ToolOrbit guide
How to Calculate NHS Annual Leave for Part-Time Hours
Agenda for Change leave starts from a full-time day entitlement, but hours are usually the clearest way to handle part-time or uneven working patterns.
Open NHSLeave →- 01
Choose the service entitlement
The standard full-time entitlement is 27 days plus eight public holidays on appointment, 29 plus eight after five years, and 33 plus eight after ten years. Recognised previous service and local rules can affect the band used.
- 02
Find the full-time-equivalent fraction
Divide contracted weekly hours by the standard 37.5-hour week. For example, 22.5 hours divided by 37.5 is 0.6 full-time equivalent.
- 03
Convert annual leave into hours
Multiply the full-time leave days by 7.5 hours and then by the full-time-equivalent fraction. At 0.6 FTE, 27 days becomes 121.5 annual-leave hours for a complete leave year.
- 04
Handle public holidays and partial years carefully
Public holiday hours are also pro-rated, but the actual balance can depend on which holidays fall on working days and how the employer records them. Joiners, leavers and local leave years may require an additional partial-year calculation.
Common questions
Before using the result
Why calculate NHS leave in hours?
Hours avoid overstating or understating entitlement when shifts have different lengths or an employee works fewer than five days.
Does this cover every NHS contract?
No. The method is for standard Agenda for Change planning. Other staff groups and local policies can differ.
Apply the method to your own values
Open the matching tool, enter the real inputs and check the limitations above before using the result.
Open NHSLeave