UK holiday pay and leave compliance, handled automatically
Statutory entitlement, carry-over limits, and irregular-hours accrual - configured once, applied consistently, and backed by an audit-ready record. Built on TimeClock 365's leave management engine.
28 days (5.6 weeks) pro-rated automatically for full-time and part-time staff.
Separate rules for the 4-week and 1.6-week portions of statutory leave.
Clean data for the 52-week average method or rolled-up holiday pay.
Audit-ready recordsEvery request, approval, and balance change timestamped automatically.
Built-in UK public holiday calendar alongside 20+ other countries.
Payroll integrationApproved leave flows straight into attendance reports and payroll export.
Statutory Entitlement
Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, most UK workers on a 5-day week are entitled to at least 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid annual leave a year - this is the legal minimum, and employers can offer more but not less. Part-time staff are entitled to the same 5.6 weeks pro-rated for the days or hours they actually work.
TimeClock 365 lets you configure the statutory minimum (or your own more generous policy) once per employee group, and the correct pro-rated entitlement is applied automatically for every full-time, part-time, and new starter - no manual pro-rating in a spreadsheet.
- Set entitlement in days or hours, per employee group
- Automatic pro-rating for part-time and mid-year starters
- Separate policies for full-time, part-time, and contractor staff
- Entitlement visible to both employees and managers at all times
Carry-Over Limits
UK statutory leave is made up of two parts with different carry-over rules: the 4-week "Regulation 13" portion, which generally cannot be carried over except where a worker was unable to take it (for example due to long-term sickness or family-related leave), and the 1.6-week "Regulation 13A" portion, which can be carried over into the next leave year by written agreement.
TimeClock 365 lets you set independent carry-over limits per leave type, so the two portions of statutory leave - and any additional contractual holiday you offer on top - are each governed by their own rule, applied automatically at year-end.
- Separate carry-over limits for statutory and contractual leave
- Configurable maximum days that roll over each year
- Automatic year-end carry-over calculation - no manual adjustment
- Full history of what carried over and when
Irregular-Hours & Part-Year Accrual
Since 1 April 2024, employers have been permitted to use rolled-up holiday pay for irregular-hours and part-year workers - adding a 12.07% uplift (5.6 weeks divided by 46.4 working weeks) to each pay packet instead of paying for leave separately. The alternative is to pay holiday pay when leave is taken, calculated using a 52-week reference period of average pay.
Whichever method you use, it depends on having accurate hours-worked and pay data. TimeClock 365 tracks actual hours and accrued entitlement for irregular-hours staff continuously, giving payroll clean, auditable figures for whichever calculation method you apply - instead of reconstructing hours from timesheets after the fact.
- Continuous accrual tracking for irregular and variable hours
- Clean hours-worked data exportable for either calculation method
- Separate accrual policy for part-year and zero-hours staff
- No manual recalculation each pay period
Audit-Ready Records
UK employers are expected to keep clear records of leave taken, entitlement, and pay calculations - and to be able to produce them on request. Reconstructing this from email threads and spreadsheets after the fact is where most compliance gaps happen.
In TimeClock 365, every leave request, manager approval or decline, accrual adjustment, and balance change is timestamped and stored automatically. Instead of assembling records manually when they're needed, you can pull a complete, accurate history for any employee or date range at any time.
- Timestamped history of every leave request and decision
- Accrual and balance-adjustment audit trail
- Reports by employee, department, or date range
- No manual reconstruction of records under time pressure
UK Bank Holidays
There's no automatic legal right to bank holidays off in the UK - whether they're paid, unpaid, or included within statutory entitlement depends on the employment contract. Whatever policy you set, TimeClock 365's built-in UK public holiday calendar keeps it consistent and visible to everyone.
- Built-in UK bank holiday calendar, kept up to date
- Configure whether bank holidays count toward statutory entitlement
- Public holiday calendars for 20+ other countries for international teams
- Visible on the team leave calendar alongside booked leave
Payroll Integration
Approved leave in TimeClock 365 flows directly into attendance records and payroll export - correctly categorized as paid holiday, unpaid leave, sick pay, or whatever category applies - with no manual re-entry between systems.
- Approved leave auto-populates attendance records
- Leave data included in payroll export automatically
- Correct categorization for holiday, sick, and unpaid leave
- Works with all clock-in methods: biometric, mobile, web
This page provides general information about UK holiday entitlement to explain how TimeClock 365's features apply to it - it is not legal advice. Holiday law involves circumstances specific to your business and workforce. For guidance on your specific obligations, consult ACAS or a qualified employment solicitor.
Frequently asked questions
How much statutory holiday are UK employees entitled to?
Most workers on a 5-day week are entitled to at least 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid annual leave per year, pro-rated for part-time staff. This is the legal minimum under the Working Time Regulations 1998 - employers can offer more but not less. TimeClock 365 lets you configure this entitlement per employee group and have it applied automatically.
How does holiday carry-over work under UK law?
Statutory leave has two parts: 4 weeks (Regulation 13) which generally cannot be carried over except in specific cases like long-term sickness or family leave, and 1.6 weeks (Regulation 13A) which can be carried over by written agreement. TimeClock 365 lets you set separate carry-over limits per leave type so each rule is applied consistently.
Does TimeClock 365 handle holiday pay for irregular-hours and zero-hours workers?
TimeClock 365 tracks accrual and hours worked for irregular-hours and part-year staff, giving payroll the clean, auditable data needed to apply either the 52-week average method or rolled-up holiday pay (the 12.07% accrual method permitted for irregular-hours and part-year workers since 1 April 2024).
Does TimeClock 365 help with UK record-keeping requirements?
Yes. Every leave request, approval, accrual adjustment, and balance change is timestamped and kept in an audit trail, so you can produce accurate holiday records on request rather than reconstructing them from spreadsheets or email threads.
Can I set different holiday policies for different employee groups?
Yes. You can configure separate accrual schedules, carry-over limits, and balance caps for full-time, part-time, and contractor groups, so statutory pro-rating is applied correctly for each.
Is this a legal advice service?
No. TimeClock 365 is software that helps you apply the holiday policy you configure consistently and keep clean records. For advice on your specific legal obligations, consult ACAS or a qualified employment solicitor.