Term-time pay is your full-time salary scaled down to the weeks you actually work, plus pay for the holiday you build up. Someone on a £30,000 full-time salary who works 39 weeks gets £25,212 a year, not the £22,500 you'd get from weeks worked alone. The difference is paid holiday.
The salary for the same job worked all year.
5.6 weeks of leave builds up for every 46.4 weeks worked, so 39 weeks gives about 4.7.
Enter the full-time salary and the weeks you work to see your term-time pay.
The usual method adds the weeks you work to the weeks of paid holiday, then divides by 52 to get your share of the full-time salary. Multiply that share by the full-time equivalent salary and you have your annual pay.
Annual pay = full-time salary × (weeks worked + holiday weeks) ÷ 52
Employers publish their own formulas. Some use a slightly different divisor, and some work in days or hours, so treat this as a close estimate and check your contract. The pattern holds either way: your pay reflects the time you work plus the leave you earn.
GOV.UK says most workers get at least 5.6 weeks of paid holiday. Part-year workers, meaning anyone with weeks in the leave year where they don't work and aren't paid, are covered by the same right. Their leave builds up based on the hours they've worked, rather than as a fixed number of days.
Put in numbers, 5.6 weeks of leave for every 46.4 weeks worked is 12.07%. At 39 weeks that's 4.7 weeks of holiday pay on top, which is the figure pre-filled above. Leave it out and you'd underestimate your pay by £2,712 on this salary.
Paid weeks: 39 worked + 4.7 holiday = 43.7. Share of the year: 43.7 ÷ 52 = 84.0%.
Annual pay: £30,000 × 84.0% = £25,212, or £2,101 a month if paid in twelve equal parts.
After Income Tax and National Insurance that leaves £21,672 a year, or £1,806 a month.
| Full-time salary | Term-time annual pay | Gross per month | Take-home per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| £22,000 | £18,488 | £1,541 | £1,403 |
| £26,000 | £21,850 | £1,821 | £1,604 |
| £30,000 | £25,212 | £2,101 | £1,806 |
| £35,000 | £29,413 | £2,451 | £2,058 |
| £40,000 | £33,615 | £2,801 | £2,310 |
39 weeks worked plus 4.7 weeks holiday. Take-home: England, tax year 2026/27, standard 1257L code, no student loan or pension. Calculated by Salary Checker UK.
Each extra week of work adds to both the weeks worked and the holiday that builds up. On a £30,000 full-time salary:
| Weeks worked | Holiday weeks | Share of full-time | Annual pay | Gross per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 4.3 | 77.5% | £23,250 | £1,938 |
| 38 | 4.6 | 81.9% | £24,577 | £2,048 |
| 39 | 4.7 | 84.0% | £25,212 | £2,101 |
| 40 | 4.8 | 86.2% | £25,846 | £2,154 |
| 42 | 5.1 | 90.6% | £27,173 | £2,264 |
Holiday weeks = 5.6 per 46.4 weeks worked, rounded to one decimal place.
Many employers spread term-time pay across twelve equal monthly payments, so the money doesn't stop in the holidays. The monthly figure above assumes that. If you're paid only for the months you work, the same annual total arrives in bigger instalments over fewer months. Either way, tax is worked out on the year's total through your tax code.
To see the effect of a student loan or pension on that total, use the main salary calculator with your term-time figure. For other reduced-hours arrangements, the pro-rata salary calculator converts a full-time salary for fewer days or hours.
What people ask when working out pay for a school-year contract.
Add the weeks you work to the weeks of paid holiday you earn, divide by 52, and multiply by the full-time equivalent salary. On £30,000 with 39 weeks worked and 4.7 weeks of holiday that's £25,212 a year.
Because you also earn paid holiday. Using weeks worked alone gives £22,500 on a £30,000 salary, which is £2,712 lower than the figure with holiday pay included.
GOV.UK says part-year workers are entitled to up to 5.6 weeks of statutory leave, built up based on the hours they have worked. Your employer may offer more. Holiday pay is often built into the term-time salary rather than paid on top of it, but check your contract.
Often, yes. Many employers divide the annual total into twelve equal payments so pay continues through the holidays. Check your contract, because some pay only for the months worked.
No. Income Tax and National Insurance are worked out on your annual pay in the usual way, through your tax code. The calculator above shows take-home on the annual total.
Yes. Change the weeks worked box and the holiday weeks fill in automatically at 5.6 weeks of leave per 46.4 weeks worked. If your contract gives a different holiday figure, type it in. Your employer's own formula may differ slightly, so treat the result as a close estimate.
Holiday entitlement comes from GOV.UK. The pay formula is arithmetic, and employers may use their own variation. Take-home uses confirmed 2026/27 HMRC rates.
Estimates only. Your contract decides how term-time pay is calculated. Take-home assumes a 1257L code with no student loan or pension. Compiled by Salary Checker UK, last updated 28 October 2026. This is general information, not financial advice.