NHS Annual Leave Calculator 2026
Work out your NHS Agenda for Change annual leave - 27, 29 or 33 days by length of service, plus bank holidays, pro-rated for part-time hours.
Work out your NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) annual leave from your length of NHS service and contracted hours - 27, 29 or 33 days a year (one more in NHS Wales), plus general public (bank) holidays on top, pro-rated in hours if you work part time. Based on Section 13 of the NHS terms and conditions handbook.
How NHS annual leave works under Agenda for Change
Section 13 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook sets a single national annual leave entitlement for staff on Agenda for Change contracts. It rises with length of continuous NHS service:
- On appointment (0-4 years): 27 days of annual leave.
- After 5 years: 29 days.
- After 10 years: 33 days.
NHS Wales staff get one additional day from the 2021/22 leave year (handbook paragraph 13.1.1), so 28, 30 and 34 days. The Welsh Government's written statement of 17 December 2021 says "All NHS staff will receive an additional annual leave day", pro rata for part-time staff.
These are annual leave days only. General public (bank) holidays are a separate entitlement on top of them - 8 days in England, Wales and Scotland (Table 6 of both the UK handbook and the NHS Scotland AfC handbook) and 10 in Northern Ireland (paragraph 13.3). If you are required to work a general public holiday, you are entitled to equivalent time off in lieu at plain time rates (paragraph 13.4).
Part-time and pro-rata entitlement
The full-time NHS working week is 37.5 hours (Section 10.1 of the handbook). In NHS Scotland it is 36 hours, a 7.2-hour standard day, under Section 10.1 of the Scottish handbook as updated on 1 April 2026. Part-time staff receive the same entitlement pro-rated to their contracted hours, and it is normally expressed in hours rather than days so it can be booked in shifts of different lengths. For annual leave, multiply the full-time day figure by your weekly hours divided by 5. Public holidays are pro-rated too, but paragraph 13.6 says the result is "rounded up to the nearest half day". For example, someone in England on 30 hours a week with 5-9 years' service (the 29-day tier) has 29 × (30 ÷ 5) = 174 hours of annual leave. Their public holidays are 8 × (30 ÷ 37.5) = 6.4 days, rounded up to 6.5 days of 7.5 hours = 48.75 hours.
Continuous previous NHS service counts towards the 5-year and 10-year milestones, not just time with your current trust or board. This calculator applies the national AfC terms only; medical and dental staff and other non-AfC contracts have different leave rules.
Related: NHS Pension calculator and NHS pay by band on our nurse salary page.
Related calculators
Other UK tax calculators that pair with the NHS annual leave.
Frequently asked questions
How much annual leave do NHS staff get?
Under Agenda for Change (Section 13 of the NHS terms and conditions), full-time staff get 27 days on appointment, 29 days after 5 years of continuous NHS service, and 33 days after 10 years - plus general public (bank) holidays on top. NHS Wales staff get one extra day on each tier (28, 30 and 34). Part-time staff get a pro-rata amount, usually worked out in hours.
Are bank holidays included in the NHS annual leave figure?
No - the 27, 29 or 33 days are annual leave only. General public holidays are a separate entitlement on top: 8 days in England, Wales and Scotland, and 10 in Northern Ireland. If you have to work a bank holiday you get equivalent time off in lieu at plain time rates.
How is NHS annual leave worked out for part-time staff?
Part-time entitlement is pro-rated to your contracted hours and expressed in hours rather than days. Annual leave is the full-time day entitlement multiplied by your weekly hours divided by 5 - so 30 hours a week on the 29-day tier gives 29 x 6 = 174 hours. Bank holidays are pro-rated and rounded up to the nearest half day: 8 x 30/37.5 = 6.4, so 6.5 days (48.75 hours).
What counts towards the 5 and 10 year service milestones?
Continuous previous NHS service counts towards the length-of-service thresholds, not just time with your current employer. This calculator uses national AfC terms; your local employer policy or a non-AfC contract (such as medical and dental terms) may differ, so check your contract.