How to turn 28 days of leave into 58 days off in 2026
UK employees who time their dates correctly in 2026 can get 58 consecutive days off from work while only using 28 days of annual leave.
With 2025 drawing to a close, now is a good time for workers to start considering when to take their leave in the year ahead, and to put in their requests for the best available dates while they have the chance.
Leave requests often tend to bottleneck around bank holiday dates, as this maximises the number of consecutive days off work employees can enjoy if they book their leave wisely.
For this reason, it’s a great idea to plan out and request your annual leave early to maximise your consecutive days off work.
The statutory minimum number of annual leave days available to full-time workers in the UK is 28 days, including bank holidays, although many employers allow workers to take their allotment of 28 leave days in addition to bank holidays.
In 2026, there will be the following eight bank holidays in England and Wales:
- New Year’s Day: Thursday 1 January
- Good Friday: Friday 3 April
- Easter Monday: Monday 6 April
- Early May bank holiday: Monday 4 May
- Spring bank holiday: Monday 25 May
- Summer bank holiday: Monday 31 August
- Christmas Day: Friday 25 December
- Boxing Day: Monday 28 December (Substitute Day)
We have taken a look at the bank holidays available to UK workers and found the best possible dates for booking annual leave to maximise your consecutive days off.
For the purpose of this exercise, we will assume that we have a full 28 days of annual leave available to spend, in addition to bank holidays.
The most efficient annual leave plan for workers in England and Wales in 2026 is outlined below:
- Take leave on Friday 2 January for 4 consecutive days off including New Year’s Day (Thursday 1 January – Sunday 4 January)/
- Take eight leave days from Monday 30 March through to Friday 10 April for a total of 14 consecutive days off (including bank holidays on 3 and 6 March).
- After the bank holiday on Monday 4 May, take leave for the remaining four work days that week for nine consecutive days off (Saturday 2 May – Sunday 10 May).
- After the bank holiday on Monday 25 May, take leave for the remaining four work days that week for another nine consecutive days off (Saturday 23 May – Sunday 31 May).
- After the bank holiday on Monday 31 August, take leave for the remaining four work days that week for another nine consecutive days off (Saturday 29 August – Sunday 6 September).
- Take seven leave days from Monday 21 December through to Thursday 31 December for a total of 13 days off (including bank holidays on Friday 25 December and Monday 28 December).
Taking leave as described above will turn 28 days of annual leave into a total of 58 days off work, with the largest stretches of consecutive days off in May and December.
With New Year’s Day falling on Friday 1 January 2027, this plan will also technically give a few extra days at the beginning of the next year, setting workers up for a long and uninterrupted holiday in the festive season, if they plan wisely.
