# Leave Hacker

> Leave Hacker is an iPhone app, in beta on TestFlight, that works out which days of annual leave to book around UK bank holidays and weekends to get the most days off in a row. It plans a whole leave year from your allowance, reads your calendars on the phone (nothing leaves the device) and finds cheap trips for each break. This site publishes the UK bank holidays for 2026 to 2028 from gov.uk, for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the best days to book around each.

Key facts, worked out by the app's optimiser from gov.uk's data:

- Easter 2027 (England and Wales): book Thu 25 Mar (1 day) for 5 days off, Thu 25 Mar to Mon 29 Mar; book 4 days (Mon 22 to Thu 25 Mar) for 10 days off, Saturday 20 March to Monday 29 March 2027.
- Christmas 2027 (England and Wales): Christmas Day (25 December) falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 27 December. Boxing Day (26 December) falls on a Sunday, so the bank holiday is Tuesday 28 December. New Year’s Day (1 January) falls on a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 3 January. Book Wed 29 to Fri 31 Dec (3 days) for 10 days off, Saturday 25 December 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028.
- Christmas 2026 (England and Wales): book Tue 29 to Thu 31 Dec (3 days) for 10 days off, Friday 25 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.
- 25 days of annual leave in 2027 (England and Wales, Monday to Friday, January leave year) give 64 days off across 13 breaks, using all 8 bank holidays.

## Bank holidays

- [UK bank holidays 2026, 2027 and 2028](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays): every date for all three nations, side by side
- [Bank holidays 2026 in England and Wales](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2026): 8 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2026 in Scotland](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2026/scotland): 10 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2026 in Northern Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2026/northern-ireland): 10 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2027 in England and Wales](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2027): 8 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2027 in Scotland](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2027/scotland): 9 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2027 in Northern Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2027/northern-ireland): 10 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2028 in England and Wales](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2028): 8 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2028 in Scotland](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2028/scotland): 9 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2028 in Northern Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/bank-holidays-2028/northern-ireland): 10 dates with weekdays, and the days to book around each

## Annual leave hacks

- [Annual leave hacks 2027 in England and Wales](https://leavehacker.app/annual-leave-hacks-2027): 25 days of leave into 64 days off, break by break
- [Annual leave hacks 2027 in Scotland](https://leavehacker.app/annual-leave-hacks-2027/scotland): 25 days of leave into 66 days off, break by break
- [Annual leave hacks 2027 in Northern Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/annual-leave-hacks-2027/northern-ireland): 25 days of leave into 65 days off, break by break
- [Annual leave hacks 2028 in England and Wales](https://leavehacker.app/annual-leave-hacks-2028): 25 days of leave into 60 days off, break by break
- [Annual leave hacks 2028 in Scotland](https://leavehacker.app/annual-leave-hacks-2028/scotland): 25 days of leave into 63 days off, break by break
- [Annual leave hacks 2028 in Northern Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/annual-leave-hacks-2028/northern-ireland): 25 days of leave into 64 days off, break by break
- [Easter 2027](https://leavehacker.app/easter-2027): book 4 days, get 10 off, with Scotland's differences
- [Christmas 2026](https://leavehacker.app/christmas-2026): book 3 days, get 10 off
- [Christmas 2027](https://leavehacker.app/christmas-2027): book 3 days, get 10 off; why the bank holidays are on 27 and 28 December

## Seasonal guides

- [Best time to book annual leave in 2027](https://leavehacker.app/best-time-to-book-annual-leave-2027): every 2027 bank holiday break ranked, and when to ask for it
- [Best time to book annual leave in 2028](https://leavehacker.app/best-time-to-book-annual-leave-2028): every 2028 bank holiday break ranked, and when to ask for it
- [Easter 2028](https://leavehacker.app/easter-2028): the exact days to book
- [St Patrick's Day 2027](https://leavehacker.app/st-patricks-day-2027): the exact days to book (Northern Ireland)
- [St Patrick's Day 2028](https://leavehacker.app/st-patricks-day-2028): the exact days to book (Northern Ireland)
- [May bank holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/may-bank-holidays-2027): the exact days to book
- [May bank holidays 2028](https://leavehacker.app/may-bank-holidays-2028): the exact days to book
- [Twelfth of July 2027](https://leavehacker.app/twelfth-of-july-2027): the exact days to book (Northern Ireland)
- [Twelfth of July 2028](https://leavehacker.app/twelfth-of-july-2028): the exact days to book (Northern Ireland)
- [August bank holiday 2027](https://leavehacker.app/august-bank-holiday-2027): the exact days to book
- [August bank holiday 2028](https://leavehacker.app/august-bank-holiday-2028): the exact days to book
- [St Andrew's Day 2027](https://leavehacker.app/st-andrews-day-2027): the exact days to book (Scotland)
- [St Andrew's Day 2028](https://leavehacker.app/st-andrews-day-2028): the exact days to book (Scotland)
- [Christmas 2028](https://leavehacker.app/christmas-2028): the exact days to book

