Leave HackerGuidesPlan my yearWhat happens to my unused holiday when I leave a job?
It's paid in your final pay
Your employer must pay you for any statutory holiday you've built up and not taken, in your final pay, even if you're dismissed for gross misconduct. Instead, they can ask you to use it during your notice period. If you've taken more than you built up, they can only take it back if you agreed to that in writing beforehand.
Work out what you're owed
Take your year's holiday, multiply by the share of the leave year you've worked, and subtract what you've taken. For a leave year from 1 January, with 28 days a year:
| You leave on | Built up | If you've taken 10 days |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March | 7 days | 3 days overtaken |
| 30 June | 14 days | 4 days paid |
| 30 September | 21 days | 11 days paid |
gov.uk's holiday calculator does this for any dates and working pattern. Acas's example: start on 1 January, five days a week, leave after 26 weeks, and you've built up 14 days.
During your notice period
- You can ask to take your remaining holiday, giving the usual notice; your employer can refuse particular dates.
- Your employer can tell you to take it, with notice of twice the leave.
- Extra leave beyond the legal minimum follows your contract, which may or may not pay it out.
Check your final payslip
It should be a line for holiday pay, worked out like your holiday pay for each day owed. If it's missing, raise it with your employer first; Acas can help if it isn't fixed.
Sources
- gov.uk: Taking holiday before leaving a job
- Acas: Holidays and final pay
- Acas: Asking for and taking holiday
- Acas: How much holiday someone gets
- gov.uk: Holiday entitlement calculator
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 refuse to pay unused holiday when I leave?
Not for statutory holiday you've built up: it must be paid, even after a dismissal for gross misconduct.
Can they take money back if I've used more holiday than I built up?
Only if it was agreed in writing beforehand, usually in your contract (a “payback clause”).