Annual leave, how it works when you move to PT

[Alice2014]

I'm on ML at the moment and want to return to work part time. Our annual leave entitlement starts in April and runs til March, but obviously the number of days will reduce when I move to PT.

I'm trying to work out how many days I'd have to take off so that I can go back to work slowly, using my holiday entitlement to work two days a week / three days a week for as long as I can.

Will they work my entitlement out using FT from March until I go back, and the rest on PT? If so does anyone have a magical calculation they would use to work it out? Thanks.

Yes you should accrue holiday at FT rate until you go back and then start accruing it at the PT rate. If you go back at the end of March then it's easy, you have your full year of holiday at FT then the next holiday year is at PT rate. If you are going back part way through the holiday year they will calculate pro rata on either a daily or weekly rate. So if you return 300 days into the holiday year and your FT entitlement is 25 days then you will have 300/365 x 25 days accrued when you go back. If your PT entitlement is 15 days you will then accrue 65/365 x 15 days during the remainder of the holiday year.

So obvious when you say it like that... I blame sleepless nights and crying babies, I used to be so logical! Thanks.

Don't forget bank holidays when you go part time, it can get very complicated if you only work certain days, but basically they get added to your full leave entitlement and then pro-ratered, so you end up with a bigger leave pot, but you take bank holidays out of it when work is shut.

Your annual entitlement only changes once you sign / agree a new contract. So (leaving aside the timing) you will have accrued annual leave during your maternity leave. So for instance, if you accrued say 20 days, you could have 10 weeks of a 3 day week (taking 2 days per week) and you would be FT throughout that period (and accruing leave based on your normal FT basis).

Have you tried contacting your HR department? It can become quite a complicated calculation, especially if it spans leave years. Also, HR will be able to advise on whether you are expected to use up all your accrued annual leave and public holidays before you go back, rather than use it in dribs and drabs to reduce the number of days you work initially.