NHS Annual Leave Calculator
Your NHS holiday entitlement depends on your length of service — and if you work part-time, it's calculated in hours. Enter your service and hours to see exactly what you get.
NHS annual leave entitlement — the table
| Length of service | Annual leave | + bank holidays (England) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| On joining | 27 days | 8 days | 35 days |
| After 5 years | 29 days | 8 days | 37 days |
| After 10 years | 33 days | 8 days | 41 days |
Part-time staff get the same entitlement pro-rata — but in hours, not days. A 22.5-hour-a-week staff member with under 5 years' service gets 27 × (22.5 ÷ 37.5) = 16.2 days' worth of leave, recorded as 121.5 hours. That protects you when your working days fall on bank holidays.
Annual leave questions
How much annual leave do NHS staff get?
27 days plus bank holidays when you join, rising to 29 days after 5 years' service and 33 days after 10 years. With England's 8 bank holidays that's up to 41 days a year in total.
How is part-time NHS leave worked out?
In hours. Take the full-time entitlement in hours (days × 7.5) and scale it by your contracted hours divided by 37.5. Bank holidays are pro-rata too — if a bank holiday falls on your non-working day, the hours come back into your entitlement.
Does previous NHS service count?
Generally yes — reckonable service with other NHS employers counts towards your leave entitlement, even with a break in some cases. Evidence of previous service may be needed when you start.
Can I carry NHS leave over to next year?
Agenda for Change allows a limited carry-over by local agreement (often up to 5 days / one week), but it's at your trust's discretion — check your local policy before assuming.