How much annual leave do you really get?
Pick your role and service to see your Grey Book leave in days, hours and weeks, with starters, leavers and part-time pro rata, then see where the public holidays fall on your own duty pattern.
About you
How your entitlement is built
Firefighter| Part | Full year | Your year | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale A | 25 | 25 | Base leave. Off-duty days that fall inside a block of leave count against it. |
| Scale B | 5 | 5 | Extra leave on any duty day, including successive days. |
| Long service | 0 | 0 | Once five years' continuous service; taken like Scale B. |
| Total | 30 | 30 |
Public holidays in 2027
England, Wales and Northern Ireland list| Holiday | Date | On your rota |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Fri, 1 Jan 2027 | Duty day: worked hours paid double time (not pensionable) plus a day in lieu |
| Good Friday | Fri, 26 Mar 2027 | Day off: a day in lieu is granted |
| Easter Monday | Mon, 29 Mar 2027 | Day off: a day in lieu is granted |
| Early May bank holiday | Mon, 3 May 2027 | Duty day: worked hours paid double time (not pensionable) plus a day in lieu |
| Spring bank holiday | Mon, 31 May 2027 | Day off: a day in lieu is granted |
| Late Summer holiday | Mon, 30 Aug 2027 | Duty day: worked hours paid double time (not pensionable) plus a day in lieu |
| Christmas Day | Sat, 25 Dec 2027 | Day off: a day in lieu is granted |
| Boxing Day (26 December) | Sun, 26 Dec 2027 | Day off: a day in lieu is granted |
3 of the 8 dated holidays land on a duty day and 5 on a day off for this pattern. The double-time and day-in-lieu treatment is the Station Manager and below, not-flexible-duty rule in the Grey Book as summarised in our bank holiday guide; how much you are paid for the hours varies by service. Flexible-duty managers get leave in lieu instead. If you are off sick on a public holiday you are deemed to be on holiday leave and get no day in lieu.
Your year at a glance
2027 · Wholetime 2-2-4 (2 days, 2 nights, 4 off)January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
The calendar repeats your cycle from the start date you entered. It shows where duty days and public holidays fall so you can see how many holidays you will work; it does not book leave.
Sources
- NJC Scheme of Conditions of Service (Grey Book, 7th edition, April 2025), Sections 3 and 4: via the LGA
- GOV.UK: UK bank holidays
Scales, long-service test, pro-rata rule, on-call weeks and public-holiday list are from the Grey Book as summarised in our annual leave guide. Rounding, how a week off is counted on your rota, and shift length are your service's local rules or your own inputs. Your contract and leave policy decide.
Illustrative planning estimate based on published rules, not financial, legal, pension or tax advice. Your payroll record, contract and scheme administrator control your actual position.
How firefighter annual leave works
Annual leave for most firefighters is set nationally in Section 3, Part C of the NJC Scheme of Conditions of Service, known as the Grey Book. The 7th edition, published in April 2025, sets a leave year running from 1 January to 31 December, with the timing of all leave "subject to the exigencies of the service". In plain English you have a contractual entitlement to the days, but your service can refuse a particular date if granting it would leave a station short of crew. This calculator applies the national scales to your role, your continuous service and the part of the year you are in post, then lays your public holidays over your own duty pattern so you can see the whole picture.
The entitlement is built from three pieces. Scale A is the base entitlement. Scale B is extra leave that can be taken on any duty day. Long-service leave is a further block that switches on once you have five years' continuous service. Public holidays are separate and are not inside these totals. Part-time staff receive the same entitlement pro rata, and the Control equivalents of each operational role are grouped with their counterparts. The national terms are a floor: individual services add local policies about how leave is booked and some are more generous, so your contract and your service's leave policy are the last word.
Grey Book leave scales by role
| Role | Scale A | Scale B | Long service | Maximum total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighter, Crew Manager, Watch Manager (and Control equivalents) | 25 | 5 | 3 | 33 |
| Station Manager, Group Manager (and Control equivalents) | 28 | 5 | 3 | 36 |
| Area Manager | 35 | 2 | 3 | 40 |
| On-call (retained) firefighter | 4 weeks, or 5 weeks after five years' continuous retained service | 28 or 35 days | ||
Long-service leave applies once you have at least five years' continuous service at the start of the leave year. If you moved from on-call to wholetime, earlier retained service counts on a discounted basis: three years of retained service count as one year and six years count as two. The calculator has a separate box for that earlier on-call service so you can see when you cross the five-year line, and if you reach five years part-way through the year it gives you a proportion of the three days. Ask HR to confirm the exact date rather than assuming.
What Scale A, Scale B and long service mean in practice
The Grey Book draws a distinction that catches many new starters out. Off-duty days that fall inside a period of annual leave count as Scale A leave. On a shift system your rota already gives you regular days off, so a week away from the station covers your working shifts and the rota days between them. Scale A is the leave that gets used up when you book a block of days that spans your rota days. Scale B, by contrast, may be taken at your request on any duty day, including successive days, again subject to the needs of the service. Because it applies to duty days only, it is the leave you use to extend a break or to take single shifts off. Long-service leave works the same way as Scale B.
