{"id":30011,"date":"2026-05-08T16:53:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=30011"},"modified":"2026-05-08T16:54:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T15:54:02","slug":"how-many-work-hours-in-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-many-work-hours-in-a-year\/","title":{"rendered":"How many working hours in a year UK 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--standard entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--standard\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow many working hours in a year UK 2026\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWorking hours aren\u2019t just a fixed number. Here\u2019s how to calculate realistic UK working time for 2026, including leave, bank holidays, and different working patterns. \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-08T16:53:28+01:00\">8 May, 2026<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How many working hours in a year UK 2026\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-many-work-hours-in-a-year\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/laurencematone\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/03\/Profile_LM-350x350.jpeg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Laurence Matone\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Laurence Matone<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re managing projects or payroll, budgeting or planning, you need to know how many working hours there are in a year or month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe you&#8217;re planning resources and output, and want to create a detailed plan including the amount of working hours for the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or, you want to reassess productivity and benchmark if you&#8217;re meeting average working hours in a month or year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover how to calculate the number of working hours in a year, month, or week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;ll also cover the factors that affect how many hours your employees work, such as employment status and paid leave benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the end, you&#8217;ll even have benchmarks that clarify how many working hours and paid holidays are typical for employees in various locations, occupations, and seniority levels\u2014so your business can stay competitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ll cover<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-how-many-working-hours-in-a-year-for-2026\" data-level=\"2\">How many working hours in a year for 2026?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-working-hours-per-month-uk\" data-level=\"2\">Working hours per month UK<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-what-are-the-average-working-hours-per-week\" data-level=\"2\">What are the average working hours per week?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-how-to-calculate-working-hours-in-a-year\" data-level=\"2\">How to calculate working hours in a year<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-bank-holidays-in-the-uk\" data-level=\"2\">Bank holidays in the UK<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-statutory-vs-contractual-paid-time-off\" data-level=\"2\">Statutory vs. contractual paid time off<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-factors-that-can-affect-the-total-number-of-working-hours-in-a-year\" data-level=\"2\">Factors that can affect the total number of working hours in a year<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-working-hours-faqs\" data-level=\"2\">Working hours FAQs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-many-working-hours-in-a-year-for-2026\"><strong>How many working hours in a year for 2026?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To calculate the total working hours for 2026, multiply the number of hours in the working week by the number of weeks in the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;d compute the total working hours per year for a standard 37.5-hour working week like so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>37.5 Hours per Week x 52 Weeks per Year = 1,950 Working Hours per Year<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This figure represents gross working hours based on a 52-week year. In UK planning contexts, it is typically used as a starting point only, as statutory annual leave (5.6 weeks) and bank holidays reduce actual available working time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, not every employee works 37.5 hours a week, and this doesn&#8217;t account for bank holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don&#8217;t account for employees&#8217; working schedules, you could end up under-booking them or not having enough staff to complete a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Need to plan for employees with part-time or overtime hours?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use this chart to figure out the total weekly hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Weekly Working Hours<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual Working Hours Calculation<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Total Working Hours Per Year<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td><td>20 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>1,040<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>25<\/td><td>25 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>1,300<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>30<\/td><td>30 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>1,560<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>35<\/td><td>35 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>1,820<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>37.5<\/td><td>37.5 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>1,950<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>40<\/td><td>40 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>2,080<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>45<\/td><td>45 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>2,340<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>50<\/td><td>50 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>2,600<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>60<\/td><td>60 Hours \u00d7 52 Weeks<\/td><td>3,120<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If your employees&#8217; working hours fluctuate significantly from day to day or week to week, the formulas above might not provide accurate results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, you&#8217;d need to track time for employees and tally hours manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-does-1-950-hours-per-year-include-bank-holidays\"><strong>Does 1,950 hours per year include bank holidays?