Pro Rata Annual Leave Calculator
Accurately determine your part-time holiday entitlement based on a full-time equivalent.
Your Entitlement:
Understanding Pro Rata Annual Leave
Pro rata is a Latin term meaning "in proportion." In the workplace, pro rata annual leave refers to the holiday entitlement that a part-time employee receives in proportion to the holiday given to a full-time employee.
Legally, part-time workers should not be treated less favorably than full-time workers. This means if a full-time employee receives a certain number of days off, a part-time worker is entitled to the same proportion of that time relative to the hours they work.
The Pro Rata Leave Formula
The standard way to calculate pro rata leave is by looking at the ratio of part-time hours to full-time hours. The formula is as follows:
Example Calculation
Let's look at a realistic scenario:
- Full-time employee: Works 40 hours per week and gets 28 days of leave.
- Part-time employee: Works 20 hours per week.
Using the formula: (20 / 40) x 28 = 14 days of annual leave.
Why Calculate in Hours?
Many HR departments prefer to calculate pro rata leave in hours rather than days, especially for employees who work irregular patterns (e.g., 4 hours on Monday and 8 hours on Tuesday). Calculating in hours ensures that the employee is charged the exact amount of time they would have worked when they take a day off.
Bank Holidays and Pro Rata
In many regions, statutory leave includes bank holidays. If a part-time worker's entitlement is calculated pro rata, it should include a pro-rated share of bank holidays as well. This prevents unfairness where a part-time worker might miss out on holiday days simply because their scheduled work days don't fall on a Monday.