The practical consequence is that two firefighters with the same headline number can end up with different amounts of time away depending on how they book. Services describe the exact arithmetic in local leave policy, so ask how your rota counts a week off before you book. The premium leave optimiser in the pack works with either counting method and shows how the same leave days buy longer breaks when placed around your rota.
Worked examples
The examples below use the Grey Book figures. Treat them as a sanity check and confirm the precise number with HR or payroll, especially where rounding is involved. The Grey Book says the leave of someone who joins or leaves during the year, or who reaches five years' service during it, is proportionate to their service in that year. It does not prescribe whether fractions are rounded up, down or to the nearest half day, so the examples show the unrounded figure and the calculator lets you choose.
| Situation | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Firefighter, 2 years' service, full year | 25 + 5 | 30 days |
| Crew Manager, 6 years' service at 1 January | 25 + 5 + 3 | 33 days |
| Station Manager, 8 years' service | 28 + 5 + 3 | 36 days |
| Area Manager, 10 years' service | 35 + 2 + 3 | 40 days |
| New Firefighter joining 1 April (9 of 12 months) | 30 x 9/12 | 22.5 days before rounding |
| Part-time Watch Manager at 60%, 7 years' service | 33 x 60% | 19.8 days |
| On-call firefighter, 3 years' service | 4 weeks x 7 days | 28 days |
| On-call firefighter, 6 years' service | 5 weeks x 7 days | 35 days |
Enter each row into the calculator and it reproduces the result. For hours, the tool multiplies your days by the length of a leave day you set: 30 days at 12 hours is 360 hours, which is 8.6 weeks of a 42-hour week. That conversion is arithmetic on your own shift length, not a Grey Book rule, because the Grey Book states leave in days and services count a week's leave on a rota in different ways.
Public holidays are separate from annual leave
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the Grey Book gives a day's leave, subject to the needs of the service, on Good Friday, Easter Monday, the first Monday in May, the Spring bank holiday, the Late Summer holiday, Christmas Day, 26 December and New Year's Day. In Scotland the named days are New Year's Day, the first Monday in May, the local autumn holiday and Christmas Day, plus four other days set by the employer after consultation with the unions. For shift and on-call staff, Christmas Day, 26 December and New Year's Day count on whichever day of the week they fall; staff on a rota with no weekend working use the government's substitute days. A public holiday is the 24 hours from midnight to midnight.
What you receive depends on whether you work. A Station Manager or below who is not on the flexible duty system and is required to work a public holiday is paid double time for those hours (not pensionable) and granted a day's leave in lieu. If the holiday falls on an off-duty day, or you are on annual leave or ordinary maternity leave, you are granted a day's leave in lieu. Leave in lieu should be taken within twelve months. If you are on sick leave on a public holiday you are deemed to be on public holiday leave and get no day in lieu. The calculator's holiday table shows which of the year's holidays land on your duty days and which on days off. How much you are paid for the hours varies by service, so see our bank holiday pay guide.
On-call annual leave
On-call terms differ because on-call firefighters usually have another employer. The entitlement is four weeks, or five weeks after five years' continuous retained service at the start of the leave year, where a week is seven consecutive days free from duty. Two protections matter in practice. A request to take leave at the same time as your main employer requires you to take leave should not unreasonably be refused, and periods of annual leave are disregarded when assessing whether you met your availability commitments. A week of on-call leave is paid at your average weekly wage over the previous 52 weeks, excluding weeks on sick leave or without pay and disregarding the annual retainer. See the on-call pay guide for how the retainer and call-out payments fit around your leave.
Booking, carry-over and leaving the service
Booking rules are mostly local. Services usually run a leave bidding or booking system tied to watch cover, with a minimum number of firefighters that must remain on each watch. Untaken leave does not normally roll over: the Grey Book says leave not taken in the leave year is forfeited, except that at the employer's discretion you may take all or part of it by 31 March of the following year. If sickness or statutory leave such as maternity leave stopped you taking your statutory leave, the period for taking it can be extended. You can also anticipate leave, on the understanding that if you leave voluntarily before the end of the leave year, leave taken beyond your proportionate entitlement may be treated as unpaid. When your employment ends, payment in lieu is due for leave accrued but not taken in the current year and for any days in lieu of public holidays accrued in the previous twelve months.
How leave interacts with sickness and family leave
Absence does not erase leave. Maternity leave counts as service for the purpose of calculating annual leave entitlement, is not treated as sick leave, and earns a day in lieu for any public holiday that falls within it. If you fall sick while on annual leave, or are off sick when your leave falls due, you are regarded as being on sick leave provided a fit note covers it, and you may be able to take the outstanding leave later. Use the firefighter sick pay calculator to see the pay side of a long absence and the maternity pay calculator for family leave. See also the sick pay guide and maternity and paternity leave guide.
