UK reward metrics · Time Off & Family

How do UK organisations handle carry-over of unused annual leave?

Source lumi HRBase 249 organisationsFieldwork 2026 H1

47%Yes - limited carry-over in specific circumstances

47% of organisations in the lumi HR community answered “Yes - limited carry-over in specific circumstances” on carry-over of unused annual leave (base: 249 UK organisations, 2026 H1).

Figures describe organisations in the lumi HR community, not a random sample of UK employers.

How UK organisations answered

Yes - standard carry-over applies 29.7% Yes - limited carry-over in specific c 47% No - unused leave is forfeited 23.3%
Carry-over of unused annual leave (base: 249 organisations, 2026 H1). Percentages percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.
Carry-over of unused annual leave: share of organisations by answer
AnswerShare of organisations
Yes - standard carry-over appliesalternative29.7%
Yes - limited carry-over in specific circumstancescommon47%
No - unused leave is forfeitedalternative23.3%

Common, alternative and rare describe how each answer sits against the community: the most chosen answer is common; an answer chosen by fewer than one in five organisations is rare.

Definition

Whether unused annual leave can be carried into the next year, and whether carry-over is standard or limited. See the methodology for how the base is built, how not-applicable answers are handled, the public floor, and which organisations are excluded.

Cite this figure
Source: lumi HR, UK Reward Metrics, September 2026, lumihr.co.uk/metrics/carry-over-of-unused-annual-leave
Last updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.

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