Holiday Entitlement Dispute Letter Template & Generator

If you need to dispute an incorrect calculation of your annual leave entitlement, a written letter is the recommended first step — it creates a clear record and shows you're pursuing the matter formally. Below is what a strong holiday entitlement dispute should include, plus a free tool to generate yours.

What this letter needs to cover

• State the correct entitlement under the Working Time Regulations 1998 as 5.6 weeks
• Calculate the correct number of days based on the working pattern
• Request immediate correction of records and payment of any underpayment

Common ways holiday entitlement gets miscalculated

Errors often creep in around part-year working, changes in hours partway through the year, or incorrect treatment of bank holidays as part of (rather than additional to) statutory entitlement. Full-time workers are entitled to a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks' paid leave per year — for part-time or irregular hours workers, this needs to be calculated proportionately, which is where mistakes commonly happen.

What to include before you send it

• Your contracted or actual working pattern and how you've calculated your correct entitlement
• The entitlement your employer has applied, and where you believe the discrepancy lies
• Any relevant documentation — your contract terms, or a record of hours if these vary
• A request for the calculation to be corrected and any shortfall to be credited

Getting the calculation right for irregular hours

Since changes to holiday entitlement calculation rules, irregular hours and part-year workers now generally accrue holiday based on a percentage of hours worked in each pay period (12.07%), rather than the previous, more complex averaging methods — checking which method should apply to your specific working pattern is worth doing carefully.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does entitlement include bank holidays as extra, or are they part of the 5.6 weeks?
The statutory 5.6 weeks can include bank holidays — there's no automatic additional entitlement on top, unless your contract specifically provides for it.

What if I've been underpaid holiday for a long time?
There are time limits on backdated claims, and gaps of more than a certain period between underpayments can affect how far back you can claim, so it's worth raising this as soon as you identify the issue.

See our full letter template & generator library for related letters, or use our free checkers for guidance specific to your situation.