“What if we told you that by carefully planning your 2022 annual leave dates, you could get more than double the days off for your allowance? Well, if you’re lucky enough to have weekends and bank holidays off – that’s exactly what we are here to say!
With restrictions loosening, this year we are highly anticipating more opportunities to get away and spend time with friends and family. So grab your diary and read on for our guide on how to hack your 2022 annual leave to get the most from your holiday entitlement.
April: 4 days annual leave = 10 days off
The long Easter weekend is late in 2022, with Good Friday falling on 15th April and Easter Monday on 18th April. By choosing to book the 4 days before 15th April or the 4 days following the bank holiday as annual leave, you’ll have a total of 10 days off.
Alternatively, you could choose to book both options, giving you a whopping 16 days out of the office for just 8 days of your holiday allowance.
How it works:
Saturday 9th April – Weekend
Sunday 10th April – Weekend
Monday 11th April – Annual Leave
Tuesday 12th April – Annual Leave
Wednesday 13th April – Annual Leave
Thursday 14th April – Annual Leave
Friday 15th April – Bank Holiday
Saturday 16th April – Weekend
Sunday 17th April – Weekend
Monday 18th April – Bank Holiday
Tuesday 19th April – Annual Leave
Wednesday 20th April – Annual Leave
Thursday 21st April – Annual Leave
Friday 22nd April – Annual Leave
Saturday 23rd April – Weekend
Sunday 24th April – Weekend
May: 4 days annual leave = 9 days off
The Early May bank holiday on 2nd May gives us the first 3 day weekend since the New Year that can be turned into a run of 9 days off.
How it works:
Saturday 30th April – Weekend
Sunday 1st May – Weekend
Monday 2nd May – Bank Holiday
Tuesday 3rd May – Annual Leave
Wednesday 4th May – Annual Leave
Thursday 5th May – Annual Leave
Friday 6th May – Annual Leave
Saturday 7th May – Weekend
Sunday 8th May – Weekend
NB: If you were planning a 2 week holiday around this time and wanted to avoid booking during the school holidays, you could run the Easter bank holiday above into the Early May bank holiday. This would require 9 days annual leave but give you from 16th April to 2nd May (inclusive) as holiday.
May/June: 3 days annual leave = 9 days off
In 2022 we are celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. In recognition of this, an extra bank holiday has been added on Friday 3rd June, which will follow the delayed Late May bank holiday (Thursday 2nd June). The actual date of the Queen’s Jubilee is the 6th February 2022 but this date also represents 70 years since the death of her father, King George VI. It was therefore decided to select a summer date, close to the Queen’s official birthday, on which to celebrate Her Majesty’s 70 years of service.
By booking the 30th & 31st May as well as the 1st June as holiday, you wouldn’t actually be returning to work until the 6th June.
How it works:
Saturday 30th April – Weekend
Sunday 1st May – Weekend
Monday 30th May – Annual Leave
Tuesday 31st May – Annual Leave
Wednesday 1st June – Annual Leave
Thursday 2nd June – Bank Holiday
Friday 3rd June – Bank Holiday
Saturday 4th June – Weekend
Sunday 5th June – Weekend
We’re already dreaming of cream cheese sandwiches, scones with cream and jam, and Pimms… let the planning of the street parties commence!
Aug/September: 4 days annual leave = 9 days off
The Late Summer August bank holiday on 29th August brings another 3 day weekend that can offer 9 days off with the use of just 4 days of annual leave.
How it works:
Saturday 27th August – Weekend
Sunday 28th August – Weekend
Monday 29th August – Bank Holiday
Tuesday 30th August – Annual Leave
Wednesday 31st August – Annual Leave
Thursday 1st September – Annual Leave
Friday 2nd September – Annual Leave
Saturday 3rd September – Weekend
Sunday 4th September – Weekend
This week is generally the last week of the school summer holidays, which means that you’ll likely be paying a premium price for any holidays or staycations – perhaps best for a week of getting some DIY done around the house or visiting family!
December/Jan: three days annual leave = 10 days off
With 3 bank holidays in the space of just over a week, the Christmas break always brings the opportunity for the longest run of days out of the office with the least amount of annual leave dates required. In 2022, Christmas day is a Sunday, which means the bank holiday will be carried over to the following Tuesday (27th December), the day after Boxing Day.
How it works:
Saturday 24th December – Weekend
Sunday 25th December – Weekend
Monday 26th December – Bank Holiday
Tuesday 27th December – Bank Holiday
Wednesday 28th December – Annual Leave
Thursday 29th December – Annual Leave
Friday 30th December – Annual Leave
Saturday 31st December – Weekend
Sunday 1st January – Weekend
Monday 2nd January – Bank Holiday
By booking the 28th-30th December (inclusive) as annual leave, you will actually be off from the 24th December until the 3rd January. Of course, by then we will be in 2023 and the planning starts all over again!
We know it can sometimes be difficult to remember to take a break from the office and your workload – but it is crucial for your health and wellbeing that you do so. With various opportunities available to maximise your time off, we recommend that you start planning now to get ahead of your colleagues, or else you may be too late to take advantage of these hacks!
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By: Richard Edwards
Published: 26th January 2022
