08-08-2025
Urgent warning for workers to check pay for holiday mistakes – you could be owed back £100s
WORKERS have been warned to check their pay for holiday mistakes, as they could be owed hundreds of pounds.
Experts at have urged people to check if they're owed unpaid holiday earnings from previous employers.
An easy way to check if you're entitled to holiday pay is to check if you get payslips - which can be paper or electronic.
These will list your earnings, working hours and any deductions such as income tax or National Insurance.
"If you get payslips, you're likely entitled to holiday pay as an 'employee' or 'worker'," according to the MSE website.
"This is the case whether you work full-time, part-time or on a zero-hours contract. And it doesn't matter if your job is temporary or for only part of the year."
However, if you're self-employed or work a "cash in hand" job, then you likely won't get any payslips and may not be entitled to any holiday pay.
If you are eligible, you should then check how much holiday pay you're entitled to.
You're legally allowed 5.6 working weeks of paid holiday a year, but the number of days depends on how many days or hours you work.
If you work full time, five days a week, you'll be entitled to 28 days of paid holidays a year. This may also include bank holidays, but it depends on your employer.
If you work part time, you should multiply the number of days you work in a week by 5.6 to check what you're owed.
If you leave your job without taking your holiday, your employer must pay you for it - even if you get sacked.
MSE says that once you've worked out how much holiday pay you're entitled to, you'll need to talk to your boss about taking that time off or getting paid for unused holiday if you've left the job.
"Speaking to your employer casually should hopefully be enough, but if you're not getting anywhere, the next step would be to raise a formal complaint," MSE says.
"As a last resort, you may be able to make a claim to an employment tribunal – but there are strict time limits for doing this. However, taking this route is a big decision to make, so get all of the facts together first and strongly consider contacting Acas or Citizens Advice for free guidance and support before going ahead."
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