United Kingdom
Find out key information relating to UK’s leave entitlements
Leave entitlement & working time regulations at a glance
Minimum Holiday Entitlement
28 days (including public holidays)
Public Holidays
8 per year
Parental Leave
Shared parental leave up to 50 weeks, 37 of which may be paid
Working Week
37-40 hours (full time)
Sick Leave Entitlement
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for up to 28 weeks if eligibility is met
Region
EMEA
ABSENCE & LEAVE
Additional information
Annual leave
Almost all employees who work 5-day weeks are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year, the equivalent to 28 days. Statutory paid holiday entitlement is limited to 28 days, so if an employee is working 6-day weeks, they are still only entitled to 28 days paid holiday. For those who work part-time, the amount of paid holiday they can get will be fewer than 28 days.
Maternity leave
Statutory Maternity Leave is 52 weeks, which is made up of 26 weeks of Ordinary Maternity Leave and 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave. Mothers are not required to take the full 52 weeks of leave but must take 2 weeks.
The earliest employees can start their leave is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. This can start the day after the birth, (if the baby is early) or automatically if the mother is off work for a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week the baby is due.
Statutory Maternity Pay is paid up to 39 weeks and employees will get 90% of their average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £148.68 or 90% of average weekly earnings, (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks.
Adoption leave
Statutory Adoption Leave is 52 weeks and is made up of 26 weeks Ordinary Adoption leave and 26 weeks Additional Adoption Leave. Leave can start:
- 14 days before the expected adoption
- On the date of adoption
- The day an employee has been matched with a child to be placed with them, by a UK adoption agency
- The day the child arrives in the UK
- Within 28 days of the day, the child arrives in the UK (overseas adoptions)
- The day the child is born or the day after (parents in surrogacy arrangements)
Statutory Adoption Pay is paid up to 39 weeks and employees will get 90% of average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks. Then £148.68 or 90% of average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks.