Job Share arrangements involve two people working part-time hours to cover a full-time role. This means the Job Share holiday entitlement is adjusted on a pro-rata basis to account for the reduced amount of days or hours worked. For example, if a full-time role has a 30-day annual holiday entitlement and is staffed with two people working three days a week in a Job Share, they are entitled to 18 days holiday a year.
Typically in a Job Share, each person covers 2.5 to 3 days of the role with some overlap to support the handover of activities between the job share partners. This means the total amount of holiday entitlement covered by an employer can be more than a single full-time person if the Job Share has overlap.
What are the UK Annual Leave Rules?
In the UK almost all workers are entitled to a statutory 5.6 weeks or 28 days paid annual leave on a full-time basis. This can be inclusive of your Bank or Public Holiday entitlement so you may have a contract that offers 20 days annual leave plus fixed bank holidays you must take.
If you work part-time or in a Job Share, you can usually take the same number of weeks vacation but will be entitled to less days off as you work fewer days per week.
Employers must ensure that all employees receive the statutory minimum holiday allowance and that Job Shares or part-time employees are treated equivalently to full-time employees. If you feel your employer is penalising you beyond pro-rata of your holiday or any other benefit, you may be able to make a claim at an employment tribunal, see Citizen Advice help here.
How Do Job Shares Calculate Bank Holiday Entitlement?
Job Shares are entitled to Bank or Public Holidays in the same way as any other full-time employee although it is up to your employer as to whether they are paid or not. They just have to ensure you receive your statutory entitlement of paid days off.
The issue for Job Shares or some part-time workers with Bank Holiday entitlement is that the majority fall on a Monday. So if you normally don’t work on a Monday you get fewer public holidays off. The way many companies deal with this is that Bank Holidays are included in their annual entitlement so that a days holiday must be taken if you are due to work on a Bank Holiday otherwise it will be unpaid.
To illustrate assume the full-time holiday entitlement is 22 days excluding Bank Holidays, making the total entitlement 30 days including the 8 UK Bank Holidays. If you work 3 days a week you are entitled to 60% (3 ÷ 5) or 18 days per year, but you must use your holiday entitlement to cover any Bank Holidays you would normally be working or take them as unpaid (if you workplace is closed).
How Do I My Holiday in a Job Share?
In the most simple terms, your holiday entitlement is based on the reduced time you work compared to full-time. So if you work three days a week, your holiday entitlement will be 60% of what the full-time amount is. In this example the calculation is 3 ÷ 5 = 0.6 or 60%.
If you are interested in looking at the impact on your salary and benefits, our pro-rata salary calculator can show you what the impact of changing the number of days you work compared to full-time.
Example A – Excluding Bank Holidays with Overlapping Job Share
Jane and Claire have applied for a full-time position as a Job Share. The position is advertised as supporting flexible working with an annual holiday entitlement of 25 days or 5 weeks excluding Bank Holidays.
At three days a week, Jane and Claire are entitled to 60% (3 ÷ 5) of the full-time holiday so would get an annual holiday entitlement of 15 days.
Given they work three days per week, it only costs them three days holiday to book a week’s holiday, so they are still able to get the same five weeks holiday with 15-days holiday entitlement (15 ÷ 3 = 5).
In this instance, the total amount of holiday entitlement for the Job Share is more than a regular full-time employee because of the overlap. This is usually built into the case for employment alongside the additional salary, pension contributions, and any other fringe benefits. Many employers look at the benefits of a Job Share in terms of retaining talent and cover additional costs as part of their policy.
Example B – Including Bank Holidays Without Overlapping Job Share
John and Chloe Job Share with a 2.5 day split without a paid overlap. The company standard policy is to offer 32 days paid annual holiday including Bank Holidays.
This means they are both entitled to 50% or 16 days of the full-time holiday entitlement but must use paid holiday to cover Bank Holidays on days they usually work.
Job Share Holiday Entitlement Calculator
The Job Share holiday entitlement calculator lets you select the number of days you and your partner work to calculate your annual leave.
UK Bank Holidays 2024
Here is the list of UK public holidays for 2024, the UK government also provides a list here. If you want to plan future years, this calendar has all the upcoming years dates.
| DATE | DAY OF WEEK | BANK HOLIDAY |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan | Monday | New Year’s Day (substitute day) |
| 29 March | Friday | Good Friday |
| 1 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 6 May | Monday | Early May bank holiday |
| 27 May | Monday | Spring bank holiday |
| 26 August | Monday | Summer bank holiday |
| 25 December | Wednesday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Thursday | Boxing Day |
List of UK Bank Holidays in 2024
In Summary
A Job Sharer working part-time is entitled to the same holiday benefits as a full-time employee on a pro-rata basis. If the Job Share has an overlap period where both employees are working at the same time, the total holiday entitlement the employer must cover may be more than a standard full-time.
Most Bank or public holidays fall on a Monday so your employer will likely include them in your holiday entitlement to ensure those not working Mondays get a fair share of public holiday time.
