How to get 20 extra holiday days in 2016

By combining annual leave days with bank holidays and weekends, it is possible to almost double your statutory leave and get 20 days off.

Although lots of people get time off on bank holidays, your employer is not required by law to allow time off on these days (Getty Images)

In the seemingly unending stretch between New Year and the first bank holiday on the year on Good Friday, many people will start booking holidays to try and break the monotony of grey January.

But some people will book their holidays in a smarter way than others.

By combining annual leave days with bank holidays and weekends, it is possible to almost double your statutory leave and get 20 days off.

There are eight bank holidays in England and Wales, nine in Scotland and ten in Northern Ireland.

Although lots of people get time off on bank holidays, your employer is not required by law to allow time off on these days.

If you do get bank holidays off work, these are usually counted towards the 28 days that full-time employees have a right to take off.

Rob Debenham, show manager of The Holiday and Travel Show, crunched the dates of Bank Holidays to discover that just eight days of statutory leave in March and April is enough for a 16 day holiday.

May bank holiday is even better. Just four days of statutory leave is enough for a nine-day holiday.

In August and September, the August bank holiday is enough to create a 10 day holiday.

Christmas falls on a Sunday this year. The extra bank holiday on Tuesday December 27 means that three days of annual leave is enough for a ten day holiday.

In March and April, take the following eight days off for a 16-day holiday

Weekend: 19-20 March

Annual leave: Monday 21, Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 March

Friday 25 Good Friday, 26-27 Easter Weekend, 28 Easter Monday

Annual leave: Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30, Thursday 31, Friday 1 April

Weekend: 2-3 April

In May, take off four days for a nine-day holiday

Bank holiday weekend: 30-2 June

Annual leave: Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4, Thursday 5, Friday 6 June

Weekend: 7-8 June

In August and September take five days off for a ten-day holiday

Annual leave: Friday 26 August

Bank holiday weekend: 27-29 August

Annual leave: Tuesday 30, Wednesday 31, Thursday 1, Friday 2 September

Weekend: 3 -4 September

In December and January, take three days off for a ten-day holiday

Christmas weekend: 24-25 December

Boxing Day: Monday 26

Bank holiday: Tuesday 27

Annual leave: Wednesday 28-Friday 30.

New Year’s Eve weekend: Saturday 31- Sunday 1 January

Bank holiday: Monday 2 January