uk bank holidays 2021
Lifestyle

UK bank holidays 2021: How to DOUBLE your annual leave by booking days off strategically

What will you do with all that time off?!

What if we told you that you could DOUBLE your annual leave allowance simply by using the 2021 UK bank holidays wisely?

It would be music to your ears, right, especially after a long first day back at work today (January 4)?

Well, it’s time to put that holiday request in before your colleagues nab all the best days.

And we have all the information you need when it comes to maximising your annual leave this year.

“Are there any workers out there who don’t do this?!” asked one fan of the hack on Twitter.

woman at work
Plan wisely and use the UK bank holidays in 2021 and you can enjoy a bumper amount of annual leave (Credit: Pexels)

UK bank holidays 2021: How many are there?

In England and Wales this year, you’ll be able to enjoy eight bank holidays.

We’ve already had one, New Year’s Day, but there are seven more to come.

The next bank holiday weekend will fall over Easter.

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You’ll get April 2 and April 5 off work for Good Friday and Easter Monday.

The early May bank holiday falls on Monday May 3, with the late one coming on Monday May 31.

The August bank holiday takes place on Monday August 30 this year.

Then you’ll get substitute days for Christmas Day and Boxing Day as they fall over the weekend.

You’ll get Monday December 27 and Tuesday December 28 off work.

2021 diary
Get in early with your 2021 holiday requests (Credit: Pexels)

How do I strategically book my annual leave?

However, you can enjoy a whopping 48 days off if you use just 19 days annual leave and incorporate the 2021 UK bank holidays.

Here’s how!

By strategically selecting specific days in the lead up to and beyond bank holidays, workers could massively extend their time off.

This is assuming they you usually work on public holidays or weekends.

Are there any workers out there who don’t do this?!

The trick is to combine the bank holidays with the days surrounding them.

In turn, this creates the biggest blocks of time available for the least working days missed.

Some savvy Brits are in the middle of a 10-day holiday at the moment.

Yes, while you’re back to work, some are enjoying January 1 to 9 off work – and they’ve done it by using just five days off.

woman at work in an office
You could double your holiday allowance this year using the 2021 UK bank holidays (Credit: Pexels)

What do I have to do over Easter?

Fear not if you’ve missed out, the next one’s coming soon.

Over Easter, you can enjoy 10 days off work but only use four days of annual leave.

Request April 6, 7, 8, and 9 off work and hope you’re the first one in your team to do so and it gets approved!

You can thank us later.

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You can enjoy nine days off in early May thanks to that bank holiday.

Book May 4, 5, 6 and 7 off and you’ll get nine for the price of four.

By booking June 1, 2, 3 and 4 you’ll also get nine days off by using the late May bank holiday.

If you want some time off at the end of the school holidays, here’s what to do.

Use the August bank holiday and book off August 31 and September 1,2 and 3.

You’ll be off work from August 28 till September 6.

Get planning for Christmas 2022

And there’s a bumper 10 days off up for grabs by using just three days off over Christmas 2021.

Book off December 29, 30 and 31 and you’ll be off from Christmas Day till January 3 2022.

Now we just need the lockdown restrictions to lift so we can make good use of the holidays!

Poster

Head to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and tell us what you’re planning to do with your annual leave this year.


Nancy Brown
Associate Editor