How to get 18 days off at Easter by using nine days’ leave
If you act fast, you can double your holiday allowance and get 18 days off for the price of nine
SMART workers can get 18 days off in a row by using just nine days of annual leave this year.
Put in your leave requests now before any of your colleagues and you can double your holiday allowance by taking key dates in April and May this year.
If your leave requests are approved you can give yourself nearly three full weeks off work while still getting paid.
Monday to Friday workers can pull off the trick by requesting holiday between the Easter Monday and May Day bank holidays.
By taking the nine working days off between those dates, you will be off work from Good Friday on April 19, 2019, until after the May Day bank holiday on May 7.
Last year, the dates weren't close enough to pull off the annual leave hack, but this year the holidays are close enough together for the trick to work.
When do the 2019 bank holidays fall?
WITH a bit of planning you can double your holiday. Here's how it works:
Easter 2019 - Take nine days off for a 18-day holiday
- Book off: April 23 – May 3
- Bank holidays: April 19, 22, and May 6
- Your holiday: April 19 - May 7
Late May bank holiday - Take four days off for a nine-day holiday
- Book off: May 28 - 31
- Bank holidays: May 27
- Your holiday: May 25 - June 2
August bank holiday - Take four days off for a nine-day holiday
- Book off: August 27 - 30
- Bank holidays: August 26
- Your holiday: August 24 - September 1
Christmas 2019 - Take five days off for a 12-day holiday.
- Book off: December 23, 24, 27, 30 and 31
- Bank Holidays: December 25, 26, and January 1
- Your holiday: December 21 - January 1
There are three bank holidays between April 19 and May 7 this year: Good Friday, Easter Monday, and May Day.
Combined with the weekends, requesting the days off in between will give you an 18-day holiday - more than half a month off.
If you work bank holidays and weekends, it's unlikely the trick will work for you.
But those with regular shift patterns could take advantage - if your boss approves the leave, of course.
Often holiday is allocated on a first come, first served basis, so it's worth getting your requests in early before your colleagues.
Most workers in Britain are entitled to 28 days off a year, although this varies depending on your employer.
With some planning, you can beat the system and more than double your leave - including taking four days of leave for a nine-day holiday around the last May bank holiday date.
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