How to get 18 days off work with just seven days annual leave with clever move – but you need to act NOW

JULY is the prime time to optimise the rest of your annual leave and get 18 days off.

There have been four Bank Holidays so far this year, but there are still three more to go.

For those of you with a typical 9-to-5 job, then you can make your holiday stretch further and only use seven days of annual leave by booking these exact dates.

Most workers who work five days a week are legally entitled to 28 days’ paid leave a year.

That’s equivalent to 5.6 working weeks of holiday.

Before you book any of these dates off, check that you get all your Bank Holidays off from your employer – otherwise, the trick won’t work.

August

The summer Bank Holiday lands on Monday, August 26 this year.

You’ll get a nine-day stint by only booking these four dates off:

• Tuesday, August 27
• Wednesday, August 28
• Thursday, August 29
• Friday, August 30

December

There are two Bank Holidays in December – Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) and Thursday, December 26 (Boxing Day).

You can enjoy nine days off by booking just these three days off on leave:

• Monday, December 23
• Tuesday, December 24
• Friday, December 27

Or, you can get 12 days off work, including the weekend, by booking off the following days:

• Friday, December 27
• Monday, December 30
• Tuesday, December 31
• Thursday, January 2
• Friday, January 3

What are my rights to time off?

You will need to, of course, make sure your boss agrees to holiday requests to make the most of this holiday hack.

As we said, most employees who work a five-day week must get the equivalent of 5.6 weeks of holiday.

However there is no obligation for employers to grant requests for specific dates.

Getting the dates off often depends on how many other employees plan to take time off at the same time– so getting in early to make a request can make a difference.  

And make sure you get time off approved before you pay for plans, that you may not be able to do.

How much annual leave am I entitled to?

If you are classed as a full-time worker, then you are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave. This includes agency workers, employees with irregular hours and part-year workers. 

If you work a five-day week, this works out as 28 days’ paid annual leave a year.

Part-time workers still get 5.6 weeks, but this will add up to less than 28 days and is calculated on a pro-rata basis.

For instance, if you work two days a week, you should get 11.2 days of holiday, whereas if you work 3 days, you should get 16.8 days of annual leave each year.

Employers can choose to include bank holidays within this statutory holiday, but some may offer bank holidays on top. Check your contract to see how your business works.

It’s worth getting your requests in as soon as possible as most businesses won’t let too many people off at once.

Make sure that any time off is approved before you make concrete plans or book flights, otherwise you could come unstuck.

There is no legal obligation for your employers to grant you specific days of annual leave. 

What pay can I get if I work on a bank holiday?

If you work on bank holidays, your employer will have to pay you. However, a common myth is that employees must be paid more than their usual rate for bank holiday hours.

Unfortunately, companies do not have to do this and can choose to pay you as normal.

However, some businesses and industries may choose to pay higher rates for working bank holidays to attract seasonal workers.

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