NHS Part-Time Bank Holiday Calculator 2026/27

Calculate your exact pro-rata bank holiday entitlement as a part-time NHS employee. Enter your contracted weekly hours, select your UK nation, and get your result in hours and days — instantly and free.

19 This calculator uses the exact formula set out in Section 13 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, the official document governing Agenda for Change employment in England. It is updated for the 2026/27 leave year running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.

How This Calculator Works

25 The calculator uses the formula: Bank holiday hours = (contracted hours ÷ 37.5) × (bank holidays × 7.5). This reflects standard NHS guidance for calculating pro-rata bank holiday entitlement.

The full-time equivalent baseline varies by nation:

• 19 The full-time equivalent is 37.5 hours per week across a 5-day working pattern in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• 9 From 1 April 2026 the full-time working week for Agenda for Change staff working in NHS Scotland will be 36 hours.

This means the standard working day in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is 7.5 hours (37.5 ÷ 5). In Scotland from April 2026, the standard working day is 7.2 hours (36 ÷ 5). The calculator automatically applies the correct FTE baseline and day-length when you select your nation.

Bank Holiday Counts by UK Nation (2026/27)

The number of bank holidays differs across the four UK nations. Your calculator result depends directly on which nation you select.

22 Bank and public holiday entitlement differs by nation. England and Wales have 8, Scotland has 9, and Northern Ireland has 10.

England and Wales 2026/27 Bank Holiday Dates

1 England and Wales typically observe eight bank holidays. The NHS leave year 2026/27 runs from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027.

1 Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, 25 December. 1 Boxing Day 2026 is observed on Monday, 28 December.

2026/27 leave year note: 2Easter falls earlier in 2027, with Good Friday on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. Because the NHS leave year ends on 31 March 2027, both of these fall inside the current leave year. This means England and Wales staff may receive 10 bank holidays in this leave year instead of the usual 8. Check with your trust's HR department whether your allocation reflects this.

Scotland 2026/27 Bank Holiday Dates

2 Scotland has different dates such as 2nd January and St Andrew's Day.

3 The Summer Bank Holiday in Scotland falls on 3 August 2026, not 31 August. 1 St Andrew's Day 2026, celebrated on Monday, 30 November, is Scotland's national day. Scotland does not observe Easter Monday.

Northern Ireland 2026/27 Bank Holiday Dates

2 Northern Ireland has extra holidays such as St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne.

4 The Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) falls on Monday 13 July 2026 in Northern Ireland as a substitute day. 1 The Battle of the Boyne anniversary commemorates the 1690 victory of William of Orange over King James II.

What Is the NHS Part-Time Bank Holiday Entitlement Rule?

This is the single most misunderstood area of NHS leave policy. Every part-time NHS employee receives a proportional share of every bank holiday — regardless of which day of the week they work.

34 Some employers believe that they must only provide this benefit if the bank holiday falls on a day that the employee would normally be working. This is incorrect and can be unfair to part-time workers who, for example, do not work on Mondays, the day that most bank holidays occur.

A part-time nurse who only works Thursdays still receives proportional credit for a Monday bank holiday. The entitlement is calculated on contracted hours, not on which specific days the public holidays fall.

The Legal Basis

38 Under the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000, employers must guarantee that part-time employees receive the same proportional benefits as their full-time counterparts. This includes accurate calculation of bank holiday entitlement. 36 It is clear that part-time workers should, over the course of a year, receive the same holiday entitlement (whether public holidays or otherwise) as full time staff, subject to the pro rata principle.

Under the NHS Agenda for Change contract, bank holidays operate differently from most private-sector arrangements. 19Bank holidays are in addition to your basic annual leave entitlement. Full-time staff in England receive 27, 29, or 33 days of annual leave depending on service length — and 8 bank holidays sit on top of that. 30Public holiday entitlement is in addition to annual leave entitlement, which is based on reckonable service.

Step-By-Step: How to Calculate NHS Part-Time Bank Holiday Entitlement Manually

If you want to verify the calculator's output by hand, follow these four steps.

Step 1 — Determine Your Whole-Time Equivalent (WTE)

19 Entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis. Your contracted weekly hours are divided by the full-time equivalent (37.5 hours) and multiplied by the full-time entitlement.

