How to Maximise Annual Leave in 2024 for UK & Ireland

Planning your holidays strategically is one of the best ways to make the most of your annual leave.

Instead of taking random days off throughout the year, consider scheduling your time off around public holidays or long weekends. This way, you can maximise your days off without using too much of your precious leave.

We call this concept "leave stacking".

For example, if there is a Bank Holiday Monday, take the entire week off, giving you a nine-day break for only four days of annual leave. Alternatively, take the preceding Friday off, making it a four-day weekend for a single day of annual leave.

Doing this multiple times per year can transform a handful of annual leave days into a considerable amount of time away from work. This can have a significant positive impact on your overall well-being and provide you with the necessary time to rest and recharge.

To help you make these plans, we've extracted the 2024 bank holidays for England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and then overlayed some suggested annual leave to book to maximise your time off.

England and Wales

Get 49 days off work by requesting 21 days of annual leave.

England and Wales have eight bank holidays in 2024.

• New Year’s Day – Monday, 1st January 2024
• Good Friday – Friday, 29th March 2024
• Easter Monday – Monday, 1st April 2024
• Early May Bank Holiday – Monday, 6th May 2024
• Spring Bank Holiday – Monday, 27th May 2024
• Summer Bank Holiday – Monday, 26th August 2024
• Christmas Day – Wednesday, 25th December 2024
• Boxing Day – Thursday, 26th December 2024

Scotland

Get 56 days off work by requesting 24 days of annual leave.

Scotland has nine bank holidays in 2024.

• New Year’s Day – Monday, 1st January 2024
• 2nd January – Tuesday, 2nd January 2024
• Good Friday – Friday, 29th March 2024
• Early May Bank Holiday – Monday, 6th May 2024
• Spring Bank Holiday – Monday, 27th May 2024
• Summer Bank Holiday – Monday, 5th August 2024
• St Andrew’s Day (substitute day) – Monday, 2nd December 2024
• Christmas Day – Wednesday, 25th December 2024
• Boxing Day – Thursday, 26th December 2024

Northern Ireland

Get 64 days off work by requesting 28 days of annual leave.

Northern Ireland has ten bank holidays in 2024.

• New Year’s Day – Monday, 1st January 2024
• St Patrick’s Day (substitute day) - Monday, 18th March 2024
• Good Friday – Friday, 29th March 2024
• Easter Monday – Monday, 1st April 2024
• Early May Bank Holiday – Monday, 6th May 2024
• Spring Bank Holiday – Monday, 27th May 2024
• Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day) – Friday, 12th July 2024
• Summer Bank Holiday – Monday, 26th August 2024
• Christmas Day – Wednesday, 25th December 2024
• Boxing Day – Thursday, 26th December 2024

Ireland

Get 64 days off work by requesting 27 days of annual leave.

Ireland has ten bank holidays in 2024.

• New Year’s Day – Monday, 1st January 2024
• First Monday in February - Monday, 5th February 2024
• Saint Patrick’s Day - Sunday, 17th March 2024
• Easter Monday – Monday, 1st April 2024
• First Monday in May – Monday, 6th May 2024
• First Monday in June – Monday, 3rd June 2024
• First Monday in August – Monday, 5th August 2024
• Last Monday in October – Monday, 28th October 2024
• Christmas Day – Wednesday, 25th December 2024
• Saint Stephen's Day – Thursday, 26th December 2024