Published: 14 June 2026
How to Maximise Your Annual Leave in 2027
Optimising your annual leave is one of the easiest ways to enjoy more holidays without using more holiday entitlement.
By strategically booking leave around UK bank holidays, an employee with a standard 25-day annual holiday entitlement can enjoy six weeks of time off throughout the year while using only their normal allowance.
What are the 2027 UK Bank Holidays?
- Friday 1 January New Year’s Day
- Monday 4 January 2nd January (substitute day) Scotland only
- Wednesday 17 March St Patrick’s Day NI Only
- Friday 26 March Good Friday
- Monday 29 March Easter Monday Not Scotland
- Monday 3 May Early May bank holiday
- Monday 31 May Spring bank holiday
- Monday 12 July Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) NI only
- Monday 2 August Summer bank holiday Scotland only
- Monday 30 August Summer bank holiday Not Scotland
- Tuesday 30 November St Andrew’s Day Scotland only
- Monday 27 December Christmas Day (substitute day)
- Tuesday 28 December Boxing Day (substitute day)
How do I get 6 off work?
Assuming you take the above UK Bank Holidays, here’s how you can take 6 full weeks off work – including the Christmas and New Year period:
Easter Break
Option 1 – Take 10 days off: 20-29 March
Book:
- Monday 22 March
- Tuesday 23 March
- Wednesday 24 March
- Thursday 25 March
Annual leave used: 4 days
Option 2 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) – Take 10 days off: 26 March-4 April
Book:
- Tuesday 30 March
- Wednesday 31 March
- Thursday 1 April
- Friday 2 April
Annual leave used: 4 days
Late Spring Break
Option 1: Take 9 days off: 1-9 May
Book:
- Tuesday 4 May
- Wednesday 5 May
- Thursday 6 May
- Friday 7 May
Annual leave used: 4 days
Option 2: Take 9 days off: 29 May-6 June
Book:
- Tuesday 1 June
- Wednesday 2 June
- Thursday 3 June
- Friday 4 June
Annual leave used: 4 days
Summer Break
Scotland only – Take 9 days off: 31 July-8 August
Book:
- Tuesday 3 August
- Wednesday 4 August
- Thursday 5 August
- Friday 6 August
Annual leave used: 4 days
England, Wales and Northern Ireland – Take 9 days off: 28 August-5 September
Book:
- Tuesday 31 August
- Wednesday 1 September
- Thursday 2 September
- Friday 3 September
Annual leave used: 4 days
Christmas and New Year
Take 10 days off: 25 December 2027-3 January 2028
Book:
- Wednesday 29 December
- Thursday 30 December
- Friday 31 December
Annual leave used: 3 days
Leave Used So Far:
- Easter: 4 days
- Spring: 4 days
- Summer: 4 days
- Christmas: 3 days
Total annual leave used: 15 days
What About the Remaining 10 Days?
You still have 10 days of annual leave available, enough for:
- A two-week summer holiday
- October half-term
- A ski trip
- Adding a second week onto any of the breaks above
- Several long weekends throughout the year
Bank holidays for St Andrew’s Day (residents of Scotland) or St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne (those who live in Northern Ireland) could also be used in conjunction with any remaining days to
The Result
Using just 15 days of strategically placed annual leave, you can enjoy 37 days away from work across four extended breaks.
Combined with your remaining 10 days of annual leave, you can still take a further two weeks off whenever suits you best.
A little planning can turn a standard 25-day annual leave allowance into an excellent year of travel and relaxation.