Term-time-only contracts: how is your pay calculated?
Term-time-only pay may be spread over 12 equal monthly instalments, including months when school is closed. Start by checking your contracted weekly hours, working weeks and how the employer calculates holiday pay.
How a 52-week equalisation formula can work
Where the employer uses a 52-week basis, divide the full-time annual salary by 52, apply your weekly hours ratio, then multiply by the total paid weeks in the contract. Divide that annual figure by 12 if pay is spread equally across the year. Some employers use a different annual divisor or contractual formula.
For illustration, take £26,000 full-time pay, 80% of full-time hours and 44 paid weeks specified by the contract. £26,000 ÷ 52 × 0.8 × 44 gives £17,600 gross per year, or about £1,466.67 per month. The 44 weeks are an example, not an entitlement based on working 39 weeks.
Check holiday and your first or final payslip
For workers who meet the statutory part-year definition, statutory holiday generally accrues at 12.07% of hours worked per pay period for leave years starting on or after 1 April 2024. Ask payroll how the employer treats holiday pay, training days and any adjustment if you join or leave mid-year. Use the pro-rata salary calculator to check the hours adjustment, then apply your employer’s term-time formula separately. Enter the resulting annual pay in the take-home pay calculator.
Official guidance · Read the GOV.UK guidance