How pro rata pay and holiday are calculated
A job advert that says "£30,000 pro rata" is quoting the full-time salary. What you are paid depends on your share of the full-time hours.
- Find your share of the full-time week. Use the full-time hours for that employer, not a national figure. No set number of hours makes a job full-time. GOV.UK says a full-time worker will usually work 35 hours or more a week.Share = your hours a week ÷ full-time hours a week
- Multiply the full-time salary by that share.Pro rata salary = full-time salary × shareDivide by 12 for monthly pay and by 52 for weekly pay.
- Check the hourly rate. It should match the full-time job, because only the hours have changed.Hourly rate = full-time salary ÷ (full-time hours a week × 52)
- Work out statutory holiday. Almost all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. For a regular part-time week, that is 5.6 times the days you work, up to 28 days.Holiday in days = days worked a week × 5.6, limited to 28To turn days into hours, multiply by your average working day, which is your weekly hours divided by your days.
Worked examples
All three use a 52-week year. Pay is before tax.
Three days a week in a 37.5-hour job
The full-time salary is £32,000. You work 22.5 hours over 3 days.
- Full-time salary£32,000
- Share of full-time hours60%
- Pay per month£1,600.00
- Pay per hour£16.41
- Statutory holiday16.8 days (126 hours)
- Pro rata salary£19,200
Twenty hours over five short days
The full-time salary is £27,000 for a 40-hour week. You work 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Because you work 5 days, you get the full 28 days, but each day of leave is a 4-hour day.
- Full-time salary£27,000
- Share of full-time hours50%
- Pay per month£1,125.00
- Pay per hour£12.98
- Statutory holiday28 days (112 hours)
- Pro rata salary£13,500
A term-time job, 39 weeks a year
The full-time, all-year salary is £26,000 for 37 hours. You work 30 hours a week over 5 days, for 39 weeks. Paid weeks are the 39 you work plus 12.07% for holiday.
- Full-time salary£26,000
- Share of full-time hours81.1%
- Paid weeks out of 5243.7
- Pay per month£1,476.60
- Pay per hour£13.51
- Statutory holiday23.5 days (141.2 hours)
- Pro rata salary£17,719
Pro rata salary table
Find the full-time salary on the left, then read across to your hours. The full-time week here is 37.5 hours.
| Full-time salary | 16 hours a week | 20 hours a week | 24 hours a week | 30 hours a week | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £25,000 | £10,667 | £13,333 | £16,000 | £20,000 | £12.82 |
| £26,000 | £11,093 | £13,867 | £16,640 | £20,800 | £13.33 |
| £27,000 | £11,520 | £14,400 | £17,280 | £21,600 | £13.85 |
| £28,000 | £11,947 | £14,933 | £17,920 | £22,400 | £14.36 |
| £30,000 | £12,800 | £16,000 | £19,200 | £24,000 | £15.38 |
| £32,000 | £13,653 | £17,067 | £20,480 | £25,600 | £16.41 |
| £35,000 | £14,933 | £18,667 | £22,400 | £28,000 | £17.95 |
| £38,000 | £16,213 | £20,267 | £24,320 | £30,400 | £19.49 |
| £40,000 | £17,067 | £21,333 | £25,600 | £32,000 | £20.51 |
| £45,000 | £19,200 | £24,000 | £28,800 | £36,000 | £23.08 |
| £50,000 | £21,333 | £26,667 | £32,000 | £40,000 | £25.64 |
| £55,000 | £23,467 | £29,333 | £35,200 | £44,000 | £28.21 |
| £60,000 | £25,600 | £32,000 | £38,400 | £48,000 | £30.77 |
To see what a pro rata salary is worth after tax, put the yearly figure into the monthly salary calculator.
Pro rata holiday rules
These are the legal minimums. Your contract can be more generous.
- 5.6 weeks for almost every worker. For a 5-day week that is 28 days.
- Part-time workers get the same 5.6 weeks. A week of leave is a week of your own working pattern, so it comes to fewer days. GOV.UK gives the example of 3 days a week: at least 16.8 days.
- The statutory limit is 28 days. Working 6 days a week does not raise it.
- Bank holidays can be counted inside the 5.6 weeks. They do not have to be given as paid leave on top.
