Calculator / Term-Time
Term-Time Only Holiday Entitlement Calculator UK 2026
Teaching assistants, school support staff, and other term-time workers have unique holiday calculations. This guide covers entitlement, spread salary, and the correct calculation method.
Updated 11 April 2026
Term-Time Calculator
Most schools: 38-39 weeks
Your term-time entitlement
5.6 weeks
140 hours
39 work weeks + 5.6 holiday weeks = 44.6 total paid weeks
Holiday pay component of your salary: £2,260.09 per year (based on £403.59 per week x 5.6 weeks)
How Term-Time Entitlement Works
Term-time workers still receive the statutory 5.6 weeks of paid holiday. The key difference is that holiday is typically taken during the school breaks (half-terms, Easter, summer, Christmas) rather than being booked separately.
For a worker doing 39 weeks per year, total paid weeks = 39 + 5.6 = 44.6 weeks. The remaining 7.4 weeks of the year are unpaid non-working time (not holiday). This distinction matters for calculating pay.
Harpur Trust v Brazel: What It Means for You
The Supreme Court ruling in Harpur Trust v Brazel [2022] UKSC 21 is directly relevant to term-time workers. The court held that permanent workers with variable hours should not have their holiday calculated using the 12.07% method.
Instead, permanent term-time workers must have their holiday pay calculated using the 52-week reference period: average the weekly pay over the last 52 paid weeks. This often results in more holiday pay than the 12.07% method would give.
The key distinction:
- •12.07% method: for genuinely casual/irregular workers only
- •52-week average: for permanent term-time workers with regular hours
Worked Examples
Teaching assistant: 39 weeks/year, 25 hours/week
25 x 5.6 = 140 hours holiday. Paid weeks = 39 + 5.6 = 44.6
Holiday is built into the school breaks. The spread salary divides the annual pay equally across 12 months for consistent monthly income.
School caretaker: 44 weeks/year, 37 hours/week
37 x 5.6 = 207.2 hours holiday. Paid weeks = 44 + 5.6 = 49.6
Working more weeks means less unpaid time. At 44 weeks, the caretaker works through some school breaks and takes holiday at other times.
Exam invigilator: 15 weeks/year, 20 hours/week
20 x 5.6 = 112 hours holiday. Paid weeks = 15 + 5.6 = 20.6
For sporadic term-time workers, the calculation method (12.07% vs 52-week average) depends on contract type. Permanent invigilators use the 52-week method.
Spread Salary Explained
Most term-time workers receive a "spread salary" or "annualised salary" that divides their pay equally across all 12 months. This means you receive the same amount each month, even during school holidays when you are not working.
Your holiday pay is typically already included in this spread salary. The annual salary covers your working weeks plus your 5.6 weeks of holiday. The remaining weeks (school breaks beyond 5.6 weeks) are unpaid time that has been averaged into your monthly payments.
How to check if holiday pay is included:
- •Check your contract for the number of "paid weeks" per year
- •If paid weeks = working weeks + 5.6, holiday is included
- •If paid weeks = working weeks only, you should receive holiday pay separately
- •Ask your payroll department if you are unsure
Common Employer Mistakes
- •Using 12.07% for permanent staff: If you are on a permanent contract with regular term-time hours, the 52-week average method should be used, not 12.07%.
- •Not including holiday in the spread salary: Some employers calculate the spread salary on working weeks only and then forget to add the holiday component.
- •Treating term-time workers as zero-hours: Permanent term-time workers with set hours are not irregular workers, even though they do not work year-round.