Annual leave and entitlement
Because many UK bank holidays fall on a Monday or Friday, booking the working days around them bridges the holiday to the weekend and stretches a few days off into a long break. Dates & Times' long-weekend maximiser uses the official 2026 gov.uk bank-holiday dates for your nation to suggest the most efficient leave dates. Separately, almost all UK workers are entitled to a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, capped at 28 days, which the entitlement calculator works out pro-rata. This is general information, not employment advice: check your contract.
Long-weekend maximiser
Enter your leave allowance and nation to find the best dates to book around the 2026 bank holidays.
How this is worked out
Each 2026 bank holiday already sits next to a weekend or can be bridged to one. The tool looks at the working days (Monday to Friday) between each bank holiday and the nearest weekend, and treats booking those days as a "bridge".
days off = the unbroken run of weekend + bank-holiday + booked days
efficiency = days off ÷ leave days spent
the tool takes the most efficient bridges first until your leave runs out
Bank-holiday dates are the official 2026 dates from gov.uk Bank Holidays for your chosen nation. Substitute days (for example when a holiday lands on a weekend) follow the gov.uk list. This is a planning guide: confirm dates with your employer before booking.
Statutory holiday entitlement
Your minimum paid holiday, pro-rata for part-time or irregular hours (the 12.07% method).
How this is worked out
Almost all UK workers get a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, capped at 28 days for someone working five or more days a week.
set days: entitlement = days per week × 5.6 (capped at 28)
irregular hours: holiday accrued = hours worked × 12.07%
12.07% is 5.6 weeks ÷ (52 − 5.6 weeks), the GOV.UK method for casual and zero-hours staff
If your full-time scheme is more than the statutory 28 days, the days method uses your scheme figure pro-rata. Bank holidays can count towards the minimum, so an employer is allowed to include them. Source: GOV.UK holiday entitlement and the Working Time Regulations 1998. This is general information, not employment advice: check your contract.
Irregular or part-year hours
If your hours vary or you only work part of the year, holiday builds up at 12.07% of the hours you work. The irregular hours holiday accrual calculator works it out in hours, days and rolled-up pay.
For the full list of dates the maximiser plans around, see the 2026 UK bank holidays. Entitlement rules follow GOV.UK holiday entitlement guidance and the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Calculators and Data Desk, Dates & Times
Dates & Times's editorial desk builds and documents the calculators, citing the underlying date maths and the official UK source behind every number. Calendar and time tools are checked against primary UK sources such as the gov.uk Bank Holidays API before publication.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026