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The chart above relies on working a standard week for all 52 weeks in a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, it doesn&#8217;t factor in bank holidays, paid time off (PTO), or other non-working hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are resource planning for a year, you should consider that UK employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This equates to 28 days for a full-time employee working a five-day week, and may include or exclude bank holidays depending on the employer\u2019s policy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since employees typically take paid or unpaid time off at some point during the year, few actually work the total number of hours in a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below, we&#8217;ll walk through the process of calculating time off for bank holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-working-hours-per-month-uk\"><strong>Working hours per month UK<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The data above is helpful for annual planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But when you plan projects or payroll by the month or quarter, you won&#8217;t want to calculate total hours for the week or year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t make the mistake of calculating working hours in a month by multiplying a week by four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Months have a differing number of days, so you have to multiply by all the weeks in a year and then dividing by the number of months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use this formula to compute the number of working hours in an average month:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>((Daily Hours x Workdays per Week) x 52 Weeks per Year) \/ 12 Months per Year = Working Hours per Month<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, say you need to know how many hours a new employee will work per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Suppose they clock in for 7.5 hours a day, five days a week. You&#8217;d compute their working hours per month like so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>((7.5 x 5) x 52) \/ 12 = 162.5 Working Hours per Month<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use the same formula to figure out the number of monthly working hours for employees who work longer or shorter hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, here&#8217;s how you&#8217;d calculate working hours per month for a half-time employee:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>((3.75 x 5) x 52) \/ 12 = 81.25 Working Hours per Month<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>And here&#8217;s how you&#8217;d estimate monthly hours for an executive or team lead who puts in extra hours each week:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>((10 x 5) x 52) \/ 12 = 216.67 Working Hours per Month<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>To calculate working hours per quarter, divide the working hours by four quarters instead of 12 months. Like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>((7.5 x 5) x 52) \/ 4 = 487.5 Working Hours per Quarter<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-the-average-working-hours-per-week\"><strong>What are the average working hours per week?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The hours that employees actually spend on the clock don&#8217;t always align with the total available working hours in a given year, month, or week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what does an average employee&#8217;s working week actually look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The standard working week in the UK is 37.5 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the average employee in the UK works for 36.4 hours per week (including full and part-time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Average weekly hours differ slightly depending on education level and sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Workers in professional occupations typically work standard hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On average, they work for 37.5 hours per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employees in managerial roles often clock the most hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On average, they work for 39.2 hours per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The number of jobs a worker holds has a negligible effect on total working hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple jobholders work for 36.5 hours per week on average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On average, single jobholders work for 36.4 hours per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-many-hours-does-a-full-time-employee-work-in-a-year\"><strong>How many hours does a full-time employee work in a year?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the UK, full-time employment is typically defined as working 35 or more hours per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On average, full-time employees in the United Kingdom work 37.5 hours per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Full-time, the average working hours equate to 37.5 hours per week, 162.5 hours per month, or 1,950 hours per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-many-hours-does-a-part-time-employee-work-in-a-year\"><strong>How many hours does a part-time employee work in a year?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Part-time employment involves working less than 35 hours per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On average, part-time employees work 16.3 hours per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they work five days per week, they end up clocking in for approximately 3.26 hours per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Part-time, the average working hours equate to 16.3 hours per week, 70.63 hours per month, or 847.6 hours per year.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-do-actual-working-hours-compare-around-the-world\"><strong>How do actual working hours compare around the world?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Around the world, actual working hours vary significantly, according to data from the <a href=\"https:\/\/data-explorer.oecd.org\/vis?df%5Bds%5D=DisseminateFinalDMZ&amp;df%5Bid%5D=DSD_HW%40DF_AVG_ANN_HRS_WKD&amp;df%5Bag%5D=OECD.ELS.SAE&amp;dq=AUS%2BAUT%2BBEL%2BCAN%2BCHL%2BCOL%2BCRI%2BCZE%2BDNK%2BEST%2BFIN%2BFRA%2BDEU%2BGRC%2BHUN%2BISL%2BIRL%2BISR%2BITA%2BJPN%2BKOR%2BLVA%2BLTU%2BLUX%2BMEX%2BNLD%2BNZL%2BNOR%2BPOL%2BPRT%2BSVK%2BSVN%2BESP%2BSWE%2BCHE%2BTUR%2BGBR%2BUSA%2BOECD........_T....&amp;pd=2010%2C&amp;to%5BTIME_PERIOD%5D=false&amp;vw=tb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the UK, employees work an average of 1,532 hours per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Figures are based on OECD average annual working hours per employee and may vary depending on methodology and data collection across countries.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several countries have higher annual average working hours, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mexico:<\/strong> 2,207 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Costa Rica:<\/strong> 2,171 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chile:<\/strong> 1,953 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Greece:<\/strong> 1,897 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Israel:<\/strong> 1,880 hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Factors like longer workdays and fewer holidays may drive up the actual hours employees worked in these countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Several countries have much lower annual average working hours, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Germany:<\/strong> 1,343 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Denmark:<\/strong> 1,380 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Netherlands: <\/strong>1,413 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Norway: <\/strong>1,418 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Austria:<\/strong> 1,435 hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Compared to the UK, workers in these countries may have shorter workdays, more holidays, or both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-calculate-working-hours-in-a-year\"><strong>How to calculate working hours in a year<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To calculate actual working hours per year for an employee, you need a few data points, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Daily working hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bank holidays<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Annual leave days, including holiday, sick, and personal days<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The following calculation provides a net estimate of working hours after accounting for leave and bank holidays.