Divide your contracted weekly hours by the full-time hours for your nation:

• England/Wales/NI: Your hours ÷ 37.5
• Scotland (from April 2026): Your hours ÷ 36

Example: 22.5 hours in England → 22.5 ÷ 37.5 = 0.60 WTE

Step 2 — Identify Full-Time Bank Holiday Hours

Multiply the number of bank holidays by the standard working day length:

• England/Wales: 8 × 7.5 = 60.0 hours
• Scotland: 9 × 7.2 = 64.8 hours
• Northern Ireland: 10 × 7.5 = 75.0 hours

Step 3 — Multiply WTE × Full-Time Bank Holiday Hours

0.60 WTE × 60.0 hours = 36.0 hours of bank holiday entitlement

Step 4 — Convert Hours to Days (Optional)

Divide your result by the length of your standard working day. If your standard day is 7.5 hours: 36.0 ÷ 7.5 = 4.8 days

24 Entitlement is calculated in hours to ensure fairness across all shift patterns. NHS trusts track leave balances in hours on ESR (Electronic Staff Record), not in days, because shift lengths vary across roles — 7.5h, 8h, 10h, 11.5h, 12h, and 12.5h shifts all exist within the same trust.

Worked Examples for Common Part-Time Hours

Below are pre-calculated bank holiday entitlements for England (8 bank holidays, 37.5h FTE, 7.5h standard day). These cover the most common contracted-hours patterns across NHS Trusts.

30 Hours per Week (Band 5 Staff Nurse, 4 Days)

• WTE: 30 ÷ 37.5 = 0.80
• Bank holiday hours: 0.80 × 60 = 48.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 48.0 ÷ 7.5 = 6.4 days

22.5 Hours per Week (Band 3 HCA, 3 Days)

• WTE: 22.5 ÷ 37.5 = 0.60
• Bank holiday hours: 0.60 × 60 = 36.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 36.0 ÷ 7.5 = 4.8 days

18.75 Hours per Week (0.5 WTE)

• WTE: 18.75 ÷ 37.5 = 0.50
• Bank holiday hours: 0.50 × 60 = 30.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 30.0 ÷ 7.5 = 4.0 days

33 Sam works part time. Sam's contracted hours are 18.75 hours per week (50 per cent). Sam's working arrangements are Monday to Wednesday, 6.25 hours per day. Sam is entitled to 30 hours public holidays (0.5 × 8).

16 Hours per Week (Band 2 Admin & Clerical)

• WTE: 16 ÷ 37.5 = 0.4267
• Bank holiday hours: 0.4267 × 60 = 25.6 hours
• Bank holiday days: 25.6 ÷ 7.5 = 3.41 days

15 Hours per Week (2 Days)

• WTE: 15 ÷ 37.5 = 0.40
• Bank holiday hours: 0.40 × 60 = 24.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 24.0 ÷ 7.5 = 3.2 days

10 Hours per Week

• WTE: 10 ÷ 37.5 = 0.2667
• Bank holiday hours: 0.2667 × 60 = 16.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 16.0 ÷ 7.5 = 2.13 days

Quick Reference Table — England (8 Bank Holidays, 37.5h FTE)

Quick Reference Table — Scotland (9 Bank Holidays, 36h FTE from April 2026)

Quick Reference Table — Northern Ireland (10 Bank Holidays, 37.5h FTE)

Scotland's 36-Hour Week: What Changes for Bank Holiday Calculations

10 As part of the NHS Scotland Agenda for Change pay agreement, the standard working week for most NHS staff will reduce from 37.5 hours to 36 hours by April 2026, with no loss of pay.

This is a critical update for every part-time NHS Scotland employee. Three values change simultaneously in your bank holiday calculation:

1. FTE denominator shifts from 37 (the interim rate set in April 2024) to 36 hours.
2. Standard working day becomes 7.2 hours (36 ÷ 5).
3. Your WTE fraction increases — meaning your pro-rata share of everything goes up.

