How many bank holidays am I entitled to if I work 3 days a week? (UK rules explained)
The UK baseline rule: it’s about total paid holiday, not “bank holidays”
In the UK, the statutory minimum for most workers is 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per holiday year.
For someone who works 3 days a week, that minimum is:
3 × 5.6 = 16.8 days’ paid holiday per year
That 16.8 days is your total legal minimum paid holiday allowance. Bank holidays might be included within it, or your employer might give them on top—your contract and workplace policy decide.
So… how many bank holidays do you get on a 3-day week?
Here’s the key point that trips people up:
Your employer does not have to give you paid time off specifically because it’s a bank holiday. Instead, they have to make sure you receive your total statutory holiday entitlement (at least 16.8 days if you work 3 days a week).
That means there isn’t one universal “bank holiday number” for a 3-day worker. It depends on:
- whether bank holidays are included in your holiday allowance, and
- whether you are scheduled to work on the bank holiday dates (many fall on Mondays).
Here’s what this looks like in practice.
Quick calculation table for a 3-day week
| What you’re calculating | Simple method | Result for 3 days/week |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory holiday (in days) | 5.6 × days worked per week | 16.8 days |
| Statutory holiday (in hours) | 5.6 × hours worked per week | depends on your weekly hours |
A lot of employers convert entitlement into hours because it avoids arguments over part-days and rounding (for example, 0.8 of a day).
Are bank holidays included in the 16.8 days—or added on top?
This is where your contract wording matters. Most workplaces do one of these:
Option A: “Bank holidays are included in your annual leave”
This is very common.
If you work on a day that’s a bank holiday (say, a Monday), your employer may tell you the office is closed and deduct that day from your overall entitlement (your 16.8 days).
If you don’t work Mondays, you might not “use” bank holidays at all—meaning you could end up booking most of your leave on days that suit you.
Option B: “You get bank holidays plus your annual leave”
This is more generous and is usually a contractual perk rather than the legal minimum.
Some employers do this to keep things simple and attractive for recruitment—but they still need to apply it fairly to part-time workers.
What if a bank holiday falls on a day you don’t work?
This is the “Monday problem” in a nutshell.
Many bank holidays are Mondays. So if you work Tuesday–Thursday, you might look at the calendar and think, “I never get the bank holidays off—am I missing out?”
Not necessarily. What matters is whether your total paid holiday is fair and meets the legal minimum.
A fairness method many employers use: a pro-rata bank holiday allowance
To avoid one part-time pattern benefitting more than another, some employers create a separate “bank holiday pot” for part-time staff.
A common approach is to pro-rate the typical bank holiday count in your UK nation by your work pattern.
Worked example: pro-rata bank holidays (England & Wales)
In England & Wales, there are typically 8 bank holidays in a year (though occasional one-offs can happen). For a 3-day week, a simple pro-rata share is:
8 × (3/5) = 4.8 days
This doesn’t automatically add holiday on top of your entitlement. It’s often used as a fair way to account for closures while still keeping your overall entitlement consistent.
Side-by-side scenarios: why two 3-day workers can “feel” different
| Work pattern | What happens when a Monday bank holiday lands | Why it can feel unfair |
|---|---|---|
| Mon–Wed | You’re likely to lose working days to bank holiday closures | More of your allowance may be “used up” by fixed dates |
| Tue–Thu | You’re less likely to be affected by Monday bank holidays | You may book more leave on days you choose |
| Rota / changing days | It varies year to year | Needs an hours-based or pro-rata approach to stay fair |
If you’re thinking how many bank holidays am i entitled to if i work 3 days a week, it’s usually because your pattern makes you compare yourself to someone else. This table is exactly why employers often move to a “same overall entitlement” system.
Should your entitlement be counted in days or hours?
If you always work the same length shifts, “days” can work fine. But if your shifts vary (for example, two long days and one short day), “days” can get messy.
Hours-based entitlement is often clearer because it answers:
- How much paid time off do you have in total?
- How many hours get deducted when the workplace closes?
- How do part-days and rounding work?
As a quick guide: a 3-day worker’s statutory entitlement is 5.6 weeks worth of whatever their normal working week is—so the cleanest formula is:
Total holiday hours = 5.6 × your weekly working hours
What about irregular hours or a 3-day rota that changes?
If your 3 days vary week to week (common in care, hospitality, logistics, security, and some NHS roles), employers often calculate holiday based on average hours. Some workplaces also use an accrual-style method for irregular-hours workers that builds holiday up as you work.
If your payslips show holiday being paid differently (or “rolled up” as a separate line), that can be legitimate in specific cases—what matters is that you still receive the correct total paid holiday value overall.
