NHS Bank Holidays Entitlement Calculator (2025/26)
Accurate, pro-rata hours and “equivalent days” for part-time and full-time NHS staff.
BH hours = (contracted hours ÷ 37.5) × (BH days × 7.5).
For part-time staff, these hours are added to your annual leave allocation and booked when bank holidays fall on your working days.
What are the BH day counts?
- England & Wales: 8
- Scotland: 9 (includes 2 January)
- Northern Ireland: 10 (includes St Patrick’s Day & Battle of the Boyne)
Full-Time Reference
Full-time (37.5h/wk) uses 7.5h as the standard day length.
Therefore full-time BH hours = BH days × 7.5.
Part-Time Example
24h/week in England & Wales:
BH hours = (24 ÷ 37.5) × (8 × 7.5) = 38.4h (~5.1 days at 7.5h).
About This NHS Bank Holiday Entitlement Calculator 2025/26
Understanding your annual leave entitlement as an NHS employee can sometimes feel confusing, especially if you work part time or in a flexible role. This NHS Bank Holidays Entitlement Calculator helps you work out how many paid hours or days of bank holiday leave you’re entitled to each year, based on your contracted hours and working pattern.
Understanding your annual leave entitlement is also part of managing your overall NHS pay and benefits. You can view your current
NHS Pay Bands and Salary Scales to see how your pay leave, and benefits align for 2025/26.
The calculator is designed for staff in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and takes into account the official UK bank holiday counts for each nation. Simply enter your contracted weekly hours and standard working day length, and it will automatically calculate your pro-rata entitlement — giving you a fair and accurate overview of your holiday balance.
How to Use the Calculator
- Select your nation – England & Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
- Enter your weekly contracted hours (e.g., 30, 24, or 37.5).
- Enter your standard working day length in hours (e.g., 7.5 or 6.5).
- Press Calculate to instantly see:
- The total bank holidays in your nation
- The full-time equivalent (FTE) hours
- Your pro-rata entitlement (in hours and days)
This helps ensure that your bank holiday entitlement is fair and accurate, regardless of whether you work full-time or part-time.
Why This Matters
NHS employees receive bank holiday entitlement pro-rata to the number of hours worked, ensuring fairness between part-time and full-time colleagues, and helping avoid confusion around leave and sick pay calculations.
Using this calculator can help you:
- Plan your annual leave more efficiently
- Check that your entitlement is allocated correctly by payroll, including where sick pay overlaps with bank holidays
- Understand how in-lieu days, non-working day holidays, or periods of sick pay affect your overall balance
Example
| Contract Type | Nation | Hours/Week | Standard Day | Entitlement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time | England & Wales | 37.5 | 7.5 | 60.0h (8.0 days) |
| Part-time | Scotland | 24 | 7.5 | 43.2h (5.8 days) |
| Part-time | Northern Ireland | 30 | 6.5 | 61.7h (9.5 days) |
After You Calculate
Once you’ve worked out your entitlement, head over to our UK NHS Bank Holidays (Official Dates) page to check when each public holiday falls for 2025 and 2026 , perfect for planning your annual leave and long weekends.
Common Questions Answered
Disclaimer
This tool is for guidance only and based on GOV.UK’s official bank holiday data for 2025/26.
Always confirm your local HR or payroll policy, as NHS Trusts may calculate entitlements differently for flexible or term-time contracts.
