SAVVY SCHEDULING
Exact bank holiday dates to book annual leave around in 2025 to double your days off
See the key dates to make the most of your time off
BOOKING days off around bank holidays next year can maximise your leave and even double your time off.
The tactic could give you 58 days off in 2025 while using only 28 days of annual leave (the average for Brits).
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Of course this doesn't mean you magically get more days off in the year.
It means that you get more days off in a row which allows you to appreciate the break properly.
Whether this means jetting off or just chilling on the sofa - you don't want to miss out on the opportunity for some extra rest and relaxation.
Here are all the dates you should book off in 2025 to maximise your leave.
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NEW YEAR
- Book two days of holiday to get five days off
- OR book four days for nine days off
- OR book seven days for 16 days off
If your bosses are friendly and you've still got the chance to book some leave around New Years - then here's when to do it.
The New Year bank holiday is on a Wednesday which means if you booked the Thursday and Friday (January 2 and 3) you could end up with a total five days off.
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This is because you would run into the weekend allowing an entire Wednesday to Sunday free.
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If you get really lucky with the rota you could also book December 30 and 31 off which is the Monday and Tuesday beforehand.
This means you'd get a total nine days off from the Saturday (December 28) through to the following Sunday (January 5).
And finally for a whopping 16 days off you could also take December 23, 24 and 27.
If taking from two different years' leave allowances you might not be using up as much holiday as you think.
EASTER
- Book four days of holiday to get 10 days off
- OR book eight days to get 16 days off
Easter bank holiday falls from April 18 (Good Friday) until April 21 (Easter Monday) next year.
This means if you booked holiday on the Monday to Thursday beforehand (April 14 to 17) then you could get 10 days on the trot.
And even better - if you also claimed the four days after Easter Monday (April 22 to 25) you would get that including the following weekend too.
Which, running from April 12 until 27, is 16 days overall.
MAY
- Book four days of holiday to get nine days off
In May there are two bank holidays on the Monday 5 and 26.
This means by taking the Tuesday to Thursday off on these weeks you could gain a total 9 days holiday.
For example, you would have the Saturday (May 3) til the following Sunday (May 11).
Or the Saturday (May 24) til the following Sunday (June 1).
AUGUST
- Book four days of holiday to get nine days off
In the summer, there's also a bank holiday on August 25.
This means if you book the Tuesday to Friday off - so August 26 to 29 - you could get a total nine days.
That's nine days from Saturday, August 23 til the following Sunday, August 31.
DECEMBER
- Book four days of holiday to get 11 days off
- OR book seven days to get 16 days off
2025 Christmas bank holidays will fall on Thursday, December 24 for Christmas Day and Friday, December 26 for Boxing Day.
One option is that you could book off December 22, 23 and 24 to get a nine-day leave from December 20 to Monday, December 29.
Or you could book off December 29, 30 and 31 and January 2 (you don't need to book the October 1 as this is already a bank holiday).
Then you'll have a total 11 days including the weekend.
And if you book all seven days as holiday, you'd get 16 days from December 20 right through to January 5.
You could even split this between your 2025/26 annual leaves so it doesn't feel like you're throwing too much away in one go.
The full list of benefits that could be affected by the bank holiday
HERE are all the benefits the government lists on its website that could be moved forwards and how often they are usually paid:
- Attendance allowance - usually paid every four weeks
- Carer's allowance - usually paid every four weeks
- Child benefit - usually paid every four weeks (weekly for some parents)
- Disability living allowance - usually paid every four weeks
- Employment and support allowance - usually paid every two weeks
- Income support - usually paid every two weeks
- Jobseeker's allowance - usually paid every two weeks
- Pension credit - usually paid every four weeks
- Personal independence payment - usually paid every four weeks
- State pension - usually paid every four weeks
- Tax credits (such as working tax credit) - usually paid every four weeks
- Universal Credit - every month
WHAT ARE YOUR RIGHTS TO TIME OFF?
You'll usually need to check in with your employer before booking holiday as this is typically arranged around workload and rotas.
Most employers who work a five-day week must get at least 28 days' paid annual leave a year - which is around 5.6 weeks.
By making sure you maximise your leave dates you could squeeze in holiday much easier.
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It's also always best to ask as early as possible to get more chance of approval - and not to mention that it'll be cheaper to buy a holiday if you get in early.
Always make sure your holiday is definitely approved before making any purchases - you could risk losing out on a lot of cash.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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