## City breaks

- [City breaks for every bank holiday](https://leavehacker.app/trips): 12 European cities for each coming bank holiday break, with the public holidays there
- [Where to go for the Christmas break 2026](https://leavehacker.app/trips/christmas-2026): book 3 days, get 10 off, and 12 cities to spend it in
- [Where to go for Easter 2027](https://leavehacker.app/trips/easter-2027): book 4 days, get 10 off, and 12 cities to spend it in
- [Where to go for the early May bank holiday 2027](https://leavehacker.app/trips/early-may-2027): book 4 days, get 9 off, and 12 cities to spend it in
- [Where to go for the spring bank holiday 2027](https://leavehacker.app/trips/spring-2027): book 4 days, get 9 off, and 12 cities to spend it in
- [Where to go for the August bank holiday 2027](https://leavehacker.app/trips/august-2027): book 4 days, get 9 off, and 12 cities to spend it in

## Annual leave answers

- [Guides and answers](https://leavehacker.app/guides): index of every guide and answer

### Bank holidays

- [What happens when a bank holiday falls on a weekend?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/what-happens-when-a-bank-holiday-falls-on-a-weekend): You get a weekday instead. A “substitute day” becomes the bank holiday, normally the following Monday (or Tuesday, if Monday is already one). The government sets these, and gov.uk lists them. In 2027, Christmas Day is a Saturday, so the bank holiday is Monday 27 December.
- [How many bank holidays are there in a year?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/how-many-bank-holidays-are-there): 8 in England and Wales. In 2027 England and Wales have 8 bank holidays, Scotland has 9 and Northern Ireland 10. The number only changes when the government adds one for a national event, as it did for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022 and the coronation in 2023.
- [When is the next bank holiday?](https://leavehacker.app/next-bank-holiday): Christmas Day. In England and Wales it's Friday 25 December 2026, in 56 days. In Scotland: St Andrew’s Day, Monday 30 November 2026. In Northern Ireland: Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026.
- [How many working days are there in 2027?](https://leavehacker.app/working-days-2027): 253 days. 2027 has 261 weekdays. Take away the bank holidays that fall on them and England and Wales have 253 working days, Scotland 252 and Northern Ireland 251. That's for a Monday to Friday week, before your annual leave.
- [How many working days are there in 2028?](https://leavehacker.app/working-days-2028): 252 days. 2028 has 260 weekdays. Take away the bank holidays that fall on them and England and Wales have 252 working days, Scotland 251 and Northern Ireland 250. That's for a Monday to Friday week, before your annual leave.
- [Why are Scotland's bank holidays different?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/why-are-scotlands-bank-holidays-different): 9 in Scotland in 2027. Scotland has 9 bank holidays in 2027 against England and Wales's 8. It adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day, has no Easter Monday, and its summer bank holiday is the first Monday in August (Monday 2 August), not the last.
- [Is St David's Day a bank holiday?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/is-st-davids-day-a-bank-holiday): No. St David's Day, 1 March, isn't a bank holiday. Wales has the same 8 bank holidays as England, which gov.uk lists together as “England and Wales”. In 2027 it's a Monday and in 2028 a Wednesday, so it's an ordinary working day unless your employer gives it.