15 Full-time hours for Agenda for Change staff reduce to 36 per week (pro rata for part-time staff), without loss of earnings. 12 From April 2026, NHS Scotland staff will transition to a 36-hour working week from the current 37.5 hours, with no reduction in annual salary. The shorter working week increases the effective hourly rate.

Example — 22.5 hours per week in Scotland:

• Old calculation (37h baseline): 22.5 ÷ 37 = 0.608 WTE → 0.608 × (9 × 7.4) = 40.5 hours
• New calculation (36h baseline from April 2026): 22.5 ÷ 36 = 0.625 WTE → 0.625 × (9 × 7.2) = 40.5 hours

The total hours remain similar because both the WTE fraction and the day-length shift proportionally. But the day equivalent increases because each working day is now shorter (7.2h instead of 7.4h), so the same number of hours buys you more days off.

24 Part-time pro-rata calculations for Scottish staff must use 36 as the baseline. If your trust payroll is still using 37.5 as the Scottish baseline, your entitlement is being under-calculated. Raise this with your line manager or HR Business Partner immediately.

What Happens if You Work on a Bank Holiday

26 If you work under NHS Agenda for Change terms and conditions, section 13.4 states that "staff required to work or to be on-call on a general public holiday are entitled to equivalent time to be taken off in lieu at plain time rates, in addition to the appropriate payment for the duties undertaken".

This means three things happen when you are rostered to work a bank holiday:

1. Time off in lieu (TOIL): You receive compensatory time off equal to the hours you worked on the bank holiday.
2. Enhanced pay: 19Unsocial hours enhancements apply to work done during evenings, nights, weekends, and bank holidays. The standard AfC enhancement for a bank holiday day shift is time plus 60% for most staff.
3. Your bank holiday entitlement pot is separate: 28If your rota requires you to work on a public holiday, you get a day off in lieu (TOIL) plus enhanced unsocial-hours pay for the hours actually worked. The 8 public holidays are notional — they don't guarantee specific dates off, they guarantee 8 equivalent days off across the leave year.

Part-time staff who do not work on the bank holiday day still receive their pro-rata credit. 33When a public holiday is on a Monday, 6.25 hours leave should be deducted from their entitlement. If the public holiday fell on a Friday, and Sam does not work on Fridays, no deduction is made.

How Part-Time Bank Holiday Hours Are Managed on Your Roster

27 As a part-time worker, your public holiday entitlement will be added to your annual leave entitlement, and you should take the public holidays you would normally work as annual leave (section 13.7).

Here is how this works in practice:

• Your bank holiday hours are "rolled up" into your total leave balance on ESR.
• When a bank holiday falls on one of your normal working days, the hours for that shift are deducted from your rolled-up balance.
• When a bank holiday falls on a day you do not work, no deduction is made. You still keep those pro-rata hours to use on a different day.

27 If you work non-standard shifts, your annual leave and general public holiday entitlements should be calculated on an hourly basis, to prevent you from receiving more leave or less leave than colleagues on standard shifts (section 13.5). Part-time workers will be entitled to paid public holidays no less than pro-rata to the number of public holidays for a full-time worker, rounded up to the nearest half day (section 13.6).

Bank Holiday Entitlement for NHS Bank Staff (No Fixed Contract)

If you are employed as NHS bank staff on a zero-hours or as-and-when basis, you do not receive a fixed bank holiday allocation. 24NHS bank staff with no fixed contract accrue leave at 12.07% of every hour worked.

This 12.07% figure is derived from the Working Time Regulations 1998: 5.6 weeks statutory entitlement ÷ 46.4 working weeks = 12.07%. It includes both annual leave and bank holiday entitlement combined into a single accrual percentage.

Example: If you worked 200 bank hours in the leave year:

• Total leave accrued: 200 × 0.1207 = 24.14 hours (this covers both annual leave and bank holidays combined)

This calculator on this page is designed for part-time staff on fixed Agenda for Change contracts. If you are bank staff, use the 12.07% accrual method or visit our NHS Annual Leave Calculator which includes a bank staff tab.

Mid-Year Starters and Leavers

If you joined the NHS part-way through the leave year, your bank holiday entitlement depends on the actual number of bank holidays that fall within your employment period — not on a simple monthly fraction.

