Guides › Work and Employment › Holiday Pay for Irregular Hours and Zero Hours Workers: The 12.07% Rule
Holiday Pay for Irregular Hours and Zero Hours Workers: The 12.07% Rule
If you work irregular hours or only part of the year, for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024 your holiday builds up at 12.07% of the hours you work in each pay period. Your employer can instead choose rolled-up holiday pay: an extra 12.07% of your pay added each pay day, shown as a separate line on your payslip.
At A Glance
Your Rights
What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.
How It Works
Accrual
For leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024, holiday for irregular hours and part-year workers builds up at 12.07% of the hours worked in each pay period. source
Rolled-Up Holiday Pay
Optional, and only for irregular hours and part-year workers. Your employer adds 12.07% of your total pay each pay period, shown as a separate item on your payslip and paid with your wages. source
Carry Over After Sickness
Irregular hours and part-year workers can carry forward up to 28 days missed through sickness, to use within 18 months of the end of the leave year. source
Time Limits to Know
Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.
- 1 April 2024Leave years starting fromWhen the 12.07% method started
Steps to Take
Step 1 of 4
Add up the hours you worked in each pay period.
Step 2 of 4
Multiply by 12.07% to see the holiday hours you should have built up.
Step 3 of 4
If you get rolled-up pay, check it is a separate line on each payslip.
Step 4 of 4
Ask your employer to correct any shortfall, then raise a grievance.
(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)
Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right
Your options, in order, and when each one applies.
Acas Helpline
Free and confidential. 0300 123 1100, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Acas Early Conciliation
You must tell Acas before you make most tribunal claims. It is free.
Good to Know
Small things that make your complaint stronger.
Zero hours workers have the same holiday rights as other workers.
Rules here are for England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own employment law, the Labour Relations Agency and industrial tribunals; see nidirect.
Want Help?
If you would like one of our team to look at your problem, our initial case review is free. We cannot guarantee any outcome and we do not give legal advice.
Lead reviewer
Luke Marley
Founder and Lead Reviewer
Luke founded CPUK in 2026 after seeing how hard it is for ordinary people to get problems with companies put right. He oversees our guides and checks them against official sources.
Research by Katie Burt, Co-founder and Operations Lead (17 years in the care sector, including managing services for vulnerable adults), and the CPUK Research Team. Researched with AI-assisted research tools, then checked and corrected by our team.
Last checked: 15 October 2026. We are not paid by the companies we write about. Adverts never affect our guidance. Read our editorial policy.
Sources and official links
- gov.uk/government/publications/simplifying-holiday-entitlement-and-holiday-pay-calculations/holiday-pay-and-entitlement-reforms-from-1-january-2024 Checked 15 October 2026
- acas.org.uk/contact Checked 8 October 2026
- acas.org.uk/early-conciliation/how-early-conciliation-works Checked 8 October 2026