Workers in the UK could turn 24 days of annual leave into 56 days off in 2027 by strategically booking time off around bank holidays. The trick, which has been shared for previous years, only applies to those who do not work weekends and who receive bank holidays off as standard or do not have to take them as annual leave.
January and Easter breaks
To begin, booking Monday to Friday, January 4-8, off work would deliver ten consecutive days off thanks to the New Year's Day bank holiday, using just five days of leave. In March, booking Monday to Thursday, March 22-25, would convert four days of leave into ten days away from the office, thanks to Good Friday on March 26 and Easter Monday on March 29.
That Easter break would see workers finish on Friday, March 19, and not return until Tuesday, March 30.
Spring and summer bank holiday stretches
Later in the spring, there are two further opportunities to maximise leave. Since the Early Spring Bank Holiday lands on Monday, May 3, requesting May 4-7 off would secure nine days away from the office using only four days of annual leave. The same approach can be replicated when the Spring Bank Holiday arrives on Monday, May 31 - requesting Tuesday-Friday, June 1-4 off would gain another nine days with just four days of annual holiday.
The Summer Bank Holiday in England and Wales lands on Monday, August 30, so requesting Tuesday-Friday, August 31-September 3 off would provide another nine-day period using four days of annual leave.
Festive season final stretch
Finally, requesting Wednesday-Friday, December 29-31 off would secure a substantial nine days off with only three days of holiday, thanks to how the festive bank holidays land in 2027. Since Christmas lands on a Saturday, with Boxing Day on a Sunday, substitute bank holidays occur on the Monday and Tuesday, December 27 and 28.
Requesting those days off at the end of December would mean being off work from Christmas Day through to January 3.
The full list of recommended bookings is: January 1-10 (January 4-8, five days leave), March 20-29 (March 22-25, four days leave), May 1-9 (May 4-7, four days leave), May 22-June 6 (June 1-4, four days leave), August 28-September 5 (August 31-September 3, four days leave), and December 25-January 2 (December 29-31, three days leave).