Example: You start on 1 September 2026. Between 1 September 2026 and 31 March 2027, there are 4 bank holidays in England (Christmas Day, Boxing Day substitute, Good Friday 2027, Easter Monday 2027). If you work 22.5 hours per week:

• WTE: 22.5 ÷ 37.5 = 0.60
• Bank holiday hours: 0.60 × (4 × 7.5) = 18.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 18.0 ÷ 7.5 = 2.4 days

Count the actual bank holidays in your remaining period. Do not divide the full-year figure by 12 and multiply by months — that method produces inaccurate results because bank holidays are not evenly distributed across the year.

Rounding Rules

27 Part-time workers will be entitled to paid public holidays no less than pro-rata to the number of public holidays for a full-time worker, rounded up to the nearest half day (section 13.6).

In practice, most NHS trusts round in hours to the nearest 0.5 hour rather than in days, because leave is tracked in hours on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). If your calculation produces 25.3 hours, it rounds up to 25.5 hours. If it produces 25.6 hours, it rounds up to 26.0 hours.

This rounding always works in the employee's favour. It never rounds down.

Common Mistakes in NHS Part-Time Bank Holiday Calculations

Using 37.5 Hours for Scottish Staff

24 Scotland reduces to a 36-hour full-time week from 1 April 2026 — this changes every pro-rata calculation for Scottish staff. A calculator or spreadsheet still using 37.5 hours produces incorrect results for any NHS Scotland employee.

Assuming Only Monday Workers Get Bank Holiday Credit

35 Part-time workers must receive their holiday entitlement on a pro rata basis, so that if a bank holiday falls on one of their non-working days, they must be allowed to take their entitlement at another time. A staff member who only works Wednesdays and Fridays still earns pro-rata bank holiday credit for every public holiday, including those falling on Mondays.

Confusing Bank Holiday Credit with Annual Leave

19 Bank holidays are in addition to your basic annual leave entitlement. Part-time workers receive a proportional bank holiday allowance based on their working pattern. Under Agenda for Change, your annual leave balance (27/29/33 days full-time) and your bank holiday balance (8/9/10 days full-time) are two distinct pots.

Using Days Instead of Hours for Irregular Shift Workers

A nurse working 12.5-hour long days does not have the same "day" as an administrator doing 7.5-hour shifts. 22Hours and days conversion uses 7.5 hours as one working day for a 37.5-hour week. Always calculate in hours first, then convert to your specific shift equivalents.

Forgetting the 2026/27 Leave Year May Have Extra Bank Holidays

Because Easter 2027 falls within the 2026/27 NHS leave year (before 31 March 2027), England and Wales staff may have 10 bank holidays this year instead of 8. If your trust has not adjusted your allocation, you are owed additional hours. Raise it with your ward manager or payroll contact.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I Calculate Bank Holiday Entitlement for Part-Time NHS Staff?

22 Part-time leave is calculated as: (your weekly hours ÷ 37.5) × full-time entitlement in hours. For bank holidays specifically, multiply your WTE fraction by the full-time bank holiday hours for your nation (60 hours in England, 64.8 hours in Scotland, 75 hours in Northern Ireland). The calculator at the top of this page performs this calculation instantly.

How Many Bank Holidays Do NHS Staff Get?

28 Agenda for Change Section 13 sets three service tiers (27, 29, or 33 days) plus 8 bank holiday days, pro-rated for part-time hours against the 37.5-hour full-time week. Scotland provides 9 bank holidays. Northern Ireland provides 10. Part-time staff receive these on a pro-rata basis calculated in hours.

Do I Get Bank Holiday Credit if I Do Not Work on the Bank Holiday?

Yes. 35The Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 ensure that part-time workers are not treated unfairly compared to their full-time counterparts. This means that part-time workers must receive their holiday entitlement on a pro rata basis, so that if a bank holiday falls on one of their non-working days, they must be allowed to take their entitlement at another time.

What Is the Bank Holiday Entitlement for 22.5 Hours per Week NHS?

A part-time employee on 22.5 hours per week in England (37.5h FTE, 8 bank holidays) receives:

• WTE: 22.5 ÷ 37.5 = 0.60
• Bank holiday hours: 0.60 × 60 = 36.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 36.0 ÷ 7.5 = 4.8 days

What Is the Bank Holiday Entitlement for 30 Hours per Week NHS?

