Part time worker - annual leave entitlement

[friendlymum67]

I work in a very small business - husband and wife team and myself. I currently work 15.5 hrs a week, sometimes more.

I don't have a contract but was told from the start that my holiday entitlement is 12 days. Recently l was informed by a friend this isn't right and l should get 16 days as set by the government guidelines.

I have looked into and it does seem that 12 days isn't right - see screenshot. My dilemma is how on earth do l approach my bosses with this? Obviously more leave would be nice(!) but l don't want to cause problems as it's such a small workplace. Any advice from HR bods would be much appreciated.

Have they already taken bank holidays into account?

Do you get bank holidays on top of your 12 days or are they included? That 16.8 days may well include BH

Whats the ft hours ? 15.5 isn't 3 full working days. You need to take 15.5 divide by the ft hours and then multiply by 5.6.

According to the gov website, you're entitled to 86 hours and 48 minutes over a full year if you work 15.5 hours a week:
www.gov.uk/calculate-your-holiday-entitlement/y/hours-worked-per-week/full-year/15.5

How many hours is full time?

Based on 37 ft hours 12 would be correct but agree as you don't work full days it is better to show it on hours.

That example is based on three days a week which you don't do with 15 hours. I think 12 is right.

A part timer should get their bank holiday entitlement in hours too.

What's your working pattern, and what entitlement do full timers have?

If full timers get 5.6 weeks including BHs, you should get 86.8 hours per year but would need to use some of them to cover any bank hols you don't work.

Off the top of my head you would be entitled to 11.5 days including bank holidays. So all depends on how many hours you work and which days.

You are allowed 86.8 hours a year. For part timers that is the best way of splitting it up. Have they taken off any bank holidays as part of their calculation?

I worked three days a week 13 1/2 hours minimum holiday allowance 17 days Inc bank hols

That's pretty meaningless, Rosie.

Ive no idea about Bank Holidays, generally my work days don't fall on Bank Holidays.

LIZS not entirely sure of the full time hours as its a retail business and they are open one late evening and half day Sat but at a guess 9 - 5?

If they did it by hours, by my calculations, l am not getting the right amount, although as Spadequeen says maybe they are allowing for Bank Holidays?? I can only see 2 Bank Holidays that fall on my work days.

Catzpyjamas - that's the calculation l referred to tho it's difficult as my bosses are doing it by days and not hours.

Maybe l should just keep quiet and be grateful for what l have!

TittyGolightly - odd comment ?

Its meaningless unless you know what percentage of a full time job you're doing. If your company employs full timers on say a 35 hour week (9-5 x 5 with an hour for lunch) then you're doing 2.2 days (15.5/35). If you then multiply that by 5.6 as the quote in your OP, that comes to 12.3 days. So on those calculations, you're getting the right number of days.

If a FT role is more (say to accommodate the late night or Saturday morning), say 37.5 hours - another popular number - you're doing 2.06 days then you're entitled to 11.57 days which they may round up to 12 in any case.

Mine was a calculation as per the Govenment holiday entitlement checker What other employees hours were are totally irrelevant for this calculation There was no full time job for my position

We also have no idea whether your company gives more holidays than statutory minimum, Rosie!

Sorry as per my first post minimum holiday allowance

I can only see 2 Bank Holidays that fall on my work days.

And how many hours would that be then? It's hard for us to work our bearing in mind we don't know what hours you work each day.

2 days are 5.5 days, and Saturdays are 4.5 hrs X

There are no full time employees, other than the husband and wife whose company it is.

They are not full days though. 15.5hrs is more like 2 days work, the facet you spread it over 3 doesn't matter. Also even if bank holidays aren't your normal working days they are sometimes still counted.

I think your holiday sounds about right but there is a calculator on gov website if you need to double check.

You still have to be given the hours for bank holidays even if your days don't fall on them.

You need to be getting the legal minimum. If you are not comfortable with contacting them face to face then email

Try talking to cab, academy first for help

it sounds like you are entitled to 12 full time days off, but as you dont work full time hours, it makes it a bit hard to work out. if you assume each day is 7 hours work, then when you take 3 days off work, instead of getting 21 hours paid holiday, you are only getting 15 1/2 hours paid holiday.
you could ask your employer to calculate your holiday entitlement by hours instead (see earlier posts) as this will make it clearer for you all
(bank holidays adds in extra complications)

or of course you can do it by weeks off, just book in week blocks and take 5 weeks (=15 days) plus 0.6 week (a day?)