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Formula to calculate actual working hours per year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>((Daily Working Hours x 5) x 52) \u2013 ((Bank Holidays + Annual Leave Days) x Daily Working Hours) = Total Yearly Working Hours<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, suppose you&#8217;re planning to hire a new employee with a standard 7.5-hour workday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Say their benefits package includes eight bank holidays per year and 20 annual leave days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the entire year, their total working hours would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>((7.5 x 5) x 52) \u2013 ((8 + 20) x 7.5) = 1,740 Working Hours per Year<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bank-holidays-in-the-uk\"><strong>Bank holidays in the UK<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The UK observes eight bank holidays each year in England and Wales. Here&#8217;s when these bank holidays fall in 2026:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(The table below outlines bank holidays in England and Wales for 2026. Bank holiday dates differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Bank Holiday<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Timing<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>2026 Date<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>New Year\u2019s Day<\/strong><\/td><td>1st January<\/td><td>1 January 2026 (Thursday)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Good Friday<\/strong><\/td><td>Friday before Easter Sunday<\/td><td>3 April 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Easter Monday<\/strong><\/td><td>Monday after Easter Sunday<\/td><td>6 April 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Early May bank holiday<\/strong><\/td><td>First Monday in May<\/td><td>4 May 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Spring bank holiday<\/strong><\/td><td>Last Monday in May<\/td><td>25 May 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Summer bank holiday<\/strong><\/td><td>Last Monday in August<\/td><td>31 August 2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Christmas Day<\/strong><\/td><td>25th December<\/td><td>25 December 2026 (Friday)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Boxing Day (substitute day)<\/strong><\/td><td>26th December (falls on Saturday)<\/td><td>28 December 2026 (Monday substitute)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Scotland observes two additional bank holidays: 2nd January and St Andrew&#8217;s Day (30th November).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Northern Ireland observes two additional bank holidays: St Patrick&#8217;s Day (17th March) and Battle of the Boyne (12th July).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a business owner, you have the option to give employees time off for any or all of these bank holidays, though there is no automatic right to paid leave on bank holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-statutory-vs-contractual-paid-time-off\"><strong>Statutory vs. contractual paid time off<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst all UK nations observe the bank holidays above, employers are not legally required to give employees paid time off on these dates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many employers choose to include bank holidays within this statutory entitlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, a full-time employee working five days a week is entitled to 28 days of annual leave (5.6 weeks x 5 days).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the employer observes eight bank holidays, the employee would have 20 days remaining to take at their discretion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some employers offer enhanced contractual annual leave above the statutory minimum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This might increase with length of service or seniority level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-much-time-off-do-employees-receive\"><strong>How much time off do employees receive?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Between bank holidays, annual leave, personal days, and sick leave, total time off varies significantly from employer to employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no overall average for time off, as it often depends on the employee&#8217;s length of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks (28 days for full-time workers), but many employers offer more generous packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the longer employees stay with your company, the more annual leave you&#8217;ll want to consider offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many organisations increase annual leave entitlement after five or ten years of service as a retention benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-the-average-working-hours-by-profession\"><strong>What are the average working hours by profession?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Across all professions, employees work 36.4 hours per week on average. However, working hours vary slightly between occupations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Roles with the highest average hours include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Managers, directors and senior officials: 39.2 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Skilled trades occupations: 39.1 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Process, plant and machine operatives: 38.9 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Professional occupations: 37.5 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Associate professional and technical: 37.2 hours per week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>These occupations have the lowest average working hours:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Caring, leisure and other service occupations: 30.1 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sales and customer service occupations: 31.8 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Elementary occupations: 32.4 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Administrative and secretarial: 34.6 hours per week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on your industry and the roles you need to fill, you may find it helpful to adjust your resource or budget planning based on this data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that your employment contracts should stipulate required working hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-the-average-working-hours-by-region\"><strong>What are the average working hours by region?