✅ Updated · 2025/26 & 2026/27 · All Regions

NHS Annual Leave Calculator

Agenda for Change entitlement for all NHS staff — full-time, part-time, bank workers and Scotland’s 36-hour week.

✓ Scotland 36h from Apr 2026 ✓ Wales 28-Day Entitlement ✓ Bank Staff 12.07% Accrual ✓ Mid-Year Hours Change ✓ All UK Regions
NHS Service (Years) * All aggregated NHS service, including gaps between employers. Bank/locum excluded.
Contracted Hours / Week * Full-time E/W/NI = 37.5h. Scotland = 37h (36h from Apr 2026).
Region *
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales: Annual leave starts at 28 days on appointment — 1 day more than England.
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland: Full-time = 37h/wk now, reducing to 36h from April 2026. Pro-rata uses Scottish FT hours as baseline.
NHS Start Date (optional — mid-year joiners) Only enter if you joined after 1 April of the current leave year.
Include Bank Holidays in Total
Adds your pro-rata bank holiday hours to the leave total
Shift Worker / Required to Work Bank Holidays?
Bank holidays become TOIL (time off in lieu) — shown separately
Calculating your entitlement…

Your NHS Annual Leave Entitlement

Agenda for Change 2025/26

—
Days
Annual Leave
—
Hours
Annual Leave
—
Hours
Bank Hols
—
Days Total
Leave + BH
📈 Your Service Band Progress
0 yrs · 27d5 yrs · 29d10 yrs · 33d
📋 Full Breakdown
🤖

AI Insight

Calculating personalised tip…

⚠️ Estimates based on standard Agenda for Change terms. Verify with your ESR and HR. Bank/locum work excluded from reckonable service. Local trust policies may vary.

Part-Time Pro-Rata Calculator

ℹ️
Formula: (Your hrs ÷ FT hrs for your region) × full-time entitlement in hours. Scotland uses 37h (36h from Apr 2026) — not 37.5h.
Contracted Hrs/Week
NHS Service (Years)
Days Worked Per WeekEstimates how many bank holidays fall on your working days
Region
Leave Year

💼 Bank Staff Annual Leave — 12.07% Accrual

📌
Bank workers accrue annual leave at 12.07% of hours worked (statutory 5.6 ÷ 46.4 working weeks). No contracted pattern needed — enter your total hours worked.
Total Bank Hours Worked This YearTotal hours worked since 1 April (or your leave year start)
Leave Already Taken (Hours)
Standard Working Day (Hours)

🔄 Mid-Year Hours Change

⚠️
If your contracted hours changed during the leave year, your entitlement is split. Calculate each period separately then add them together.
NHS Service (Years)
Region
Period 1: Hours/Week
Period 1: MonthsBoth periods must add up to 12 months
Period 2: Hours/Week
Period 2: Months
📅
NHS Leave Year 2025/26: 1 April 2025 – 31 March 2026. Dates verified from GOV.UK.

England & Wales — 8 Bank Holidays (2025/26)

HolidayDateDayRegion
Good Friday18 April 2025FridayAll UK
Easter Monday21 April 2025MondayE/W/NI
Early May5 May 2025MondayAll UK
Spring Bank Holiday26 May 2025MondayAll UK
Summer Bank Holiday25 August 2025MondayE/W/NI
Christmas Day25 December 2025ThursdayAll UK
Boxing Day26 December 2025FridayAll UK
New Year’s Day1 January 2026ThursdayAll UK

Scotland — 9 Bank Holidays (2025/26)

HolidayDateNote
New Year’s Day1 January 2025
2nd January2 January 2025Scotland only
Good Friday18 April 2025
Early May5 May 2025
Spring Bank Holiday26 May 2025
Summer Bank Holiday4 August 20251st Mon Aug
St Andrew’s Day1 December 2025Scotland only
Christmas Day25 December 2025
Boxing Day26 December 2025
ℹ️
Northern Ireland: 10 bank holidays = England/Wales 8 plus St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and Battle of the Boyne (12 July 2025). FTE entitlement = 75 hrs.

🌉 Bank Holiday Bridge Planner — England & Wales

Maximum days off for minimum annual leave used.

▶ 2025/26 Leave Year

🐣 Easter Mega Break

16 days off

18–21 Apr: book 6 days either side. Two full weeks off using just 6 days leave.

