How To Make The Most of Your Annual Leave in 2023

Did you know that you can take off 48 days this year by only using up 19 days of annual leave?

Taking time off is essential to get away from it all and catch a break. You may want to go on an extended holiday this year or simply just catch up with your gardening. Whatever the case, there’s a rather attractive way to maximise your holidays this year without using all of your annual leave allowances. 

The secret is to plan your time off around bank holidays and weekends. 

Make a Note of The Bank Holidays in 2023

Before you begin planning your time off, note when the bank holidays are in England and Wales in 2023. We’ve listed them below to make things easier for you. 

• 2 January – New Year’s Day substitute
• 7 April – Good Friday
• 10 April – Easter Monday
• 1 May – May bank holiday
• 8 May – Coronation bank holiday
• 29 May – Spring bank holiday
• 28 August – Summer bank holiday
• 26 December – Boxing Day

With an extra bank holiday on Monday 8 May (after King Charles III is crowned on 6 May), you can now add another day off without taking any annual leave. What’s more, by taking off the 1 May and 8 May, you can potentially take off 8 days from work and only use up 4 days of annual leave. 

Below we give you the low-down on how to maximise your annual leave this year. 

Make The Most of Your Easter Holidays

If you’re looking for a way to maximise your holidays in the Easter period, start by taking the four days off before Good Friday. This means taking time off from 1st April till 10th April using only four days of annual leave. Remember that the 1st and 2nd of April will be the weekend, which means that you only have to take off the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th as annual leave. The 7th will be Good Friday, after which you’ll have the weekend which will end with Easter Monday on the 10th. 

Make The Most of the May Bank Holidays

To make the most of your early May bank holidays (especially with Coronation weekend), consider planning your time off from the weekend of 29th April. By taking ten days off from Saturday 29th April, you’ll return to work on the 9th of May and will have only taken off 4 days of annual leave. With the 1st of May and 8th of May regarded as bank holidays, you’ll only need to take off the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th of May to take advantage of this. 

Take an Extended Break at The End of May

If time off in Easter and the beginning of May was not enough, you can once again take advantage of another bank holiday. With the 29th of May considered this year’s spring bank holiday, you can add the 30th and 31st of May as well as the 1st and 2nd of June to enjoy a nice and long break. Take time off from the 27th of May – the 4th of June and you’ll be getting 9 days off from work and only using 4 days of annual leave.

Enjoy a Longer Beach Holiday in August

Before the kids return to school and the summer holidays end, consider taking some time off at the end of August. You can take off 4 days of annual leave and get away with 9 days of time off. Start with the weekend of 26th August and you’ll find that you’ll only have to take four days off the following week as the 29th of August is a bank holiday. Hit the beach, take a local holiday or simply stay home and bask in the sun’s warmth in your garden. 

Extend Your Xmas Holidays

Who doesn’t want extra time off at the end of the year? Laying on the couch whilst enjoying the warmth of your home as you eat your favourite dessert sure does sound tempting. This one is great as you’ll only need to take off 3 days of annual and still enjoy 10 days off from work. With Christmas on a Monday this year, you’ll only take off the 27th, 28th and 29th as Tuesday will be boxing day. Once the weekdays are over, you’ll still have the weekend (30th and 31st) after which you’ll have the Monday off as a bank holiday. This means you can say goodbye to your colleagues on the 23rd of December and not see them again until the 2nd of January 2024!