Scotland, use 37 hours (or 36 from April 2026) instead of 37.5 as the full-time baseline. All calculations are in hours for fairness across different working patterns.

Yes, all previous NHS employment counts as reckonable service, even with gaps between jobs. This is different from some other employment rights where service must be continuous. It includes employment at any NHS Trust, Foundation Trust, NHS England, ICBs, CSUs, Health Education England, NHS Wales, NHS Scotland, or HSC Northern Ireland. Bank and locum agency work generally does not count. When joining a new NHS employer, inform HR immediately and provide evidence such as P45s, payslips, or a reference from your previous employer, to ensure you receive the correct entitlement from day one.

With manager approval, you can carry over up to 5 days (or one contracted week for part-time staff). In exceptional circumstances, managers may allow more. Staff on long-term sick leave can carry over the 20-day statutory minimum (pro-rata for part-time). Staff on maternity leave can carry over all untaken leave since you continue to accrue during maternity but cannot take it. Carry over should typically be used within 18 months. If work demands in the final quarter prevent you from taking leave, discuss carry over with your manager as early as possible.

Bank staff and zero-hours workers accrue leave at 12.07% of every hour worked. This rate comes from the Working Time Regulations: 5.6 weeks statutory entitlement divided by 46.4 working weeks = 12.07%. For example, 150 hours worked x 0.1207 = 18.1 hours accrued. Some trusts pay this as "rolled-up holiday pay" added to your hourly rate, while others let you book time off using accrued hours. Check with your trust's HR department for their specific approach. Bank and locum work generally does not count as reckonable service for the purpose of reaching the 5 or 10-year entitlement milestones.

If you start work in the first 7 days of a month, you receive the full annual leave entitlement for that month. If you start on or after the 8th, that month is not included. For example, starting on 5 October means October counts (giving you 6 months' entitlement from October to March). Starting on 12 October means only November to March counts (5 months). This rule affects how your part-year entitlement is calculated when you join mid-way through the leave year (1 April to 31 March).

When your contracted hours change during the leave year, your annual leave is recalculated by splitting the year into two periods. For each period, calculate: (months at those hours / 12) x pro-rata entitlement for those hours. Add the two figures together. For example, 6 months full-time then 6 months at 22.5 hours with 7 years' service: Part 1 = (37.5/37.5) x 217.5 x (6/12) = 108.75h. Part 2 = (22.5/37.5) x 217.5 x (6/12) = 65.25h. Total = 174 hours. Our calculator handles this automatically.