### How much leave you get

- [How much annual leave am I entitled to?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/how-much-annual-leave-am-i-entitled-to): 5.6 weeks: 28 days for a 5-day week. Almost all workers in the UK are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year. For a five-day week that's 28 days, and your employer can count the bank holidays as part of it. The legal minimum stops at 28 days, even if you work six days a week.
- [Do bank holidays count as annual leave?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/do-bank-holidays-count-as-annual-leave): They can. There's no legal right to have bank holidays off, or to be paid extra for them. Your employer can count them as part of your 5.6 weeks (28 days for a five-day week), or give them on top. Your contract says which.
- [How much holiday do part-time workers get?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/part-time-holiday-entitlement): 5.6 × the days you work. The same 5.6 weeks as full-timers, pro rata. Multiply the days you work each week by 5.6: three days a week gets at least 16.8 days. If full-timers get more than the minimum, part-timers must get more too, in proportion.
- [Do part-time workers get bank holidays?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/do-part-time-workers-get-bank-holidays): Pro rata, whichever days you work. If bank holidays are part of your holiday, you get them pro rata like the rest of it. Your employer can't make you use leave for a bank holiday on a day you don't work. If full-timers get bank holidays on top, part-timers should get them pro rata too, even when they fall on a day off.
- [How is holiday worked out for irregular hours?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/irregular-hours-holiday-entitlement): 12.07% of the hours you work. If your hours vary from pay period to pay period (zero-hours, casual, bank staff) or you have weeks off unpaid each year, you build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours you work in each pay period, rounded to the nearest hour. This applies to leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024 in England, Scotland and Wales.
- [How much holiday do I get when I start a new job?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/holiday-entitlement-when-starting-a-new-job): 1/12 of the year's leave a month. You start building up holiday on your first day, probation included. If you join part way through the leave year, you get the share of the year that's left. In your first year your employer can let you take only what you've built up so far: one twelfth of the year's leave for each month.
- [When does my leave year start?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/what-is-a-leave-year): Check your contract. Your leave year is the 12 months you take your holiday in. Your employer should tell you its dates when you start, often 1 January or 1 April. If your contract doesn't set one, it starts on the day you started the job (or 1 October, if you started on or before 1 October 1998).
- [Can I carry over unused annual leave?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/carrying-over-annual-leave): Up to 8 days, if your contract allows. Only if your contract or a workplace agreement allows it, and then up to 8 of the 28 statutory days. Leave beyond the legal minimum can be carried over if your contract says so. There are exceptions when you couldn't take your leave: sickness, parental leave, or an employer that didn't let you or warn you.

### Booking and asking for leave

- [How much notice do I need to give for annual leave?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/how-much-notice-for-annual-leave): Twice the leave you want. Unless your contract sets its own rules, you have to give notice of at least twice as long as the leave you want. gov.uk's guidance adds a day to be safe: 3 days' notice for 1 day off, 21 days for 10. Your employer can refuse with notice of at least the length of the leave, plus a day.
- [Can my employer refuse or cancel my annual leave?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/can-my-employer-refuse-annual-leave): Yes, for particular dates. Your employer can turn down a request for particular dates, or cancel leave they've approved, if they tell you at least as long beforehand as the leave itself (gov.uk adds a day: 11 days for 10 days off). They can't stop you taking your holiday at all: they must make sure you can use your full entitlement in the year.
- [Can my employer make me take annual leave on certain days?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/can-my-employer-make-me-take-annual-leave): 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 do I ask my manager for annual leave?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/how-to-ask-for-annual-leave): Early, in writing, with exact dates. Check your allowance and your employer's process, then ask in writing as early as you can: the exact days of leave, the dates you'll be away, and how your work will be covered. Keep it short. A clear request is easier to say yes to.

### Pay, sickness and leaving

- [How is holiday pay calculated?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/how-is-holiday-pay-calculated): A week's pay for a week off. You get a week's pay for each week of statutory holiday. If your hours and pay are fixed, that's simply your usual pay. If they vary, it's an average of the last 52 weeks you were paid. For at least 4 of the 5.6 weeks, “pay” includes regular overtime and commission, not just basic pay.
- [Can I be paid instead of taking my holiday?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/can-i-be-paid-instead-of-taking-holiday): Only when you leave. Not for your 5.6 weeks of statutory leave while you're still in the job: the only time it can be paid instead of taken (“payment in lieu”) is when you leave. If your employer gives more than 5.6 weeks, they can agree separate arrangements for the extra days, such as buying or selling them.
- [What happens to my unused holiday when I leave a job?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/what-happens-to-untaken-holiday-when-you-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.
- [What happens to my annual leave if I'm sick?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/annual-leave-and-sickness): 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.
- [Do I build up holiday on maternity leave?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/annual-leave-and-maternity-leave): Yes, bank holidays included. Yes. Your holiday keeps building up during statutory maternity leave, including bank holidays, and the same goes for paternity, adoption and shared parental leave. You can't take holiday and maternity leave at the same time, but you can take it before or after, and carry over what you couldn't use.
- [Do I get extra pay for working a bank holiday?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/working-on-a-bank-holiday): Only if your contract says so. No law gives you extra pay, or a day off in lieu, for working a bank holiday: it's down to your contract. Whether you work bank holidays at all is up to your employer. What the law does say is that you must still get your full 5.6 weeks of paid holiday on other days.

### Parents, schools and teachers

- [How do working parents cover the school holidays?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/school-holidays-and-annual-leave): 58 working days of school holidays. On the typical pattern, England's school holidays in 2027 cover 58 working days (bank holidays already taken off). One parent with 25 days' leave covers about 43% of that; two parents taking different weeks cover 86%. The rest is holiday clubs, family and a few shared days off.
- [Can I take my child on holiday during term time?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/term-time-holidays): Usually not, in England. In England you can only take your child out of school with the school's advance permission, and a holiday usually doesn't count as an exceptional circumstance. Your council can fine each parent £80 per child, rising to £160 if it isn't paid within 21 days. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules.
- [How does annual leave work for teachers?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/teachers-and-annual-leave): Holidays are the school holidays. Teachers don't book annual leave like office workers: their holiday is the school holidays. In England, a full-time teacher must be available for work on 195 days a year, 190 of them with pupils, under the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document. Time off in term time is up to your school's leave of absence policy.

