Holiday pay checker for term-time staff

Term-time staff don't take holiday the way all-year staff do. It's usually built into your salary, or added as a percentage. This checker works out how much holiday pay you get and compares it with the legal minimum, so you can see whether you're being paid at least what the law requires.

England and Wales only: Northern Ireland not covered. Figures are pending verification. See the details.

Your pay and holiday

How is your basic pay set? Annual FTE salary (most school support staff) Hourly rate

Full-time-equivalent (FTE) salary

Full-time hours per week for the post 37 under the NJC Green Book.

hours

Your contracted hours per week

hours

Weeks worked in the leave year Usually 39 for term-time staff.

weeks

How is your holiday paid? Included in my salary (paid in 12 equal monthly amounts) Rolled-up: a percentage added to my pay each payday Paid separately as a lump sum or when I take leave

Holiday entitlement Paid holiday is built into term-time pay. Pick the entitlement a full-time, all-year colleague in your post would get (bank holidays included). How to find this

Are you a part-year worker? Yes: there are weeks in the year I'm not required to work and not paid for (most term-time staff, under government guidance). Untick to compare with the full 5.6 weeks instead. Am I a part-year worker?

Your holiday pay vs the legal minimum

Meets the statutory minimum

Your holiday pay: £2,322.51
Statutory minimum: £1,934.39
Difference: £388.13

That's 14.49% of your pay for hours worked (£16,026.40). The minimum is 12.07% of hours worked (part-year worker).

Basic pay only. Regular overtime and some allowances can also count. Estimates only.

Show the working

Hourly rate £26,427 ÷ (37 hours × 52.143 weeks) = £13.70
Weekly pay £13.70 × 30 hours = £410.93
Hours worked in the year 30 hours × 39 weeks = 1,170 hours
Pay for hours worked £13.70 × 1,170 hours = £16,026.40
Statutory minimum holiday hours 1,170 hours × 12.07% = 141.22 hours
Statutory minimum holiday pay 141.22 hours × £13.70 = £1,934.39
Full-time leave (all-year employee) 23 + 8 + 2 days = 33 days
Full-time leave in weeks 33 days ÷ 5 = 6.6 weeks
Term-time holiday weeks (pro-rated) 39 × 6.6 ÷ (52.143 − 6.6) = 5.652 weeks
Your holiday pay (included in salary) 5.652 weeks × £410.93 = £2,322.51
Difference (yours minus statutory minimum) £2,322.51 − £1,934.39 = £388.13

Worked at full precision and rounded only for display (money to 2 decimal places, factors to 4). Some employers use a days-based method or round at different stages, so your payslip may differ by a few pence.

Covers England and Wales. Northern Ireland not covered. Northern Ireland did not adopt the 2024 holiday changes for part-year workers, so these results don't apply there.

Scotland: council staff are on SJC terms, not the NJC Green Book, and many Scottish councils use a 35-hour week. Change the full-time hours and holiday to match your contract.
Academies: most academies follow the Green Book, but they don't have to. Check your contract for your full-time hours and holiday entitlement.
Gross pay only: no tax, National Insurance, pension, overtime or allowances.

Figures pending verification

Some of the figures this calculator uses have been researched but not yet checked by hand against the official sources: weeks per year (52.143); the default holiday entitlement (Green Book, under 5 years); 2026/27 NJC pay spine values used in examples. Treat results as estimates until this notice is removed.

Rules last checked: not yet checked. Figures for 2026/27. See the sources

How the statutory minimum is worked out

If you're a part-year worker (the default), the minimum is 12.07% of the hours you work in the leave year, capped at 5.6 weeks. Those holiday hours are then multiplied by your hourly rate. This rule applies to leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.

If you're not a part-year worker, the minimum is the full 5.6 weeks' pay, following the Supreme Court's decision in Harpur Trust v Brazel (2022).

Your own holiday pay is worked out according to how it's paid:

Included in salary: paid holiday weeks × weekly pay.
Rolled-up: your percentage × pay for the hours you work.
Paid separately: the amount you enter for the leave year.

The minimum covers basic pay only here. In law, regular overtime and some other payments also count, so if you get them, your real minimum is higher.

Examples

Teaching assistant, holiday included in salary

SCP 5 (£26,427 FTE), 30 hours, 39 weeks, Green Book leave with under 5 years' service. The hourly rate is £13.70 and weekly pay is £410.93. Green Book leave gives 5.652 weeks of holiday, worth £2,322.51. The statutory minimum is 12.07% of 1,170 hours = 141.22 hours, worth £1,934.39. So the contract is £388.13 above the minimum. If the employee were not a part-year worker, the minimum would be 5.6 weeks × £410.93 = £2,301.23, and Green Book leave would still clear it, by £21.29.

Rolled-up pay at 10.77% instead of 12.07%

£13.50 an hour, 20 hours a week, 39 weeks: pay for hours worked is £10,530.00. At 12.07% the rolled-up holiday pay is £1,270.97. At 10.77% it is only £1,134.08, which is £136.89 a year too little.

Lunchtime supervisor, rolled-up 12.07%

£13.28 an hour (SCP 3), 10 hours a week, 39 weeks. Pay for hours worked is £5,179.20, and 12.07% of that is £625.13. That exactly meets the minimum.

If the checker says you're below the minimum

Check you've entered your hours, weeks and pay method correctly.
Look at your contract and payslips for how holiday is paid and at what rate.
Ask your payroll or HR team to show you how they work out your holiday pay.
Get free advice from your union or ACAS (0300 123 1100). Employment tribunal claims usually have a time limit of 3 months less one day, so act promptly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the statutory minimum holiday for term-time staff?

For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, part-year workers in England, Wales and Scotland build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours they work, up to a maximum of 5.6 weeks. Government guidance says many term-time staff paid in 12 equal instalments count as part-year workers, but the law on this has not been tested in the courts.

What if I am not a part-year worker?

Then the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Harpur Trust v Brazel applies: you are entitled to the full 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday, not a pro-rated amount. Untick the part-year worker box to compare your holiday pay with that.

Is 10.77% holiday pay correct?

Not for the statutory minimum. 10.77% is 5.6 weeks divided by 52 weeks, which treats holiday as a share of the whole year. The correct figure is 5.6 divided by the 46.4 weeks actually worked, which is 12.07%. That is our own explanation of where 10.77% comes from; GOV.UK only publishes the 12.07% figure.

My holiday pay is included in my salary. How do I check it?

Choose "included in my salary" and pick your holiday entitlement. The checker multiplies your paid holiday weeks by your weekly pay and compares that with the statutory minimum. Green Book holiday is above the statutory minimum.

Does overtime count towards holiday pay?

Regular overtime, commission and some other payments must be included in holiday pay for at least part of the statutory entitlement. This checker uses basic pay only, so if you get regular extra payments, your minimum may be higher.

What should I do if my holiday pay looks too low?

First check your inputs and contract. Then ask your payroll team how your holiday pay is worked out. If it still looks wrong, contact your union or ACAS for free advice. Holiday pay claims have time limits, so do not wait too long.