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Holiday calculator

Holiday Pay Calculator

Work out UK holiday pay for irregular or variable hours. Use the 52-week average for a week of leave, or the rolled-up 12.07% method for irregular-hours and part-year workers. Free, no signup.

Free, no signup52-week and 12.07% methodsgov.uk method
How your holiday pay is worked out
Add up your pay across the paid weeks below, before tax
£
Usually 52. Skip any weeks you had no pay and count back further, up to 104 weeks
wks
How many weeks of holiday you want the pay for
wks
A week’s holiday pay is your average weekly pay over the last 52 paid weeks. Weeks with no pay are left out.
Holiday pay
£120.00
That's your average weekly pay, which is the pay for one week of holiday.
Reference periodPaid weeks counted52 weeks
Average weekly payOne week of holiday pay£120.00
Average day (5-day week)£24.00
Pay for 1 week of leaveWeekly average × weeks taken£120.00
Want your leave in days first? The holiday entitlement calculator works out how much holiday you get.
A week’s pay is the average over the last 52 paid weeks, ignoring unpaid weeks, counting back up to 104 weeks. A guide, not advice.
Simon Chadwick
Simon Chadwick
Founder, Orbit Money
Method: 52-week average and 12.07% rolled-up (gov.uk)Updated: 16 July 2026Sources: gov.uk holiday pay reforms 2024, gov.uk calculate holiday pay

Holiday pay for variable and irregular hours

Holiday pay is the money you get while you take your paid leave, and it is separate from how much leave you are owed. If your hours or pay change week to week, working out a fair rate takes a bit more than dividing an annual salary. There are two methods in UK law, and which one applies depends on your working pattern.

The 52-week average method

For a week of leave, your holiday pay is your average weekly pay over the last 52 paid weeks. Add up the pay from those weeks and divide by 52. Weeks where you had no pay are ignored, so you count back further, up to 104 weeks, until you reach 52 paid weeks. For example, £6,240 earned across 52 paid weeks gives £120 a week, so a week of holiday is paid at £120. If you have worked for less than 52 weeks, use the number of weeks you have worked.

Rolled-up holiday pay at 12.07%

For leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, irregular-hours and part-year workers can be paid rolled-up holiday pay at 12.07% of the pay they earn in each period. The 12.07% comes from 5.6 weeks of statutory leave divided by the 46.4 working weeks in a year. So £2,000 of pay carries £241.40 of holiday pay (£2,000 × 12.07%). The holiday pay is added to each payslip as a separate line, so you are paid your holiday as you go rather than in a lump sum when you take leave.

Which method applies to you

Rolled-up holiday pay is only for irregular-hours and part-year workers, and only for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. An irregular-hours worker has pay hours that are wholly or mostly variable under their contract. A part-year worker works only part of the year with unpaid periods of at least a week. Everyone else uses the 52-week average, paid when they take their leave. If you are unsure which one your employer uses, check your contract or payslip, since the rolled-up amount should appear as its own line.

Overtime, commission and what counts as pay

For the first 4 weeks of statutory leave, holiday pay should match your normal pay, including regular overtime and commission. The remaining 1.6 weeks can be paid at basic pay. When you use the 52-week average, include variable pay in the total so the weekly figure reflects what you earn, not just your base rate.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate holiday pay for variable hours?
For a week of leave, use your average weekly pay over the last 52 paid weeks. Add up the pay from those weeks and divide by 52. Skip any week you had no pay and count back further, up to 104 weeks, until you reach 52 paid weeks. If you have worked for less than 52 weeks, use the number of weeks you have worked instead.
What is 12.07% holiday pay?
12.07% is the rolled-up holiday pay rate for irregular-hours and part-year workers. It comes from 5.6 weeks of statutory leave divided by the 46.4 working weeks in a year. So on £2,000 of pay, the holiday pay is £241.40 (2,000 × 12.07%). It can be paid on each payslip rather than when you take leave.
Is rolled-up holiday pay legal in the UK?
Yes, for leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024. Rolled-up holiday pay at 12.07% is allowed for irregular-hours and part-year workers only. It must be shown as a separate line on the payslip. For workers with fixed hours, holiday pay is still paid at the time leave is taken.
How is the 52-week reference period worked out?
You take the average of the last 52 weeks in which you were paid. Weeks with no pay are left out, and you go back further, up to 104 weeks, to make up 52 paid weeks. This average becomes your pay for one week of holiday. It is the standard method for workers whose pay changes week to week.
How do you work out rolled-up holiday pay?
Multiply your total pay in the pay period by 12.07%. For example, £1,000 of pay gives £120.70 of holiday pay, and £2,000 gives £241.40. The holiday pay is added to your normal pay each period, so you are paid your holiday as you earn rather than in a lump sum when you take leave.
How does holiday pay work for zero-hours contracts?
Zero-hours workers usually count as irregular-hours workers, so for leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024 they can be paid rolled-up holiday pay at 12.07% of the pay earned in each period. On £500 of pay that adds £60.35 of holiday pay to the payslip as a separate line. The alternative is the 52-week average method, where a week of leave is paid at your average weekly pay over the last 52 paid weeks, ignoring any weeks you had no pay and counting back up to 104 weeks to reach 52.
Does holiday pay include overtime and commission?
For the first 4 weeks of statutory leave, holiday pay should reflect normal pay, which includes regular overtime, commission and similar payments. The remaining 1.6 weeks can be paid at basic pay. When you use the 52-week average, include this variable pay so the weekly figure matches what you normally earn.

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Simon Chadwick
About the author
Simon Chadwick
Founder of Orbit Money

Simon is the founder of Orbit Money, a tool that helps people track subscriptions and recurring spend. He builds Orbit's free money calculators and writes about personal finance for UK and Australian readers.

More from Simon →
This tool estimates holiday pay as a guide, not employment advice. Which method applies depends on your working pattern and contract. Figures follow gov.uk.