How you can double your annual leave in 2020

Using our public holiday import tool, we've worked out when the best times to take annual leave are in 2020 for UK based employees.

If used strategically you can have 20 days off and only use up 7 days of your annual leave entitlement.

With Easter Monday falling on 13th April, you can get 10 days off at Easter by booking 4 days off from 14th to 17th April. This is assuming your employer gives you public holidays and weekends off.

This trick won't work as well in Scotland, as Easter Monday isn't treated as a public holiday there, but even so, 5 days annual leave for 10 days off still isn't bad.

Christmas 2020 also looks like a great opportunity for some extended rest and relaxation. With Christmas falling on a Friday, and therefore Boxing Day on a Saturday, it means the UK gets an extra public holiday on the 28th. If you take 29th - 31st as annual leave, you will be left with an extended break from the 25th December to the 4th January. We make that 10 days off for the price of 3, not bad! This time Scotland goes one better as they have the 4th of January off too, so 11 days in total for 3 days of annual leave.

If you then use on or more of the other public holidays wisely, you can get a further 3 day holiday for 1 day of annual leave allowance.

This takes our total holiday count to 23, for a total annual leave spend of 8 days. Shame we couldn't quite get to a 3x multiple, but that's a pretty good deal I'm sure you'll agree.

... and remember - its good for business to take time off

A full list of the public holidays in the UK is given below:

England

Date	Name
Wed 01 Jan 2020	New Year's Day
Fri 10 Apr 2020	Good Friday
Mon 13 Apr 2020	Easter Monday
Fri 08 May 2020	Early May Bank Holiday
Mon 25 May 2020	Spring Bank Holiday
Mon 31 Aug 2020	Summer Bank Holiday
Fri 25 Dec 2020	Christmas Day
Sat 26 Dec 2020	Boxing Day
Mon 28 Dec 2020	Substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day

Northern Ireland

Date	Name
Wed 01 Jan 2020	New Year's Day
Tue 17 Mar 2020	St Patrick's Day
Fri 10 Apr 2020	Good Friday
Mon 13 Apr 2020	Easter Monday
Fri 08 May 2020	Early May Bank Holiday
Mon 25 May 2020	Spring Bank Holiday
Sun 12 Jul 2020	Battle of the Boyne
Mon 13 Jul 2020	Battle of the Boyne observed
Mon 31 Aug 2020	Summer Bank Holiday
Fri 25 Dec 2020	Christmas Day
Sat 26 Dec 2020	Boxing Day
Mon 28 Dec 2020	Substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day

Scotland

Date	Name
Wed 01 Jan 2020	New Year's Day
Thu 02 Jan 2020	2nd January
Fri 10 Apr 2020	Good Friday
Fri 08 May 2020	Early May Bank Holiday
Mon 25 May 2020	Spring Bank Holiday
Mon 03 Aug 2020	Summer Bank Holiday
Mon 30 Nov 2020	St Andrew's Day
Fri 25 Dec 2020	Christmas Day
Sat 26 Dec 2020	Boxing Day
Mon 28 Dec 2020	Substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day

Wales

Date	Name
Wed 01 Jan 2020	New Year's Day
Fri 10 Apr 2020	Good Friday
Mon 13 Apr 2020	Easter Monday
Fri 08 May 2020	Early May Bank Holiday
Mon 25 May 2020	Spring Bank Holiday
Mon 31 Aug 2020	Summer Bank Holiday
Fri 25 Dec 2020	Christmas Day
Sat 26 Dec 2020	Boxing Day
Mon 28 Dec 2020	Substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day