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Location also affects working hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Across the UK, average weekly working hours range from 38.1 in London to 34.2 in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Regions with the highest average weekly hours include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>London:<\/strong> 38.1 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>South East: <\/strong>37.2 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>East of England: <\/strong>37.0 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>South West:<\/strong> 36.8 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>East Midlands: <\/strong>36.7 hours per week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Regions with the lowest average weekly hours include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Northern Ireland: <\/strong>34.2 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wales: <\/strong>35.4 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>North East:<\/strong> 35.8 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Yorkshire and The Humber: <\/strong>36.0 hours per week<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>North West: <\/strong>36.1 hours per week<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Depending on where your business is based, local standards may mean you expect employees to work longer or shorter hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, your employment contracts should specify the required hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-factors-that-can-affect-the-total-number-of-working-hours-in-a-year\"><strong>Factors that can affect the total number of working hours in a year<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The number of working hours in a year can fluctuate depending on what year it is, when it starts, and which benefits your business offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you calculate total working hours for your employees, consider these factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Weekends:<\/strong> Depending on the day of the week when the year starts, it may include an additional workday.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leap years: <\/strong>Leap years, which happen every four years, typically add an extra working day to the calendar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bank holidays:<\/strong> The number of bank holidays can vary if they fall on weekends and substitute days are observed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monthly working hours: <\/strong>When you calculate working hours by month, the total depends on the number of days in the month and the number of weekend days it includes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Employment status:<\/strong> Full-time employees work at least 35 hours per week, whilst part-time employees work less than 35 hours per week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Annual leave:<\/strong> UK workers are entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks&#8217; paid annual leave per year, though many employers offer more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sick leave: <\/strong>Employees may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) or enhanced contractual sick pay, which affects actual working hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When you haven&#8217;t included these factors in your calculations, budgeting for employee salaries can be challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But with the right accounting software, it&#8217;s much simpler to manage payroll and incorporate paid leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-working-hours-faqs\">Working hours <strong>FAQs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778255285718\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>How many working hours in a calendar year?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">The number of working hours in a calendar year is different for every business and may vary from employee to employee.<br><br>It depends on several factors, including the:<br><br>&#8211; Number of hours the employee works each day, week, or month.<br>&#8211; Number of bank holidays and annual leave days the employee receives.<br>&#8211; Year&#8217;s structure, including what day it starts and whether it&#8217;s a leap year.<br><br>Use this formula to calculate total working hours in a year:<br><br><strong>((Daily Working Hours x 5) x 52) &#8211; ((Bank Holidays + Annual Leave Days) x Daily Working Hours) = Total Yearly Working Hours<\/strong><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778255341367\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>How many hours in a 37.5-hour working year?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A standard 37.5-hour working week has 1,950 working hours.<br><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778255355694\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>How many hours in a full-time work year?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A full-time employee works at least 35 hours a week.<br>That means in a given year, a full-time worker has at least 1,820 working hours.<br><\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1778255371479\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>How many working hours are in a year minus holidays?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">In the UK, working hours after holidays depend on your working week and the amount of statutory or contractual leave provided.<br>A full-time employee working a 37.5-hour week is entitled to at least 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave, which equates to 28 days for a five-day working pattern. Many employers also observe eight UK bank holidays, although this varies depending on contract terms.<br>Using a 37.5-hour working week, net working hours in a year are typically around 1,740\u20131,800 hours, depending on how bank holidays are allocated and any additional employer benefits.<br><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/accounting-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sage&#8217;s cloud accounting software<\/a> automates accounting tasks, helping your business stay compliant and avoid costly errors while allowing you to focus on building your business.<br><\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Working hours aren\u2019t just a fixed number. Here\u2019s how to calculate realistic UK working time for 2026, including leave, bank holidays, and different working patterns. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1911,"featured_media":16380,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[234,198,37],"business_type":[4,3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[71,73,74,75],"imagine_tag":[92,200,103,346],"coauthors":[752],"class_list":["post-30011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-hr-payroll-benefits","tag-looking-after-your-employees","tag-payroll","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Laurence Matone","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817.jpg","imagine_tags":{"92":"HR and Payroll","200":"Payroll","103":"Payroll software","346":"Sage 50 Payroll"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1911"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30011"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30014,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30011\/revisions\/30014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/16380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=30011"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=30011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}