### Getting the most days off

- [How do I get the most days off from my annual leave?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/how-to-get-the-most-days-off): 25 days of leave, 64 days off. Book the working days between a bank holiday and a weekend, so each day of leave brings free days with it. Planned that way, 25 days of leave and England and Wales's 8 bank holidays make 64 days off in 2027, across 13 breaks.
- [How do I plan my annual leave for the year?](https://leavehacker.app/guides/how-to-plan-your-annual-leave): Plan it all when your year opens. Sit down when your leave year opens (often January), work out exactly how many days you have, book the big breaks around Easter and Christmas first, then fill the gaps with long weekends next to bank holidays. Ask for everything early, in writing.

## School holidays by council

- [School holidays by council](https://leavehacker.app/school-holidays): 106 UK councils' term dates and holidays from their own pages, with the days of leave to book; every council page is listed in llms-full.txt
- [School holidays in England](https://leavehacker.app/school-holidays/england): 51 councils compared, 2026/27 and 2027/28
- [School holidays in Wales](https://leavehacker.app/school-holidays/wales): 22 councils compared, 2026/27 and 2027/28
- [School holidays in Scotland](https://leavehacker.app/school-holidays/scotland): 32 councils compared, 2026/27 and 2027/28
- [Northern Ireland school holidays](https://leavehacker.app/school-holidays/northern-ireland): the Department of Education's closure days

## The app

- [Leave Hacker](https://leavehacker.app/): what the app does and how to join the iPhone beta
- [Privacy](https://leavehacker.app/privacy): calendar data never leaves the phone; to find flights the server sees only an airport code and two dates
- [Support](https://leavehacker.app/support): contact and common questions
- [About](https://leavehacker.app/about): what Leave Hacker does, how it makes money and who runs it (Bednal Limited)
- [Contact](https://leavehacker.app/contact): hello@leavehacker.app for help, feedback and press; partners@leavehacker.app for partnerships
- [Affiliate disclosure](https://leavehacker.app/affiliate-disclosure): which links earn a commission and from whom; it never changes the price or the days suggested

## Ireland, Australia and the United States

- [Bank holidays 2026 in Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/ireland/bank-holidays-2026): 10 public holidays with weekdays, the weekend rule, and the days to book around each
- [Bank holidays 2027 in Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/ireland/bank-holidays-2027): 10 public holidays with weekdays, the weekend rule, and the days to book around each
- [Annual leave hacks 2027 in Ireland](https://leavehacker.app/ireland/annual-leave-hacks-2027): 20 days of leave into 53 days off
- [Australian public holidays 2026](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2026): every state and territory side by side
- [Australian public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027): every state and territory side by side
- [NSW public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/nsw): 14 dates and the days to book around each
- [VIC public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/vic): 14 dates and the days to book around each
- [QLD public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/qld): 13 dates and the days to book around each
- [WA public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/wa): 14 dates and the days to book around each
- [SA public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/sa): 14 dates and the days to book around each
- [TAS public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/tas): 11 dates and the days to book around each
- [ACT public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/act): 16 dates and the days to book around each
- [NT public holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/australia/public-holidays-2027/nt): 14 dates and the days to book around each
- [Annual leave hacks 2027 in Australia](https://leavehacker.app/australia/annual-leave-hacks-2027): four weeks of leave, state by state
- [U.S. federal holidays 2026](https://leavehacker.app/us/federal-holidays-2026): observed dates and the days of PTO to take around each
- [U.S. federal holidays 2027](https://leavehacker.app/us/federal-holidays-2027): observed dates and the days of PTO to take around each
- [U.S. federal holidays 2028](https://leavehacker.app/us/federal-holidays-2028): observed dates and the days of PTO to take around each
- [PTO hacks 2027](https://leavehacker.app/us/pto-hacks-2027): 15 days of PTO into 40 days off with the usual six holidays, 44 with all 11

## MCP server

Leave Hacker has a free, public MCP server (Streamable HTTP, no sign-in) at https://leavehacker.app/mcp, registered in the official MCP Registry as app.leavehacker/leave-hacker. Tools: get_bank_holidays, best_days_to_book, plan_leave_year, get_school_holidays, find_trips, leave_request_message.

- [Use Leave Hacker in your AI assistant](https://leavehacker.app/mcp-server): set-up for Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code, and the tools

## Optional

- [Full text](https://leavehacker.app/llms-full.txt): all of the above as plain text, with every table