Common mistakes
- Assuming all 30 or 33 days are the same. Scale A absorbs rota days; Scale B and long-service days are duty-day leave.
- Missing the long-service date. Check when your five years' continuous service, including discounted on-call service, actually starts.
- Leaving bookings until the last quarter. Untaken leave is normally lost at the end of the leave year unless carry-over is agreed in writing.
- Forgetting the day in lieu. Working or being off on a public holiday earns a day in lieu that should be taken within twelve months.
- Comparing totals between services. Ask how a week off is counted on the duty system, not just how many days you get. Our transfer guide has a checklist.
Want to see how your rota lines up? The free shift calendar lays out your pattern, and the shift patterns guide and duty systems guide explain the systems. The premium Leave, Sick & Family Pay Pack adds an optimiser that finds the best days to take off around your pattern and public holidays.
What this calculator does not do
It applies the national Grey Book scales. It does not know your service's local leave policy, rounding practice, how your rota counts a week's leave, any enhanced local terms, or carry-over agreed with your employer. London Fire Brigade and other services with their own arrangements should check local terms. The public holiday dates come from the standard Grey Book list and the published bank holiday calendar; where Scotland's dates are set locally the tool says so rather than guessing. The result is a planning figure. Your contract, leave record and HR team decide your actual entitlement.
Frequently asked questions
How many days of annual leave does a firefighter get?
Under the Grey Book, a full-time Firefighter, Crew Manager or Watch Manager gets 25 days of Scale A leave and 5 days of Scale B leave, plus 3 long-service days once they have five years' continuous service, so up to 33 days. Station Managers and Group Managers get 28 + 5 + 3 (up to 36) and Area Managers get 35 + 2 + 3 (up to 40). Public holidays are dealt with separately.
How much annual leave do on-call firefighters get?
Four weeks a year, or five weeks if you had at least five years' continuous on-call service at the start of the leave year. A week means seven consecutive days free from duty. A request for leave at a time your main employer needs you to take it should not unreasonably be refused, and leave periods are disregarded when your availability commitment is assessed.
What is the difference between Scale A, Scale B and long-service leave?
Scale A is the base entitlement, and off-duty days that fall inside a period of leave count against it. Scale B may be taken at your request on any duty day, including successive days. Long-service leave works like Scale B and switches on once you have five years' continuous service at the start of the leave year. All are subject to the exigencies of the service.
How is leave worked out if I join or leave part-way through the year?
The Grey Book makes the entitlement of someone who joins or leaves during the leave year, or who reaches five years' service during it, proportionate to their service in that year. A firefighter joining on 1 April has nine of twelve months, so 30 x 9/12 = 22.5 days before any rounding. The Grey Book does not say how part days are rounded, so the calculator lets you choose and you should ask HR what your service does.
Does the calculator convert days into hours or shifts?
The Grey Book states leave in days, not hours. The calculator multiplies days by the length of a leave day you enter (12 hours on a 2-2-4, for example) purely as arithmetic, and shows the result in weeks of a 42-hour week. Services differ in how they count a week's leave on a rota, so use it as a cross-check, not a rule.
Are public holidays included in my annual leave?
No. Public holidays sit alongside annual leave. England, Wales and Northern Ireland have eight named days in the Grey Book list; Scotland has four named days plus four set by the employer. Because fire cover is continuous, a public holiday is often a working day, in which case it is paid and earns a day in lieu instead of a day off on the date.
Can I carry annual leave over to next year?
Not as of right. Under the Grey Book, leave not taken in the leave year is forfeited, though the employer may allow you to take all or part of it by 31 March of the following year. The period can be extended if sickness or statutory leave such as maternity leave prevented you taking your statutory leave.
Do I get paid for leave I have not used when I leave the service?
Yes. Payment in lieu is due for leave accrued but not taken in the current leave year, and for any days in lieu of public holidays accrued in the previous twelve months and not taken.
Is London Fire Brigade leave different?
The calculator applies the national Grey Book scales. London Fire Brigade has its own pay scale, and any local leave terms are set by its own policies, so check your LFB terms and conditions rather than relying on the national scales.
Sources and assumptions
- LGA: NJC Scheme of Conditions of Service (Grey Book, 7th edition, April 2025), Section 3 Part C annual leave and public holidays, as summarised in our annual leave guide.
- GOV.UK: UK bank holidays (dates and government substitute days).
- Assumptions: leave year 1 January to 31 December; entitlement pro rata by whole months in post and by part-time percentage; long service needs five years' continuous service at 1 January with a proportion if reached during the year; retained service discounted 3 to 1; rounding is your choice; hours conversion uses the leave-day length you enter. Illustrative, not advice.