Introduction
This Pro Rata Holiday Calculator works out how much paid holiday someone should get when they do not work a full year or a full week. Part-time staff, new starters, and people leaving a job all get a share of the full-time holiday, not the whole amount. This tool works out that share for you.
Just fill in a few details. Tell the calculator how many days a week your company counts as full-time, how many holiday days a full-time worker gets, and when your leave year starts. Then add the employee's working days per week and their start or leaving date if they have one. The answer shows up right away.
You get the pro rata holiday entitlement rounded up to the nearest half day, plus the exact number before rounding. You also see what share of the leave year is covered, a month-by-month accrual table, and simple charts. A step-by-step section shows the full sum, so you can check the maths or explain it to staff. If you would rather track holiday as it builds up hour by hour, the PTO Accrual Calculator covers that side of things.
The tool also checks your answer against the UK statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday, capped at 28 days. If the result falls short, you get a clear warning. You can also say whether bank holidays are part of the entitlement or on top of it.
How to use our Pro Rata Holiday Calculator
Enter your company's holiday rules and the employee's work pattern and dates. The calculator shows the pro rata holiday entitlement in days, the full leave year total, how much of the leave year is covered, plus charts and a month-by-month accrual table.
Company full-time working days per week: Type how many days a week a full-time job is at your company. Most firms use 5. Use the plus and minus buttons to change it.
Full-time annual leave entitlement (days): Enter the holiday days a full-time worker gets for a whole leave year. The UK statutory minimum is 28 days. Our Annual Leave Calculator can help you set that headline figure first.
Leave year start date: Pick the day your leave year begins. The tool works out the end date and the total days in that year for you. To count the gap between any two dates yourself, try the Date Duration Calculator.
Does the entitlement include bank holidays: Tick this box if bank and public holidays are already counted in the days above. It only changes the note under your result.
Quick scenario buttons: Click "Full year employee", "Joined mid-year" or "Leaving mid-year" to fill the dates fast. You can still edit them after.
Employee's working days per week: Enter how many days a week this person works. You can use half days, like 3.5. It cannot be more than the company full-time week. If you need the hours behind those days, the Work Hours Calculator and the Shift Calculator are useful companions.
Employee start date (optional): Add the date the person joined. Leave it blank if they worked the whole leave year. The Tenure Calculator shows how long that person has been with you.
Employee leaving date (optional): Add the date they leave or left. Leave it blank if they still work for you.
Calculate and Reset: Results update as you type, but you can press Calculate to run it again. Press Reset to go back to the sample values.
What Is Pro Rata Holiday?
"Pro rata" means "in proportion." Pro rata holiday is the amount of paid time off a worker earns based on how much of the year they work and how many days a week they work. A part-time worker gets less holiday than a full-time worker, but the share is fair. Someone who joins or leaves in the middle of the leave year also gets a share, not the full amount. The same idea shows up in other places, such as the Prorated Rent Calculator for a part-month tenancy.
How Pro Rata Holiday Is Worked Out
There are two simple steps, and both use plain division:
- Working pattern share: Divide the worker's days per week by the company's full-time days per week. Someone on 3 days at a 5-day firm gets 3 ÷ 5 = 0.6, or 60% of the full-time holiday. The Ratio Calculator and the Percentage Calculator can double-check these shares.
- Time in the leave year share: Divide the days the person is employed inside the leave year by the total days in that leave year. Half a year means half the holiday. Use the Days Calculator if you want to count those days by hand.
Multiply the full-time holiday by both shares, and you get the pro rata entitlement. Most employers then round up to the nearest half day so no one loses time, which the Rounding Calculator can confirm.
The Leave Year
A leave year is the 12-month period an employer uses to count holiday. It often starts on 1 January or 1 April, but it can start on the day the person was hired. Holiday resets at the start of each new leave year, so the start date matters for the sums. To see how many working days sit inside that window, the Business Days Calculator is handy, and the Month Calculator helps with month-length questions.
UK Statutory Holiday Rules
In the UK, almost all workers get at least 5.6 weeks of paid holiday each year. That is 28 days for someone who works 5 days a week. The 28-day cap is the top limit, so a person working 6 or 7 days a week still gets 28 days as the legal minimum.
Part-time workers get 5.6 weeks too, just fewer days. Some examples:
- 3 days a week → 5.6 × 3 = 16.8 days
- 4 days a week → 5.6 × 4 = 22.4 days
- 5 days a week → 5.6 × 5 = 28 days
For a wider look at different leave types and balances, see the general Leave Calculator or the PTO Calculator.
Bank Holidays
Employers can count bank and public holidays as part of the 5.6 weeks, or give them on top. Both are legal. Always check the contract, because it changes how much free time a worker really gets. Part-time staff who never work on a Monday should not lose out when bank holidays fall on Mondays, so many employers add bank holidays to the total pot and let staff book them as normal leave.
Joining or Leaving Part Way Through
New starters earn holiday from their first day, counted from the date they join to the end of the leave year. Leavers earn holiday up to their last day. If a leaver has taken more holiday than they earned, the employer may take the extra pay back, but only if the contract says so. If they have taken less, the unused days are usually paid out in the final pay packet. To value that payout, work out a daily rate with the Salary to Hourly Calculator or the Hourly Rate Calculator, and check the tax side with the PAYE Calculator. Where a role ends through job cuts, the Redundancy Calculator and Severance Calculator handle the payout rules.
Why It Matters
Getting these numbers right keeps pay correct, keeps staff happy, and keeps the business on the right side of the law. Clear holiday records also make final pay and payroll checks much faster, whether you are running a Payroll Tax Calculator, checking a Take Home Pay Calculator figure, or reviewing absence patterns with the Bradford Factor Calculator. Timesheets tie in too, so the Time Card Calculator is worth a look when you reconcile hours at the end of a leave year.