Leave HackerGuidesPlan my yearCan my employer make me take annual leave on certain days?
Yes, with notice
Yes. Your employer can tell you to take holiday on particular days, such as bank holidays or a Christmas shutdown, and can stop you taking it at busy times. They must tell you at least twice as many days beforehand as the leave they want you to take, unless your contract says otherwise.
How it works
| They want you to take | They must tell you at least |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 2 days before |
| 2 days | 4 days before |
| 3 days | 6 days before |
| 5 days | 10 days before |
Calendar days, before the first day (Acas's figures). Your contract can set other rules.
- Christmas shutdowns are allowed even if the business stayed open in past years.
- Bank holidays: if your workplace closes and bank holidays are part of your holiday, your employer can make you use leave for them, as long as your contract says so or they give notice.
- Not on your day off: if you're part-time, they can't make you use leave for a bank holiday that falls on a day you don't work.
- Not when you're sick: holiday is for rest, so they can't force you to take it while you're off sick.
- Big, permanent changes to how you take holiday may mean changing your contract, which has its own process.
Plan around it
Find out your shutdown days at the start of the leave year and take them off your allowance first; the planner treats days you've marked as booked like leave already used. Plan around your shutdown.
Sources
- gov.uk: Booking time off
- Acas: Asking for and taking holiday
- Acas: Bank holidays and Christmas
- nidirect: Taking your holidays (Northern Ireland)
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 take holiday during my notice period?
Yes, with the usual notice. They can ask you to use your remaining holiday before you leave instead of paying it in your final pay.
Can I be made to take unpaid leave?
Only if your contract allows it.