Leave HackerGuidesPlan my yearWhat happens to my annual leave if I'm sick?
You don't lose it
You build up holiday while you're off sick, however long for. If you're ill just before or during your holiday, you can take it as sick leave instead and use the holiday later. Holiday you couldn't take because of illness can be carried over: up to 4 weeks, to use within 18 months of the end of that leave year.
Ill during your holiday
- Tell your employer as soon as you can, the way your sickness policy says.
- Get proof if it's more than 7 days, weekends and bank holidays included: a fit note from a GP, hospital doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist or occupational therapist. For 7 days or less you can self-certify.
- The days become sick leave, paid as sick pay, and the holiday goes back into your allowance to take another time.
Off sick for a long time
- Statutory holiday keeps building up, including bank holidays if they're part of it.
- You can carry over up to 4 weeks (20 days for a five-day week; 28 days for irregular hours and part-year workers) and must use it within 18 months of the end of the leave year it's from.
- You can ask to take paid holiday while you're off, for example if you don't qualify for sick pay. Your employer can't make you.
Sources
- gov.uk: Taking sick leave
- gov.uk: Calculate leave entitlement (leave years, starting a job, irregular hours, carrying over)
- Acas: Carrying over holiday
- Acas: Bank holidays and Christmas
Checked on 26 October 2026. This is general information about the legal minimum in the UK, not legal advice: your contract can give you more, and can set its own rules for notice and carrying over. For help with your own situation, call the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 (England, Scotland and Wales) or the Labour Relations Agency on 03300 555 300 (Northern Ireland).
More questions
Can my employer make me use holiday when I'm off sick?
No. They can't force you to take annual leave when you're eligible for sick leave, though you can choose to.
Do I build up holiday on long-term sick leave?
Yes. A long-term sick employee is still entitled to annual leave, and it keeps building up.