Guide
Apprentice Holiday Entitlement
An apprenticeship is a job with training — so holiday entitlement applies in the normal way, from day one.
Apprentices are employees
An apprentice is employed under an apprenticeship agreement, which makes them an employee. Statutory holiday entitlement therefore applies from day one: 5.6 weeks a year, pro-rated for part-time hours, capped at 28 days.
A common misconception is that holiday is included in the apprentice wage or replaced by study time. Neither is true. Off-the-job training is part of the apprenticeship, not annual leave.
How much holiday
A five-day apprentice gets 28 days. A four-day apprentice gets 22.4. Entitlement is pro-rated in the same way as any other employee.
Many apprenticeship contracts give 20 days plus bank holidays, which equals or exceeds the statutory minimum. Where the contract is more generous, the contract applies.
Holiday and off-the-job training
Off-the-job training — typically 20% of working hours — is separate from holiday. It must be paid, and it does not come out of the apprentice's annual leave. If an employer schedules training during a period the apprentice has booked as holiday, that is a scheduling conflict, not a way to convert training into leave.
Equally, an apprentice cannot be asked to use holiday to attend college days that form part of the apprenticeship.
Pay during holiday
Apprentices must be paid their normal rate during holiday, which must be at least the apprentice National Minimum Wage for their age and year of apprenticeship. Paying a lower "holiday rate" is not lawful.
If an apprentice is paid for hours worked and has no fixed hours, holiday accrues at 12.07% as for any irregular-hours worker.
What to check
Check the contract for the holiday clause and whether bank holidays are inclusive or additional. Check payslips for holiday pay when leave is taken. If the employer says holiday is "built into" the training wage, ask for the separate holiday figure — an unsupported claim of that kind usually means the entitlement is not being tracked.
Under-18 apprentices: hours and rest
Special limits apply to apprentices under 18: normally no more than 40 hours a week and eight hours a day, with rest breaks and a daily rest period. Those limits sit alongside holiday entitlement — they do not reduce it, and time spent at college or in off-the-job training counts as working time for them.
If an under-18 apprentice is routinely working beyond those limits, that is a separate breach of the working time rules and worth raising independently of any holiday question.
Apprentice rate and holiday pay
The apprentice National Minimum Wage applies to hours worked, and holiday must be paid at your normal rate — not at a lower 'holiday rate' and not at a training allowance. If your normal rate is above the apprentice minimum, holiday is paid at that higher rate.
Check the first payslip that includes holiday: it should show the same hourly rate as a normal working week. A lower figure is an underpayment even if the total looks plausible.
Apprentice Holiday Entitlement — FAQs
Do apprentices get paid holiday?
Yes. Apprentices are employees and get 5.6 weeks of paid holiday, pro-rated for part-time hours.
Can training time count as holiday?
No. Off-the-job training is part of the apprenticeship and must not be deducted from annual leave.
Is holiday included in the apprentice wage?
Not unless it is genuinely paid in addition and evidenced. Holiday pay must be at least the applicable apprentice minimum wage.
Does an apprentice get bank holidays?
Depends on the contract wording — inclusive or additional — but the statutory floor of 5.6 weeks still applies.
Related guides
- How Many Days Holiday Am I Entitled To?
- Part-Time Workers: Your Holiday Rights
- Bank Holidays: Included or Extra?
Work out your own figure with the holiday entitlement calculator or check what you should be paid with the holiday pay calculator.
Review and sources
Reviewed October 2026 against the Working Time Regulations 1998, GOV.UK holiday entitlement guidance and ACAS. Figures are the statutory minimum in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; contractual terms may be more generous. Not legal advice — see the editorial policy and contact page.