Every worker, whether part-time or full-time, is entitled to statutory paid annual leave. Some employers offer additional annual leave over and above your statutory entitlement. See our Annual leave and holiday pay guide for more on this.

There is no automatic statutory entitlement to bank and public holidays. If you are given a paid day off for a bank holiday, your employer can count this as part of your 5.6 weeks statutory annual leave entitlement. See more in our Bank holidays guide.

Your contract should outline your entitlements to annual leave and bank holidays. If you work for the NHS, see our Agenda for Change guidance for your entitlements.

If you are unable to work, you may need to take time off, either short-term or long-term. Our sickness guide outlines what you should do, when your absences might trigger a sickness ‘stage’, what generally happens at each stage, and how the RCN can support you.

Your contract should outline your sick pay entitlements. If you work for the NHS, see our Agenda for Change guidance for your entitlements.

Our Time off work guide covers taking time off for medical appointments.

Our Having a family toolkit covers your rights at work as a working parent (or parent-to-be). This includes rights to time off for:

• maternity/paternity leave
• adoption leave
• shared parental leave
• neonatal care leave
• miscarriage.
  

Our Time off work guide covers most other types of leave, including:

• compassionate leave
• emergency leave
• carer's leave
• time off for public duties.

For information about study leave, see our training guidance.

For information about breaks and compensatory rest for extended shifts or on-call work, see our guidance on working time and breaks. If you want to fix your working pattern or days off, or take a career break, you could apply for a flexible working arrangement.