Some of your more savvy staff may already be beginning to plan their holidays for 2025. With a bit of insider knowledge, it’s possible for employees to nearly double their annual leave, and take 65 days off by planning carefully around the Bank Holidays.

We’ve put together this guide, so you can get ahead and prepare for the busiest times of the year with lots of holiday requests likely around these dates.

Here’s how it can be done:

16 days off over Easter

By booking four days off from 14th–17th April, and another set of four over 22nd–25th, it will double time off to 16 consecutive days. This spans three weekends, Good Friday (18th April) and Easter Monday (21st April) for an extended break.

18 days away in May

By strategically booking off four days from 6th-9th May, staff can get nine days of holiday by combining the two weekends and Early May Bank Holiday on 5th May. It’s possible to get even more time off in May, booking another four days over 27th–30th May, and making the most of May’s spring Bank Holiday on 26th May will give staff another nine days off.

9 summer days in August

Book off four days from 26^th-29th August to have nine days away from the office, by lining up your dates with the summer Bank Holiday on 25th August and two weekends.

Double your Christmas

Employees can make the most of the festive season by booking just six days of annual leave, 22nd-24th December and 29th-31st December, for a total of 13 days off. This covers Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, plus a few weekends.

Bank Holiday Dates 2025

Make sure you have all the Bank Holidays marked in your calendar for next year, to help you plan necessary staff cover.

• Wednesday, 1st January – New Year’s Day
• Friday, 18th April – Good Friday
• Monday, 21st April – Easter Monday
• Monday, 5th May – Early May Bank Holiday
• Monday, 26th May – Spring Bank Holiday
• Monday, 25th August – Summer Bank Holiday
• Thursday, 25th December – Christmas Day
• Friday, 26th December – Boxing Day

How LeavePlanner can help

Don’t let your business get caught understaffed during peak holiday periods. With LeavePlanner you can easily set limits on time off and manage leave effectively.

Arrange your free trial today. For easy-to-use absence management software, call Steve on 01252 636 070 or email support@leaveplanner.com.

Pssst! Check out our new all-in-one system, HR Planner, which incorporates an easy-to-use leave management solution, designed specifically with SMEs in mind.