NHS Annual Leave Calculator guide
NHS Annual Leave Calculator: Agenda for Change Holiday in Hours
Use our NHS annual leave calculator to work out your Agenda for Change holiday in hours, including public holidays, pro rata for part-time staff.
By the AllCalculator editorial teamUpdated 15 October 20262 min read
If you work for the NHS on Agenda for Change terms, your annual leave goes up with your length of service and is usually recorded in hours rather than days. That makes it easy to work out for full-time staff, but trickier if you're part time. Our NHS Annual Leave Calculator does the conversion for you.
Agenda for Change entitlement
Full-time staff get:
| NHS service | Annual leave | Plus general public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| On appointment | 27 days (202.5 hours) | 8 days (60 hours) |
| After 5 years | 29 days (217.5 hours) | 8 days (60 hours) |
| After 10 years | 33 days (247.5 hours) | 8 days (60 hours) |
The hours assume a 37.5-hour week, so one day is 7.5 hours. Previous NHS service, and sometimes other relevant service, can count towards the 5 and 10-year points.
Part-time staff
Part-time staff get the same entitlement pro rata, worked out in hours:
Your hours = full-time hours × your weekly hours ÷ 37.5
Public holidays are added to your total as hours too. You then use part of your leave for any public holiday that falls on a day you'd normally work. This way, part-time staff aren't better or worse off depending on which days they work.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
- NHS Scotland: the full-time week for Agenda for Change staff has been reduced to 37 hours, so enter 37 as your full-time hours.
- Northern Ireland: there are 10 general public holidays, so enter 10.
How to use the calculator (NHS Annual Leave Calculator)
- Choose your NHS service.
- Enter your contracted hours a week.
- Check the full-time hours and public holidays for where you work.
A worked example
A nurse with more than 10 years' service working 22.5 hours a week:
- 22.5 ÷ 37.5 = 60% of full time
- Annual leave: 247.5 × 60% = 148.5 hours
- Public holidays: 60 × 60% = 36 hours
- Total: 184.5 hours
For leave outside the NHS, our Holiday Calculator works out statutory holiday. To see your pay, try our Salary Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many days' annual leave do NHS staff get?
27 days on appointment, 29 after 5 years and 33 after 10 years, plus 8 general public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland.
Why is my NHS leave in hours?
Recording leave in hours makes it fair for staff who work different shift lengths or part-time patterns.
Do bank holidays count as annual leave in the NHS?
They're in addition to annual leave. If you work on a public holiday, you usually get time off in lieu as well as any enhanced pay.
Check your contract or speak to your HR team if your terms are different. Use the NHS Annual Leave Calculator to plan your year.
Sources and further reading
- NHS Employers: NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbooknhsemployers.org
- Scottish Government: Agenda for Change working hours (DL 2024/07)publications.scot.nhs.uk
- GOV.UK: Holiday entitlementgov.uk
Links open official and independent websites in a new tab.
This guide is general information to help you understand your options. It isn't financial, tax, legal or building advice and doesn't take your personal circumstances into account. Figures were checked when the guide was last updated and can change, so confirm anything important with GOV.UK, HMRC, a regulated adviser or a qualified tradesperson.