A part-time employee on 30 hours per week in England receives:

• WTE: 30 ÷ 37.5 = 0.80
• Bank holiday hours: 0.80 × 60 = 48.0 hours
• Bank holiday days: 48.0 ÷ 7.5 = 6.4 days

Are NHS Bank Holidays on Top of Annual Leave?

Yes. 30Public holiday entitlement is in addition to annual leave entitlement, which is based on reckonable service. 19There are three tiers of annual leave entitlement under Agenda for Change: 0 to 4 years of service: 27 days per year (plus 8 bank holidays); 5 to 9 years of service: 29 days per year (plus 8 bank holidays); 10 or more years of service: 33 days per year (plus 8 bank holidays).

Does Scotland Have Different Bank Holiday Calculations for NHS Staff?

Yes. 13On 1 April 2026, every NHS Scotland employee on an Agenda for Change (AfC) contract will move from a standard 37.5-hour working week to a 36-hour standard working week — with no reduction in annual salary. Pro-rata calculations for part-time Scottish staff must use 36 as the denominator — using 37.5 gives incorrect results. Scotland also observes 9 bank holidays instead of 8, adding 2nd January and St Andrew's Day while omitting Easter Monday.

What Happens to Bank Holiday Entitlement if My Hours Change Mid-Year?

Your entitlement is recalculated based on completed months at each contracted-hours rate. Calculate the entitlement at the old hours for the period before the change, then at the new hours for the remaining period. Add both figures together. Your trust HR team will process this through ESR and update your leave balance accordingly.

Can I Carry over Unused Bank Holiday Hours?

19 Individual trusts may have local policies affecting your leave — for example, some trusts offer an additional day for long service or allow carry-over of unused days. Bank holiday hours that remain unused at the end of the leave year may be subject to the same carry-over rules as annual leave. Check your trust's local annual leave and bank holiday policy for the specific terms. Most trusts permit a maximum carry-over of 5 days (37.5 hours) with manager approval.

How Are Bank Holiday Hours Calculated for 12-Hour Shift Workers?

The total bank holiday hours remain the same regardless of shift length. What changes is the number of shifts the hours equate to. For example, 36 hours of bank holiday entitlement at 12-hour shifts = 3.0 shifts off. At 7.5-hour shifts, the same 36 hours = 4.8 days off. 23Unlike many private-sector employers who quote entitlements in days, the NHS calculates leave in hours. This is essential for ensuring part-time staff on long shifts receive a fair allocation.

Is Enhanced Pay for Working a Bank Holiday the Same for Part-Time and Full-Time Staff?

Yes. The enhancement rate under Agenda for Change is identical regardless of your contracted hours. 26Section 13.4 states that "staff required to work or to be on-call on a general public holiday are entitled to equivalent time to be taken off in lieu at plain time rates, in addition to the appropriate payment for the duties undertaken". The enhancement percentage does not differ between part-time and full-time staff.

What Is the Difference Between a Bank Holiday and a Public Holiday in the NHS?

In NHS terms, "bank holiday" and "public holiday" refer to the same days. The AfC Handbook uses the term "general public holidays" in Section 13. 5The UK government announces bank holidays up to 18 months in advance via gov.uk. 8If a holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday holiday applies, as per the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. The calculator uses both terms interchangeably because they carry identical contractual weight under Agenda for Change.

What if I Am Sick on a Bank Holiday?

26 There are three common scenarios for how your time off is treated if you are off sick on a bank holiday. If you normally need to use a day's leave, for example, because you work part time, or your bank holiday entitlement is included as part of your annual leave entitlement, then you will still need to do this. Check your trust's sickness absence policy for the specific procedure.

Can Additional Bank Holidays Be Declared During the Year?

26 In some years an additional bank holiday is declared, typically for events related to the Royal Family. Whether you are entitled to the additional bank holiday depends on the wording of your contract or local policy. For example, if your contract states "all bank holidays" or "plus bank holidays," your employer must honour the extra bank holiday. However, if your contract states "eight bank holidays" you may not be entitled to the extra day.