Estimate a proportional holiday allowance from standard weekly hours, your weekly hours, and the standard holiday allowance in hours or standard working days. This calculator does not determine statutory entitlement.
Compressed Hours Holiday Formula
The calculator uses hours as the base unit. If you enter minutes, the value is converted to hours before the calculation. If you enter holiday entitlement in days, the calculator converts days to hours using standard weekly hours divided by 5.
- CH = compressed hours holiday entitlement, in hours
- C = compressed weekly hours, in hours
- S = standard weekly hours, in hours
- H = holiday entitlement for the standard schedule, in hours
To solve for a missing value, the formula is rearranged as needed:
When holiday entitlement is entered or displayed in days, the calculator uses this conversion:
- Holiday Hours = holiday entitlement expressed in hours
- Holiday Days = holiday entitlement expressed in standard working days
- S / 5 = standard hours per day, assuming a 5-day standard working week
Choose the value to solve for and enter the remaining values. All four original solve modes are supported. Standard days assume a five-day standard week and require standard weekly hours for conversion. To solve for standard weekly hours, enter the standard holiday allowance in hours: with days, standard weekly hours cancels from the equation and cannot be uniquely determined.
Standard Week Day Conversions
Use this table to see how holiday days are converted into hours when the standard week is based on 5 working days.
| Standard Weekly Hours | Standard Hours Per Day | 28 Days in Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 35 hours | 7 hours | 196 hours |
| 37.5 hours | 7.5 hours | 210 hours |
| 40 hours | 8 hours | 224 hours |
Example Calculations
Example 1: Calculate compressed hours holiday
Your contracted weekly hours are 30, compared with a standard full-time week of 37.5 hours, and the standard holiday allowance is 210 hours. This is a reduction in weekly hours; compressed full-time hours instead mean the same weekly hours over fewer days.
The compressed hours holiday entitlement is 168 hours.
Example 2: Calculate holiday entitlement from compressed hours holiday
You have 168 hours of compressed holiday, work 30 compressed hours per week, and the standard week is 37.5 hours.
The standard holiday entitlement is 210 hours. With a 37.5-hour standard week, one standard day is 7.5 hours, so this is also 28 days.
FAQ
Why is holiday entitlement usually calculated in hours for compressed hours?
Holiday is usually clearer in hours because compressed schedules often have longer or uneven working days. A day of leave may not represent the same number of hours for every working pattern. Converting entitlement to hours helps compare working patterns. Use allowances for the same leave period and check employer policy, statutory rules and any bank-holiday treatment. This proportional model does not apply statutory rounding, caps, irregular-hours or part-year accrual rules. See GOV.UK guidance for regular working patterns and current leave-entitlement guidance.
Does working compressed hours reduce holiday entitlement?
Compressed hours do not automatically reduce entitlement if the total weekly hours stay the same. For example, someone working 37.5 hours over 4 longer days has the same weekly hours as someone working 37.5 hours over 5 days. The entitlement may be tracked differently, usually in hours, but the total paid time off can remain equivalent.
Can I enter holiday entitlement in days?
Yes, but standard weekly hours must be entered. The calculator converts days into hours by dividing standard weekly hours by 5, then multiplying by the number of holiday days. For example, if standard weekly hours are 37.5, one standard day is 7.5 hours.
