If you work irregular hours or only part of the year, you may see 12.07% on your contract or payslip. Here’s what it means and where it comes from.
The short answer
12.07% is the minimum holiday that part-year and irregular-hours workers build up for every hour they work. It applies in England, Wales and Scotland for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024.
Where the number comes from
Every worker is entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday a year (28 days for someone working 5 days a week). A full-time, all-year worker takes those 5.6 weeks off and works the other 46.4 weeks of a 52-week year:
5.6 ÷ 46.4 = 0.12069 = 12.07%
So for every week (or hour) worked, they earn 12.07% of a week (or hour) of paid holiday. GOV.UK explains the figure the same way.
How it works for term-time staff
If you’re a part-year worker (see are term-time staff part-year workers?), your statutory minimum is 12.07% of the hours you work, up to a maximum of 5.6 weeks.
Example: 20 hours a week for 39 weeks = 780 hours. 12.07% × 780 = 94.15 hours of holiday, which is about 4.71 weeks.
That’s the legal minimum. Green Book holiday is more generous: a 39-week contract with under 5 years’ service includes about 5.65 weeks of paid holiday.
Rolled-up holiday pay
For part-year and irregular-hours workers, employers can pay holiday as an extra 12.07% of pay with each pay packet (“rolled-up holiday pay”), instead of when leave is taken. It must be shown separately on your payslip. See rolled-up holiday pay explained.
Why 10.77% is wrong
You may see 10.77% quoted. That figure doesn’t appear in any official guidance we’ve found. It looks like it comes from 5.6 ÷ 52, which treats holiday as a share of the whole year, holiday weeks included. Holiday is earned on the weeks you actually work, so the right sum divides by 46.4, not 52.
This is our own analysis of where 10.77% comes from. GOV.UK only publishes the 12.07% figure.
The difference matters. At £13.50 an hour, 20 hours a week for 39 weeks:
| Rate | Holiday pay |
|---|---|
| 12.07% | £1,270.97 |
| 10.77% | £1,134.08 |
| Shortfall | £136.89 a year |
Before April 2024
For leave years that started before 1 April 2024, the Supreme Court’s decision in Harpur Trust v Brazel (2022) meant part-year workers on permanent contracts were entitled to the full 5.6 weeks, not a pro-rated amount. The 2024 changes reversed this for part-year and irregular-hours workers.
Check yours
Use the holiday pay checker to compare your holiday pay with the 12.07% minimum, and with the full 5.6 weeks if you’re not a part-year worker.