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Workers can get 18 consecutive days off in 2025 using just 9 days of leave – here's how

'Out of Office' written in the sand on a beach with the sea coming in at the top of the picture.
Kelvin Goodson
Kelvin Goodson
Consumer Writer
28 January 2025

If you're in full-time or part-time work in the UK, you could get 18 consecutive days off work in 2025 by taking just nine days of annual leave – or 24 consecutive days off by taking 13 days of leave. But don't hang about if you want to do it, particularly if holiday gets booked up quickly where you work.

Almost all workers in the UK are legally entitled to 28 days' paid holiday a year, and by combining these with weekends and bank holidays (though these are often included in the 28 days), you can double the amount of time you're able to take off.

This year is a particularly good one to try doing this, with Easter coming just two weeks before the early May bank holiday in 2025 (last year it was five weeks before so the dates didn't line up as effectively). Here's how to do it...

Turn 9 days of annual leave into 18 consecutive days off work

As Easter is in late April this year, you can bridge the gap between Easter Monday on Monday 21 April and the early May bank holiday on Monday 5 May by booking Tuesday 22 April to Friday 25 April and Monday 28 April to Friday 2 May as annual leave.

Want a longer (or shorter) break? Other ways to boost your Easter days off

Other combinations may work better for you here:

  • Turn 5 days of annual leave into 11 consecutive days off work. If you're after a shorter break, or looking to save more of your annual leave for later in the year, book Friday 11 April plus Monday 14 April to Thursday 17 April as annual leave.

  • Turn 13 days of annual leave into 24 consecutive days off work. If you want a longer break, you can take over three weeks off by booking Tuesday 22 April to Friday 25 April, Monday 28 April to Friday 2 May and Tuesday 6 May to Friday 9 May as annual leave. Whether you can do this may depend on if there's any limit to the amount of time off your employer allows you to take in one go.

Boosting your annual leave around other bank holidays

While the four days off offered by the Easter weekend makes it the most effective time of year to do this, it can also do it around other bank holiday weekends.

  • Early May bank holiday (Monday 5 May). Take Tuesday 6 May to Friday 9 May as annual leave to get nine consecutive days off work.

  • Spring bank holiday weekend (Monday 26 May). Take Tuesday 27 May to Friday 30 May as annual leave to get nine consecutive days off work.

  • Summer bank holiday weekend (Monday 25 August). Take Tuesday 26 August to Friday 29 August as annual leave to get nine consecutive days off work.

  • Christmas Day (Thursday 25 December), Boxing Day (Friday 26 December) and New Year's Day (Thursday 1 January). It might leave your co-workers feeling less than festive towards you, but you can get over two weeks off by taking Monday 22 December to Wednesday 24 December, Monday 29 December to Wednesday 31 December plus Friday 2 January as annual leave. This will give you a total of 16 consecutive days off work.

Not sure if you're entitled to paid annual leave?

If you're classed as a worker (if you're not sure, see the Gov.uk website) then it's likely that you're entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, though this often includes bank holidays.

If you work five days a week, you're entitled to 28 days of paid annual leave a year. If you work regular part-time hours, you're entitled to the equivalent of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, depending on how much you work. You can check what this should be using the Gov.uk holiday entitlement calculator.

For full info on how much annual leave you should get, see the Gov.uk holiday entitlement rights page.

What to do with your time off

If you're able to boost your annual leave this way, make the most of your time off in MoneySaving fashion by checking out our host of travel guides and tools, looking for deals on days out and travel, and, if you've got kids, seeing how to beat school holiday price hikes.

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Get 18 consecutive days off in 2025 using just 9 days of leave

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