🌸 May Double Bridge

9 days off

5 May or 26 May: book 4 days around each bank holiday for 9 days off.

☀️ August Bank Holiday

9 days off

25 Aug: book Tue–Fri for 9 days off using just 4 days leave.

🎄 Christmas Jackpot

12 days off

25 Dec (Thu) + 26 Dec (Fri) + 1 Jan (Thu): book just 3 days for 12 days off.

▶ 2026/27 Leave Year

🐣 Easter 2026

9 days off

3–6 Apr: book 1 day (Wed 2 Apr) for 5 days off; full week for 11 days.

🌸 May 2026 Bridges

9 days off

4 May or 25 May: book 4 days around either bank holiday for 9 days.

🎄 Christmas 2026 — Best Year

17 days off

Fri 25 Dec + Mon 28 Dec sub + Fri 1 Jan 2027: book 7 days for 17 days off.

☀️ August 2026

9 days off

31 Aug: book 4 days for a 9-day end-of-summer break.

💡
NHS leave year ends 31 March. Unused leave beyond your trust’s carry-over limit is forfeited. Use the Annual Leave tab to check your exact balance.
🔗 Related NHS Calculators on nhspayband.co.uk
🏦
Bank Holiday Entitlement
Pro-rata bank holiday hours for all UK regions.
Calculate →
📅
Official Bank Holiday Dates
Filter 2025 & 2026 dates by England, Scotland, NI.
View dates →
🤒
NHS Sick Pay Calculator
Full and half pay weeks by service length under AfC.
Calculate →
💰
NHS Take-Home Pay
Monthly net pay for 2025/26 & 2026/27 all bands.
Calculate →
🏛️
NHS Pension Calculator
Pension contributions and projected retirement benefit.
Calculate →
🌙
Overtime & Unsocial Hours
Nights, weekends, bank holidays — enhanced pay rates.
Calculate →

NHS Annual Leave 2025/26 & 2026/27 — Complete Guide

All NHS staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts are entitled to paid annual leave and bank holidays. Your entitlement depends on your total aggregated NHS service, your region, and whether you work full-time or part-time.

Entitlement by Service Length (All Regions)

ServiceEnglandWalesScotland/NIBank HolsTotal (England FT)
0–4 years27 days28 days27 days8 / 9 / 1035 days
5–9 years29 days29 days29 days8 / 9 / 1037 days
10+ years33 days33 days33 days8 / 9 / 1041 days

Scotland — 36-Hour Week from April 2026

Scottish NHS staff work 37 hours per week (reduced from 37.5h in April 2024), reducing further to 36 hours per week from April 2026. Pro-rata calculations for part-time Scottish staff must use the Scottish full-time hours as the baseline — using 37.5h gives incorrect results.

Wales — 28 Days on Appointment

NHS Wales staff receive 28 days on appointment (versus 27 in England). After 5 and 10 years both nations align at 29 and 33 days. Bank holidays are the same — 8 per year.

Bank Staff — 12.07% Accrual

NHS bank workers without a contracted pattern accrue leave at 12.07% of every hour worked (5.6 ÷ 46.4 weeks = 12.07%). Working 200 bank hours accrues 24.14 hours of annual leave entitlement.

Frequently Asked Questions

NHS AfC staff get 27 days on appointment (28 in Wales), rising to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years. These are in addition to 8 bank holidays (England/Wales), 9 (Scotland), or 10 (Northern Ireland). All entitlements are pro-rata for part-time staff.
Yes. Scottish NHS full-time staff work 37 hours per week (since April 2024), reducing to 36 hours from April 2026. Pro-rata leave for part-time Scottish staff must use the Scottish FT hours as the baseline. A calculator using 37.5h gives wrong results for Scottish staff.
Bank staff accrue annual leave at 12.07% of hours worked. If you worked 150 bank hours you’ve accrued 18.1 hours of leave. Use the Bank Staff tab in this calculator for your exact accrual.
Your entitlement is split: calculate each period separately as (months ÷ 12) × pro-rata entitlement for those hours, then add the two figures together. Use the Hours Changed tab above to automate this.
Boxing Day 2026 falls on Saturday 26 December. The official substitute bank holiday is Monday 28 December 2026. Ensure your trust’s payroll and rota systems reflect 28 Dec — not 26 Dec.
Standard AfC allows up to 5 days (37.5 hrs) carry-over with manager approval at year end (31 March). Staff on long-term sick can carry forward 4 weeks statutory leave. Maternity leave accrues all untaken leave which can be carried forward.
Yes. Under AfC all previous NHS service counts toward leave entitlement even with breaks between employers (reckonable/aggregated service). Declare it to HR and provide evidence. Bank and locum agency work generally does not count.