No, we aren’t talking about the festive season but, instead, Easter! It’s just around the corner and it is of course one of the few days in the year when the shops, filled with chocolate eggs and Easter biscuits shut for the day and staff enjoy a well-earned rest.
 
It brings us on to bank holidays. There are 8 of them every year in England and Wales, with Easter being home to two; Good Friday and Easter Monday. For the vast majority of employers who shut up shop on bank holidays, staff take the day as part of their annual holiday entitlement but sometimes we need to pay a bit closer attention to what’s happening.

What are we getting at?

Well, employees in the UK are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ annual leave. For a full-timer, that equates to 28 days and employers who don’t open on bank holidays often express that right as 20 days plus the usual bank holidays in E&W. It gives employees free rein to choose 20 days across the year and then they are required to take the bank holidays when they land.
 
For those who have determined that their holiday year runs from 1 April – 31 March, this year presents you with a bit of a hitch. Why? There are only 7 bank holidays that fall between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (given that Easter dates are moveable and last year fell on 31 March). Maths is not our forte, sure, but 20 free choice days plus 7 bank holidays does not equal 28!
 
You are really only left with one option unless you fancy risking claims: allow the ‘missed’ bank holiday to be taken at another time before 31 March 2025.  
 
You cannot carry statutory leave over into a new holiday year in normal circumstances, or borrow one from a previous year (given there were 9 bank holidays between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024).
 
The takeaway, if you’re on the April – March holiday year and offer basic holiday entitlement, dig out contracts and check the wording now!
 
To be clear, if you run a January – December year, fear not as you aren’t affected. If you express the holiday entitlement in your contract as ‘28 days including the usual public holidays’ or you allow more than the statutory 5.6 weeks anyway, you should be all good too.

If you require any help or assistance regards this topic or anything else employment law related, please contact our Employment Law Team.