Clever way to get nine days off work using just four days of annual leave this summer – but you need to be quick

BANK holidays are one of the best things about British summers – and strategic planning can get you nine days off work by taking just four days of annual leave.

Savvy workers who book holiday allowance around the bank holidays get longer periods out of the office without burning through their annual allowance.

Alamy

For instance, the next bank holiday is on Monday, May 27. If you book the following four days off work, you’ll get nine days off in total.

That’s because you get two weekends, the free bank holiday Monday, and the four days of annual leave all back-to-back.

The days you need to book off are:

• Tuesday, May 28
• Wednesday, May 29
• Thursday, May 30
• Friday, May 31

The UK typically has eight bank holidays a year. By booking all your annual leave around it, you could stretch your time out, allowing you to take longer vacations and get a much-needed rest from work.

However, many workplaces approve holiday on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it pays to be quick snapping up the relevant days.

Even if it’s too late to take advantage of the next May bank holiday in your workplace, there are still August and December bank holidays to consider.

The summer Bank Holiday lands on Monday, August 26 this year. Once again, you can get a nine-day stint by only booking four dates off.

The days to choose are:

• Tuesday, August 27
• Wednesday, August 28
• Thursday, August 29
• Friday, August 30

And you need to use up even less annual leave to get a good holiday over the Christmas period this year.

There are two bank holidays in December (Christmas Day and Boxing Day), meaning you’ll be able to take nine days off using just three days of annual leave.

The dates to book off are:

• Monday, December 23
• Tuesday, December 24
• Friday, December 27

Even better, you can get a whopping 12 days off work for the price of just five days of leave by booking off:

• Friday, December 27
• Monday, December 30
• Tuesday, December 31
• Thursday, January 2
• Friday, January 3

Remember, Christmas is a very popular time to take days off work, so it’s a good idea to get any requests in as early as possible.

DATES IN 2025

For 2025, you should have your eye on the Easter weekend. Next year, you can get 10 days of holiday for just four days of annual leave.

The dates to book off are:

• Tuesday, 22^nd April
• Wednesday, 23^rd April
• Thursday, 24^th April
• Friday, 25^th April

Alternatively, by booking off eight days of leave, you can 16 days off in total.

You need to book:

• Monday, 14^th April
• Tuesday, 15^th April
• Wednesday, 16^th April
• Thursday, 17^th April
• Tuesday, 22^nd April
• Wednesday, 23^rd April
• Thursday, 24^th April
• Friday, 25^th April

Of course, this trick only works if you don’t work bank holidays, and how easy it will be depends on how holiday allocation works at your employer.

How much annual leave am I entitled to?

If you are classed as a full-time “worker”, then you are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave. This includes agency workers, employees with irregular hours, and part-year workers. 

If you work a five-day week, this works out as 28 days’ paid annual leave a year.

Part-time workers still get 5.6 weeks, but this will add up to less than 28 days and is calculated on a pro-rata basis.

For instance, if you work two days a week, you should get 11.2 days of holiday, whereas if you work 3 days, you should get 16.8 days of annual leave each year.

Employers can choose to include bank holidays within this statutory holiday, but some may offer bank holidays on top. Check your contract to see how your business works.

It’s worth getting your requests in as soon as possible, as most businesses won’t let too many people off at once.

Make sure that any time off is approved before you make concrete plans or book flights, otherwise you could come unstuck.

There is no legal obligation for your employers to grant you specific days of annual leave. 

What pay can I get if I work on a bank holiday?

If you work on bank holidays, your employer will have to pay you. However, a common myth is that employees must be paid more than their usual rate for bank holiday hours.

Unfortunately, companies do not have to do this, and can choose to pay you as normal.

However, some businesses and industries may choose to pay higher rates for working bank holidays to attract seasonal workers.