How to Work Out NHS Annual Leave in Hours

Step 1: Find your NHS service band

The standard full-time annual leave reference figures are:

These are standard full-time Agenda for Change reference figures based on a 37.5-hour week.

UK nations: the 37.5-hour standard week applies in England. Arrangements can differ elsewhere in the UK. For example, NHS Scotland’s standard full-time week reduced to 36 hours from 1 April 2026, so the full-time hours and the WTE calculation below use a different base there.

Your own balance can differ because of part-time hours, start dates, service anniversaries, public holidays, carry-over or local adjustments.

Step 2: Work out the full-time entitlement in hours

A standard NHS full-time working week is 37.5 hours.

Spread over five standard days:

37.5 ÷ 5 = 7.5 hours per day

That gives:

• 27 days: 27 × 7.5 = 202.5 hours
• 29 days: 29 × 7.5 = 217.5 hours
• 33 days: 33 × 7.5 = 247.5 hours

So if you work full-time and your entitlement is 27 days, the annual leave equivalent is 202.5 hours.

Step 3: Adjust for part-time contracted hours

If you work part-time, the full-time entitlement can be adjusted using your whole-time equivalent, often shortened to WTE.

The basic formula is:

Contracted weekly hours ÷ 37.5 = WTE

Then:

Full-time annual leave hours × WTE = part-time annual leave hours

For example, suppose you work 30 hours per week.

Your WTE is:

30 ÷ 37.5 = 0.8

If your full-time entitlement is 202.5 hours, then:

202.5 × 0.8 = 162 hours

So your annual leave entitlement would be 162 hours.

Worked part-time example

Suppose you work 22.5 hours per week and have more than 5 years of service.

The full-time entitlement is 217.5 hours.

First calculate WTE:

22.5 ÷ 37.5 = 0.6

Then:

217.5 × 0.6 = 130.5 hours

So the part-time entitlement is 130.5 hours, which is 130h 30m.

The detailed part-time calculation can become more complicated if hours change during the year, so see NHS Part-Time Annual Leave in Hours for more examples.

What if you start part-way through the leave year?

If you start part-way through the year, the full annual entitlement usually needs to be reduced to reflect the part of the leave year you will actually work.

A simple method is:

Full-year entitlement × proportion of leave year worked

For example, suppose the full-year entitlement is 202.5 hours and you work for 6 months of a 12-month leave year.

202.5 × 6 ÷ 12 = 101.25 hours

So: 101.25 hours = 101h 15m

Some employers may calculate this using exact dates rather than whole months, so your trust’s figure may differ slightly.

What if you leave part-way through the year?

The same principle applies if you leave before the end of the leave year.

Your entitlement is normally adjusted to reflect the proportion of the year you were employed.

For example, if you are entitled to 202.5 hours for a full year but only work half of the leave year, the approximate entitlement would be 101.25 hours.

Any leave already taken would then be compared with that adjusted entitlement.

What if you reach 5 or 10 years of service during the leave year?

Your annual leave entitlement increases when you reach the relevant NHS service milestone.

However, the way the increase is applied during the leave year can depend on local policy.

For example, a trust may apply the higher entitlement from a particular date and calculate the additional leave proportionally for the rest of the year.

So if you reach 5 years or 10 years of service part-way through the leave year, check how your trust applies the change.

Do not assume the entire year’s entitlement automatically moves to the higher level.

How to calculate NHS public holiday hours

Public holiday entitlement is usually treated separately from annual leave.

For a standard full-time worker in England:

8 public holidays × 7.5 hours = 60 hours

So a full-time employee might have their annual leave entitlement and public holiday entitlement shown as separate figures.

For part-time staff, public holiday entitlement is usually adjusted proportionally.

For example, if someone works 30 hours per week, their WTE is 0.8. A 60-hour full-time public holiday allowance would become:

60 × 0.8 = 48 hours

So: 48 hours public holiday entitlement

Annual leave vs public holiday hours

It is useful to keep these separate.

Annual leave

Based on the standard 27, 29 or 33-day entitlement.

Public holiday entitlement

Calculated separately.

Combined total

Some systems may show the figures together, while others keep them separate.

Do not automatically add the two unless that matches the way your employer records leave.

Full worked example

Suppose an NHS employee works 30 hours per week and has less than 5 years of service.

The full-time annual leave entitlement is 202.5 hours.

Step 1: Calculate WTE

30 ÷ 37.5 = 0.8

Step 2: Calculate annual leave hours

202.5 × 0.8 = 162 hours

Annual leave entitlement: 162 hours

Step 3: Calculate public holiday hours

Full-time public holiday reference: 60 hours

60 × 0.8 = 48 hours

Public holiday entitlement: 48 hours

So the two figures are:

• Annual leave: 162h
• Public holiday entitlement: 48h

Whether those appear separately or together depends on the employer’s system.

Why your NHS figure may not match your own calculation exactly

A manual calculation is useful for checking your entitlement, but the figure shown by your employer may be slightly different.

Possible reasons include:

Rounding

Your trust may round at a different stage of the calculation.

Exact start or leaving date

A system may use exact calendar dates rather than whole months.

Service anniversary timing

The higher 29- or 33-day entitlement may be introduced part-way through the leave year.

Contracted hours changed

An increase or reduction in weekly hours can affect entitlement.

Public holidays

The number and timing of public holidays within a particular leave year can affect the total shown.

Carry-over

Unused leave from a previous year may have been added.

Manual adjustments

HR may have applied a correction or local adjustment.

If your calculation is close but not identical to the figure shown by your employer, one of these may explain the difference.

Common mistakes when working out NHS annual leave in hours

Using your actual shift length to calculate the headline entitlement

The standard 202.5, 217.5 and 247.5-hour figures are based on a 7.5-hour reference day.

Your own 11.5-hour or 12-hour shift does not replace that reference when calculating the standard full-time entitlement.

Forgetting to pro-rate part-time hours

A part-time employee should not normally use the full-time hourly entitlement without adjustment.

Combining public holidays automatically

Annual leave and public holiday entitlement are commonly calculated separately.

Treating 0.50 hours as 50 minutes

0.50 hours = 30 minutes

Ignoring part-year adjustments

If you start or leave part-way through the leave year, the full-year entitlement usually needs to be reduced.

Assuming every trust rounds in the same way

Local systems and policies can create small differences.