Guide to UK Leave & Absences

Learn about different types of leave from work
Review what your legal obligations are to employees
Find out how software can help you manage leave

FormatPDF

Publication dateDecember 22, 2025

AuthorThe PayFit team

Know your sabbatical from your gardening leave?

When it comes to taking leave from work, there are all sorts of options available in the UK. Looking after a team means being responsible for understanding and keeping track of all of these.

Get a full overview of UK leaves & absences

From parental & family leave to bereavement, sabbatical and gardening leave, we cover all the different types of leave that are available to employees in the UK.

Understand the law and employer obligations

For every type of leave you’ll run into, there’s a different set of legal obligations. From statutory rights to rules and regulations around bank holiday law, we explain it all in this comprehensive guide.

Included in this guide:

An overview of different types of leave

Statutory and legal obligations for employers

How to manage leave & absences more efficiently

FAQs

Within the workplace, the term ‘absence’ is used when someone isn’t present, usually without having official permission. Leave, on the other hand, is time off that’s been officially requested or approved. In both cases, the employee is taking time off, but only in one has an official request been made.

There is no legal limit to the amount of absences, like sick days, that an employee can take in the UK. For instance, there is no upper limit on the amount of sick days an employee can take. It’s down to your business to set a threshold. However, when it comes to other types of leave, there are statutory entitlements, in other words, a specific amount of days an employee has a right to take off, such as in the case of maternity leave.

Employers are allowed to dismiss an employee if they take an absence that hasn’t been properly requested and approved. However, dismissal should only really be done as a last resort. There are proper steps and fair disciplinary procedures to consider first.