How many bank holidays are there in the UK (and does it depend where you live)?
This is another reason the question gets confusing: bank holidays differ across the UK.
Here are the typical numbers (and they can change with one-off events and substitute days):
| UK nation | Typical bank holidays per year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| England & Wales | 8 | Most fall on Mondays; substitutes apply when dates land on weekends |
| Scotland | 9 | Includes extra days such as 2 January and St Andrew’s Day |
| Northern Ireland | 10 | Includes St Patrick’s Day and Battle of the Boyne |
If your employer operates across multiple UK nations, the policy is sometimes standardised company-wide—which can also affect how “bank holidays” are handled for part-time staff.
Can your employer make you take annual leave on bank holidays?
They can, if your contract/policy says bank holidays are part of your holiday allowance and the workplace closes.
But they still have to ensure you receive at least your total entitlement overall (for a 3-day week, the statutory minimum is still 16.8 days).
If you work a bank holiday, do you get extra pay or time off in lieu?
There’s no automatic legal right to enhanced pay for working a bank holiday. Some employers offer:
- extra pay rates, or
- time off in lieu (TOIL), or
- the option to swap the day
It’s usually contractual—so this is one of those “check the policy” moments.
What do people commonly struggle with? (A quick “real world” sentiment snapshot)
In typical workplace discussions about bank holidays and part-time entitlement, a few themes come up again and again:
People often love:
- clear, hours-based entitlement (it feels transparent)
- a fair pro-rata method so the Tuesday–Thursday worker isn’t disadvantaged
People often struggle with:
- feeling like they “miss out” when they don’t work Mondays
- inconsistent rules (for example, one manager deducts leave for closures, another doesn’t)
- rounding (16.8 days can feel awkward unless it’s turned into hours)
Debates you’ll see:
- whether bank holidays should be “extra” for everyone
- whether a fixed “bank holiday pot” is fairer than a single holiday allowance pot
If this sounds like your workplace, you’re not alone—this topic is one of the most common sources of confusion for part-time teams.
Here’s what you can do next (a fast contract and policy check)
Use this quick checklist in your contract, staff handbook, or HR portal:
- Look for wording like “including bank holidays” or “plus bank holidays”
- Check whether the workplace closes on bank holidays (and whether closure days are deducted)
- Confirm whether entitlement is tracked in days or hours
- Find the rule for part-time staff if they don’t normally work Mondays
- Check rounding rules (for example, whether 16.8 is rounded up, or tracked in hours)
If anything doesn’t line up, ask HR/payroll these practical questions:
- “Is my holiday entitlement calculated in days or hours—and what’s my annual total?”
- “Are bank holidays included in my entitlement, or given on top?”
- “What happens if a bank holiday falls on a non-working day for me?”
- “Do you use a pro-rata bank holiday allowance for part-time staff?”
- “How do you handle rounding for part-days (like the 0.8 in 16.8)?”
Conclusion: the simplest way to think about your entitlement
If you work 3 days a week, the UK statutory minimum is 16.8 days’ paid holiday per year. Bank holidays aren’t automatically “extra”—they may be included within that total, or offered on top depending on your contract.
If you want a clean, confident answer to how many bank holidays am i entitled to if i work 3 days a week, the most accurate next step is to check whether your workplace treats bank holidays as:
- included in your holiday allowance, or
- a separate entitlement, or
- handled via a pro-rata method for fairness.
Let’s explore your exact pattern next: if you tell me which 3 days you work (fixed or rota), I can show how the entitlement typically plays out.
FAQ about “how many bank holidays am i entitled to if i work 3 days a week”
Do part-time workers get bank holidays in the UK?
They get a legal right to paid holiday overall (5.6 weeks minimum). Whether they get paid time off specifically on bank holidays depends on the contract and whether they’re scheduled to work that day.
What if I don’t work Mondays—do I lose bank holidays?
Not automatically. You’re still entitled to your total paid holiday. Some employers use a pro-rata method to keep things fair across different part-time patterns.
Are bank holidays included in the 5.6 weeks statutory entitlement?
They can be. Many employers include bank holidays within the 5.6 weeks. Others offer them on top as a contractual benefit.
Can my employer make me take leave when the business is closed on bank holidays?
Often yes, if bank holidays are part of your holiday allowance and the policy says closures are taken from your entitlement.
How many days’ holiday do you get if you work 3 days a week?
The statutory minimum is 16.8 days per year (3 × 5.6), before any extra contractual enhancements.
Author expertise note: This guide is written from practical experience covering UK workplace rights and common HR policy approaches, focusing on clear, real-life examples rather than legal jargon.
