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United Kingdom

Time and attendance for the UK

Working Time Regulations checks, holiday accrual including irregular-hours workers, and bank holidays for England and Wales.

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Working hours and overtime

The preset TopTimesheets loads when you choose this country. It is what our overtime engine computes.

United Kingdom — Working Time Regulations

Week starts on Monday · No fixed weekly rest day in the preset

  • No statutory overtime premium — set your contractual rate
  • Flag weeks over 48 h (average)
  • A break of at least 20 min after 6 h of continuous work
  • At least 11 h of rest between working days
About this rule
  • No statutory overtime premium: set your contractual overtime rate.
  • 48h weekly limit is an average over 17 weeks (workers may opt out); flagged per week as a warning.
  • 20-minute break when working more than 6 hours; 11 hours' rest between working days.
Overtime calculator — United Kingdom — Working Time Regulations

Records you must keep

From 6 April 2026 employers must keep annual-leave and holiday-pay records for six years. TopTimesheets keeps every punch, edit and approval in an audit log.

Leave entitlements

Leave types TopTimesheets sets up for this country. Balances accrue automatically.

  • Annual leaveStatutory

    Entitlement
    28 days a year
    Pay
    Full pay
    Conditions
    not carried over

  • Annual leave (irregular hours)Statutory

    Entitlement
    12.07% of hours worked
    Pay
    Full pay

  • Sick leaveStatutory

    Entitlement
    By agreement
    Pay
    Paid through payroll — see notes

  • Unpaid leaveCompany policy

    Entitlement
    By agreement
    Pay
    Unpaid

  • Maternity leaveStatutory

    Entitlement
    up to 364 days at a time
    Pay
    Full pay
    Conditions
    document required

  • Paternity leaveStatutory

    Entitlement
    up to 14 days at a time
    Pay
    Full pay

  • Parental bereavement leaveStatutory

    Entitlement
    up to 14 days at a time
    Pay
    Full pay
Notes from the preset (English)
  • From 6 Apr 2026 employers must keep annual-leave and holiday-pay records for 6 years.
  • Bank holidays may be counted within the 5.6 weeks.
  • 5.6 weeks: 28 days for a 5-day week, pro-rata for part-time (ukStatutoryAnnualLeave). First year pro-rated.
  • Carry-over of the 1.6 weeks is by agreement; the 4 weeks only in limited cases (sickness, family leave).
  • Irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue 12.07% of hours worked (leave years from 1 Apr 2024).
  • Statutory Sick Pay from day 1 since 6 Apr 2026 at the lower of 80% of average earnings or the flat weekly rate [VERIFY rate]. SSP is computed in pay, not as a leave balance.
  • By agreement with the employer; deducted from pay.
  • Up to 52 weeks; Statutory Maternity Pay for 39 weeks (paid through pay, not here).
  • 1 or 2 weeks within 52 weeks of the birth; Statutory Paternity Pay.
  • 2 weeks on the death of a child under 18 or a stillbirth; other bereavement is company policy.

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Loaded into TopTimesheets so leave and overtime count them. Islamic holidays are estimates until the moon is sighted.

DateHoliday
Fri, 25 December 2026Christmas Day
Mon, 28 December 2026Boxing Day (substitute day)Holiday falls on Sat, 26 December 2026
Fri, 1 January 2027New Year's Day
Fri, 26 March 2027Good Friday
Mon, 29 March 2027Easter Monday
Mon, 3 May 2027Early May bank holiday
Mon, 31 May 2027Spring bank holiday
Mon, 30 August 2027Summer bank holiday

Default templates — verify with your adviser. Every rule can be edited in your account.

Frequently asked questions

Is overtime pay required in the UK?

No. There is no statutory overtime premium; average pay must still meet the National Minimum Wage. Set your contractual rate in TopTimesheets.

How is holiday calculated for irregular hours?

Irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue 12.07% of hours worked (leave years from 1 April 2024).

Hours that are right before payroll

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UK: Working Time Regulations, breaks and holiday entitlement · TopTimesheets
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