Holidays, Public Holidays & Breaks

Daily Breaks

Employees working 6+ hours are entitled to a minimum 20-minute break - unpaid.

Weekly Rest

Employees must receive:

• At least 24 hours of uninterrupted rest every 7 days, or

By agreement:

• Two 24-hour rest periods in 14 days, or
• One 48-hour rest period in 14 days.

Start of Rest Periods

Default is 00:01 on Sunday, unless otherwise agreed.

Interrupted Rest

If an employee is required to:

• Be available for work, or
• Attend or be near the workplace, then compensatory rest must be given within 14 days.

Tribunal Claims

Employees may claim up to 8 weeks’ pay for breaches of rest period entitlements.

Statutory Minimum Leave

• 3 weeks paid annual leave per year.

Rolled up holiday pay (6%) should only be used in zero-hour contracts. 

Leave Year

• Can start on a date specified in a contract (e.g. Jan 1 or Apr 1).
• If unspecified, it starts on the employment start date.

Pro-Rata Entitlement

• Applies if employment starts more than 28 days before leave year ends.
• Leave is calculated in days, rounded up to the nearest whole day.

• Fixed Pay: Based on regular wage for normal hours.
• Variable Pay: Use average hourly rate over the previous 52 weeks, excluding commission. 
• Irregular Hours: Use average weekly hours and pay over 52 (working) weeks. 
• No Normal Hours: Use average weekly pay for weeks with payment over the past 52 (working) weeks.
• Minimum Wage Rule: If calculated pay is below minimum wage, the minimum wage prevails.

Unused Leave:

• Employee receives payment in lieu.
• Excess Leave Taken: Employer may recover payment for extra days taken.

Example: 20 days annual leave = 1.67 days/month.

• If employment ends on June 30, entitlement = 10 days.
• If only 5 days taken → 5 days’ pay owed.
• If 15 days taken → 5 days’ pay recoverable by employer.

• Paid leave on Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Public/Bank Holidays.
• If required to work on these days, paid days off in lieu must be provided.