SAVVY workers can bag 56 days of holiday in 2022 by taking just 22 days of annual leave if they make the most of the Bank Holiday weekends.
This year, Brits will get an extra day off to celebrate the Queen’s 70th year on the throne.
2
The bonus Bank Holiday falls on Friday June 3, while the late May Bank Holiday gets pushed to June 2.
It mean Brits can bag nine days off work by taking just three days of annual leave.
The first Bank Holiday of the year was Monday January 3, as New Year’s Day was on a Saturday.
And if you booked January 4, 5, 6, and 7 off on annual leave, you would have got nine days off in total, including the weekends.
Easter
Coming up is the Easter long weekend which falls in April, with Good Friday on April 15 and Easter Monday, April 18.
That means if you take four days of annual leave on April 19, 20, 21, and 22, you’ll bag 10 days out of the office in a row.
May
Most read in Money
2
The early May Bank Holiday is on the second of the month, so if you use four days of annual leave to take the rest of the week off, you’ll have another nine days straight off work.
Queen’s Jubilee
Thanks to the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, Brits get to enjoy another four day weekend in June.
The late May Bank Holiday has been pushed back to Thursday June 2, while the extra Bank Holiday has been scheduled for Friday, June 3.
Employees can get another nine days of holiday, including two weekends, by taking three days off work – May 30 and 31, and June 1.
August
Staff who take off August 30 and 31, as well as September 1 and 2, will get another nine days paid leave thanks to the Bank Holiday on August 29.
Christmas and New Year
This year, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, meaning Tuesday, December 27 will be a delayed Bank Holiday, on top of Boxing Day on Monday December 26.
Employees who take the three working days off between Christmas and New Year will bag 10 days off the job, although two of these will be January 1 and 2 in 2023.
In total, that’s 56 days off work, but that does include the two days of 2023 after the new year too.
And you’ll only be using just 22 days of annual leave.
It’s worth noting your boss doesn’t have to agree to your holiday request though.
Your holiday rights
Alan Price, chief executive of human resources consultancy BrightHR warned: “One common misconception many employees have is that they can take annual leave whenever they want.
“This isn’t the case and employers can set a maximum cap on the number of employees that are on leave at the same time to ensure there is adequate cover.
“If a request for leave is made which would breach those rules, employers can deny the request.”
He added that it’s key employees get any holiday request approved before parting with their cash when booking a trip away.
Of course, this hack will only work if you’re not contracted to work on Bank Holidays or weekends.
That’s because employees don’t have statutory rights to take off Bank Holidays of work.
Full-time workers in the UK are entitled to 28 days paid leave a year, including Bank Holidays – although some employees get more.
You can figure out how many days holiday you are entitled to by taking the number of days a week you work and multiplying that number by 5.6.
Whether or not you’re required to work Bank Holidays or weekends will be outlined in the contract of employment you will have signed when you started your job.
The Queen’s 70th jubilee will mark the first time any British monarch has reached this historic milestone and the Palace has confirmed it will be celebrated in style.
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign began on February 6, 1952, with her coronation taking place on June 2 the following year.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team?