- Different hours on different days. Holiday is easier to track in hours. Government guidance gives the example of 30 hours over 4 days: 22.4 days, or 168 hours.
Part-time workers also have the right not to be treated less favourably than full-time workers in pay rates, holidays, pension and training. Benefits can be scaled to hours. One difference is allowed: you may not get overtime rates until you have worked more than the normal full-time hours.
Term-time and part-year jobs
Choose "Term time or part of the year" in the calculator if you only work some weeks. It scales your pay twice, once for hours and once for weeks.
The 12.07% comes from the law on holiday for part-year workers. A full year is 52 weeks, 5.6 of them are holiday, and that leaves 46.4 working weeks. 5.6 divided by 46.4 is 12.07%. For leave years that started on or after 1 April 2024, part-year workers build up holiday at 12.07% of the hours they work.
You count as a part-year worker only if your contract has periods of at least a week when you are not required to work and are not paid. If you are paid in equal instalments all year, ask your employer which holiday rule applies to you. Your employer may also use its own term-time formula, and it can give a different figure from this one.
What the result leaves out
- Tax and deductions. Every pay figure here is gross.
- Allowances and bonuses. Location allowances, shift pay and bonuses may be scaled differently, or not at all.
- Extra contractual holiday. If full-time staff get more than 28 days, your pro rata share should be based on that higher figure.
- Starting or leaving part-way through a year. Pay and holiday are then also scaled to the part of the year you work.
Common mistakes
- Using the wrong full-time week. 20 hours is 57% of a 35-hour week but 50% of a 40-hour week. On a £30,000 salary that is a difference of £2,143 a year.
- Reading the advert figure as your pay. "£30,000 pro rata" for a part-time job is not £30,000.
- Scaling holiday by hours when you work 5 days. Five short days still earn 28 days of leave. Each day off is a short day.
- Counting unpaid breaks. Compare paid hours with paid hours.
- Forgetting the weeks. A term-time salary is scaled for weeks as well as hours.
Questions people ask
What does pro rata mean?
Pro rata means "in proportion". A pro rata salary is the full-time salary scaled down to the hours you work. If the full-time week is 37.5 hours and you work 22.5, you get 60% of the full-time pay.
How do I work out a pro rata salary?
Divide your weekly hours by the full-time weekly hours, then multiply by the full-time salary. For a £30,000 job at 37.5 hours, working 22.5 hours pays £18,000 a year, which is £1,500 a month before tax.
How much holiday do I get if I work 3 days a week?
At least 16.8 days a year, which is 3 multiplied by 5.6. Two days a week gives 11.2 days and four days a week gives 22.4 days. Your employer can give more than this legal minimum.
Do part-time workers get bank holidays?
There is no legal right to paid leave on a bank holiday for anyone. An employer can count bank holidays as part of your 5.6 weeks. Part-time workers must not be treated less favourably than full-time staff on holidays, so ask how your employer shares them out.
Is pro rata pay before or after tax?
Before tax. The £12,570 Personal Allowance is not scaled down for part-time hours, so a part-time worker keeps a larger share of their pay. In 2026/27, £18,000 a year leaves about £1,373 a month after income tax and National Insurance, which is 92% of it. The full £30,000 keeps 84%.
Is my hourly rate lower if I work part-time?
No. Pro rata pay keeps the hourly rate the same as the full-time job. Only the number of paid hours changes. Part-time workers have a legal right to the same pay rates as comparable full-time workers.
How is a term-time only salary worked out?
Term-time pay covers the weeks you work plus paid holiday, and can be spread over 12 months. This calculator adds the legal minimum holiday of 12.07% to your working weeks. On 39 weeks that is about 43.7 paid weeks, so a £30,000 full-time salary becomes £25,216. Your employer may use a different formula, so check your contract.
What is the maximum statutory holiday?
28 days. Someone working 6 days a week would get 33.6 days on the 5.6 weeks formula, but the legal minimum stops at 28 days.
Related calculators
Sources
- GOV.UK: Holiday entitlement
- GOV.UK: Holiday pay and entitlement reforms from 1 January 2024
- GOV.UK: Part-time workers' rights
Figures last checked against these sources on 10 October 2026. This page gives general information and estimates, not tax, legal or financial advice.