How NHS annual leave works
Full-time staff in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland get 27 days on appointment, rising to 29 days after 5 years of NHS service, and 33 days after 10 years, all plus 8 bank holidays. Wales gives one extra day at every tier: 28, 30 and 34 days.
Entitlement is worked out in hours, not just days, because "days" alone doesn't fairly reflect part-time working patterns. Your full-time entitlement is converted to hours, then scaled by the ratio of your contracted hours to a full-time week, giving you a fair figure regardless of how your hours are spread across the week.
Bank holidays for part-time staff
Bank holidays are pro-rated into hours too, so part-time staff get a fair equivalent regardless of which specific days they're contracted to work. If a bank holiday falls on a day you don't normally work, you still build up an equivalent amount of leave to take at another time.
Scotland's shorter working week
Scotland's standard full-time week reduces from 37.5 to 36 hours from 1 April 2026. The leave tiers themselves (27/29/33 days) are the same as England and Northern Ireland, but because each "day" now represents fewer standard hours in Scotland, the hours-equivalent of that same day-count is slightly different there.
Example annual leave calculations
These worked examples come straight from the calculator above, so the figures match exactly what you'd see entering the same numbers yourself.
New starter, England, full-time
37.5 hrs/wk · 0 yrs service
- Total leave
- 262.5 hrs
- Equivalent days
- 35
7 years' service, Wales
37.5 hrs/wk · 7 yrs service
- Total leave
- 285 hrs
- Equivalent days
- 38
12 years' service, Scotland
36 hrs/wk · 12 yrs service
- Total leave
- 295.2 hrs
- Equivalent days
- 41
Part-time (22.5 hrs), 3 years
22.5 hrs/wk · 3 yrs service
- Total leave
- 157.5 hrs
- Equivalent days
- 35
Frequently asked questions
How much annual leave do NHS staff get?
Under Agenda for Change, full-time staff in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland get 27 days on appointment, rising to 29 days after 5 years of NHS service, and 33 days after 10 years, all plus 8 bank holidays. Wales gives one extra day at every tier: 28, 30 and 34 days.
Why is my leave entitlement shown in hours, not just days?
Because 'days' alone doesn't fairly reflect entitlement for everyone's working pattern. Someone working 3 long days a week and someone working 5 short days a week could have the same total contracted hours but very different numbers of 'days off' available. Converting entitlement to hours first, then pro-rating by your contracted hours, is the standard NHS method and gives a fairer, more accurate figure — you can then think of it in days based on your own typical working pattern.
Do part-time staff get bank holidays too?
Yes, pro-rated into hours, regardless of which specific days you're contracted to work. This means if a bank holiday falls on a day you don't normally work, you still build up an equivalent amount of leave you can take at another time, rather than losing out simply because of which days you're rostered.
Does 'years of NHS service' mean service with my current employer only?
No, it generally means continuous service across the NHS as a whole, not just with your current Trust or Health Board, as long as there hasn't been a disqualifying break in service. If you've moved between NHS employers, your prior NHS service usually still counts towards your leave tier — check with your current employer's HR team to confirm your recognised service date.
Is annual leave calculated differently in Scotland because of the 36-hour week?
The leave tiers themselves (27/29/33 days) are the same as England and Northern Ireland, but because Scotland's standard full-time week reduces to 36 hours from 1 April 2026 (down from 37.5), the HOURS equivalent of that same number of days is slightly lower in Scotland than elsewhere, since each 'day' represents fewer standard hours.
Methodology and assumptions
This NHS annual leave calculator assumes:
- Continuous NHS service, with no disqualifying break affecting your leave tier.
- A standard Agenda for Change contract, with no local variations, additional contractual leave, or unused carry-over from a previous year.
- Bank holiday entitlement is pro-rated into hours for all staff, following standard NHS practice for fairness across different working patterns.
- All figures are rounded to 2 decimal places.
For your NHS take-home pay, see the NHS Pay Calculator.
Sources
Leave entitlement figures are taken directly from:
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