Holiday Leave Maximiser
Plan your annual leave strategically by combining with bank holidays to get longest time off.
Bank Holidays
8
Annual Leave Days
25
Total Days Off Possible
137
(includes weekends)
Best Value Leave Blocks
2025-04-17
Take this day off before Good Friday
2025-04-18
Take Friday before Easter Monday
2025-05-02
Take Friday before Early May Bank Holiday
2025-05-23
Take Friday before Spring Bank Holiday
2025-08-22
Take Friday before Summer Bank Holiday
2025-12-25
Take this day off before Boxing Day
2025-12-23 to 2025-12-24
Take Dec 23-24 for a 9-day break (with weekends and bank holidays)
2025-04-14 to 2025-04-18
Take days around Easter for maximum consecutive time off
Bank Holidays in 2025
New Year's Day
Wed 1 Jan
Good Friday
Fri 18 Apr
Easter Monday
Mon 21 Apr
Early May Bank Holiday
Mon 5 May
Spring Bank Holiday
Mon 26 May
Summer Bank Holiday
Mon 25 Aug
Christmas Day
Thu 25 Dec
Boxing Day
Fri 26 Dec
Top Tips
- Use Friday or Monday take the day off adjacent to bank holidays for 4-day weekends
- Plan Christmas leave in December for maximum consecutive time off
- Check if your employer offers flexible leave for better planning
- Consider off-peak travel dates to maximize value of your time off
How to Stretch Annual Leave Around UK Bank Holidays
Set your number of annual leave days, pick the year, and choose your region. The tool maps your leave days onto the bank holiday calendar to find combinations that buy you the longest continuous time off for the smallest leave spend. Booking a Friday next to a Monday bank holiday turns 1 leave day into a 4-day weekend; booking either side of Christmas typically turns 3 days into 9.
UK statutory annual leave is 28 days including bank holidays for full-time workers, though many employers add extra. The 2026 bank holidays are 1 Jan, Good Friday 3 Apr, Easter Mon 6 Apr, Early May 4 May, Spring 25 May, Summer 31 Aug, Christmas 25 Dec, and Boxing Day 28 Dec (Boxing Day falls on a Saturday so the substitute Monday is taken).
Highest-Ratio Long Weekends in 2026
| Booking | Leave Days Used | Time Off Achieved | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 7 - Fri 9 Apr (around Easter) | 3 | 10 days (Sat 4 - Mon 13 Apr) | 3.3x |
| Tue 5 - Fri 8 May | 4 | 9 days (Sat 2 - Sun 10 May) | 2.3x |
| Tue 26 - Fri 29 May | 4 | 9 days (Sat 23 - Sun 31 May) | 2.3x |
| Tue 1 - Fri 4 Sep | 4 | 9 days (Sat 29 Aug - Sun 6 Sep) | 2.3x |
| Tue 22 - Thu 24 Dec, Tue 29 - Thu 31 Dec | 6 | 16 days (Sat 19 Dec - Sun 3 Jan) | 2.7x |
Regional Differences You Can Forget About
Scotland gets 2 January as a bank holiday and does not always observe Easter Monday in the same way; the tool adjusts when you select Scotland. Northern Ireland adds 17 March (St Patrick's) and 12 July (Battle of the Boyne). England and Wales share the same eight standard bank holidays.
If your office is in London but your team is split across the UK, plan around the most restrictive calendar (Northern Ireland has the most bank holidays, Scotland has the second-most). Bridge days for parents, where school inset days fall awkwardly, are not bank holidays but are worth booking around if childcare is a factor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my employer reject my leave request?
Yes. UK law gives the right to take leave but lets employers refuse a specific request as long as the reason is reasonable and the same total leave is allowed in the year. They must give notice at least as long as the leave being refused; for example, to refuse 5 days, they need to tell you at least 5 days before. Booking the high-value bridge weeks early (most employers open the next year's calendar in October or November) is the simplest defence.
Do bank holidays count as part of my 28 days?
Statutory minimum leave is 28 days for full-time workers, including the 8 bank holidays. So a contract that gives '20 days plus bank holidays' meets the legal minimum. A contract offering '25 days plus bank holidays' is genuinely above-statutory by 5 days.
Why does Christmas 2026 give 16 days off for 6 leave days?
Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday and Boxing Day a Saturday (so the substitute is Monday 28 Dec). New Year's Day 2027 is a Friday. Booking Tue 22 - Thu 24 Dec and Tue 29 - Thu 31 Dec uses 6 leave days but stitches together the weekends, the three statutory days and New Year's Day into a continuous 16-day stretch from Saturday 19 December to Sunday 3 January.
What about part-time workers?
Part-time leave is pro-rated. A 3-day-a-week worker is entitled to 3/5 of 28 days = 16.8 days. Bank holidays are also pro-rated, so if your non-working days fall on bank holidays, you don't get extra in lieu unless your contract says so. The [Work Hours Calculator](/work-hours-calculator) helps work out your pro-rata figure.
Related Tools
Bank Holiday Checker
See all UK bank holidays for the year and check which day of the week they fall on.
Work Days Calculator
Calculate working days between two dates excluding weekends and UK bank holidays with full breakdown of total, weekend and holiday days
Date Difference Calculator
Calculate the exact difference between two dates or add and subtract days, weeks, months and years from any date. Includes business days, weekends and quick presets