What’s your annual leave entitlement and does it feel enough?

[FlyingSoap]

I get 26 days plus bank holidays. Lots of my colleagues have bought extra leave but I’m not sure in the point of it, as surely it’s technically just unpaid leave with the cost spread across the year.

How much do you get?

28+BH

25 plus all 10 public holidays and I buy an extra week because I want an extra week abroad quite simply.

27 + BH.
it goes to 30+ BH after 5 years of service.

I also buy 2 weeks (max allowed) so I take 37 + BH.

I get 28 days plus bank holidays, which brings me up to 38 plus two organisational days to cover differences in public holidays, so 40 days. We also close over Christmas which doesn’t come out of our annual leave allowance. I can also take one day a month in TOIL. I think it’s pretty generous.

DP gets 20 days plus BH. BUT out of the 20 he can only choose when 12 can be taken. All the rest are fixed by the company he works for.

26 days plus bank holidays, with the option to buy up to 10 extra days. Fine for me.

No, it's per fixed period, often per calendar year but I also have seen it by tax year.

My company allows us to take up to 5 days over but they need to be taken by ther 31st March unless individually approved and that's not easy to get, they are really strict on that. I normally don't take more than 1-2 days as we hardly ever go away in February half-term and DD was happier in clubs than at home with rubbish weather. But the ski holiday brigade always had a full week over.

I heard it has something to do that for each non-taken holiday the equivalent in your daily rate needs to be put on suspense accounts in the books as you are entitlted to a payout if you leave and don't take the days.

I get 26 days plus BHs. Wouldn't make any difference if I got more as it is near impossible to take any time off during school holidays. Most of us are parents yet the company seem baffled that majority want their annual leave during school holidays.
Our policy is along the lines of only 3 people can be off at any one time for annual leave. This covers a group of more than 40 people. Doesn't seem to apply in other departments only ours.
Its the one thing that makes me want to leave.

Unlimited. In practice I take between 23 and 30 plus BH, as otherwise I wouldn't get my work done. It's nice to know though that I don't have to ration them out in case I run out of days.

@Heliss my husband was job hunting recently and saw a job with unlimited holiday. How does this work where you are? Do people generally stick to fairly standard amounts like you do?

Whatever the minimum allowance is. Our entitlement includes the bank holidays and a compulsory week when we are closed over Xmas so in reality we have very few days we can actually choose. I could definitely do with more!

Yes it self-regulates. Some people take more (40 days) but they are the type who will pick up work in evenings if needed even if on leave.

It doesn't get abused partly because of fear of putting yourself in the redundancy firing line if it looks like you're not really essential to have around.

32 days plus 10 BH. I work p/t so I also do additional days when required and take TOIL for them and can save them up to take with a period of leave. Would happily have more days leave to juggle all the school holidays!

32 days (with 7 of those on fixed dates) plus bank holidays. Will get another 5 days in 3 years time. Feels about right, I mean I'd love more, but realistically this is good. I've never had more than statutory amount before.

My perspective may be different to many people. I'm old enough to have worked before any statutory entitlement. My first job, all holiday was unpaid. Later on I was a single parent with two weeks paid, going up to 3 weeks after 2 years service. It was hell.

5 weeks. I am obliged to take it all at once each year, so it really doesn't feel like enough.

Wow so if you don’t use it you lose it?

22 plus bank holidays plus 3 over Christmas or 4 if Christmas Eve is a working day because we always close on Christmas Eve.

I've negotiated "buying" an extra three days to bring it up to 25. Never enough.

I'd really like to go part time but my workload is too high.

28 + bank holiday

35 days plus bank holidays and the option to buy another 10 days if wanted.

'Enough' annual leave depends on your own personal circumstances and what you want to do with your leave. If you have children you may need to use all your leave for childcare in school holidays. If you have a stressful job you may need frequent short breaks to reset. Or you may want a longer break for a proper holiday when you can forget everything.

if annual leave for you just means time off with nothing in particular to do or for no particular reason, then I can ununderstand why you might wonder why others need more. Believe me, some of us need every second of it!

When I started work in Nz 15 days was standard, (minimum now up to 20 I believe). I moved to the UK and had 26 days and was hassled by HR to use it. I didn’t know what to do with all the leave! I still read the posts above about 30 days plus in amazement.

32 days plus bank holidays. I'd always like more 😂 but it felt enough until I had a child in school and limited holiday clubs. I wish I had the flexibility to buy holiday.

Very generous sick pay and benefits though so can't complain too much.

33 plus bank holidays, 3 of which need to be used at Christmas. Can also have up to 2 days a month flexi leave if you have the hours. And can buy 2 weeks extra leave at 80% cost. I do feel very lucky!

I get 50 days in total. 8 of those are the bank holidays and we have to take 7 over the Christmas break as we close for two full weeks. That leaves me 35 days (7 weeks) for the rest of the year.

I work in education (not teaching, support staff) so what we lack in salary comparability to the private sector we do benefit in leave.

31 days (after 10 years service) us bank holidays. With an option to purchase a further 5 days

Feels enough for me, especially if I purchase the additional days