Holiday Entitlement Made Accurate
Calculating holiday entitlement for security guards — many of whom work variable hours — is one of the most error-prone areas of employment admin. Get it wrong, and you risk underpaying holiday entitlement (a legal breach) or overpaying (a cost you can’t recover).
TacDesk now offers a Statutory Accrual mode that calculates holiday entitlement automatically based on actual hours worked.
How It Works
The UK statutory minimum holiday entitlement for workers is 5.6 weeks per year. For workers with variable hours, this equates to 12.07% of hours worked. TacDesk’s accrual mode applies this calculation automatically:
- The system tracks hours worked through clock-in data
- Holiday entitlement accrues at 12.07% of hours worked
- The balance updates daily based on the previous day’s clock-in records
- When a guard takes holiday, used hours are deducted from the accrued balance
What Guards See
When a guard opens their holiday request screen, they see three clear figures:
- Accrued hours — total holiday hours earned based on hours worked
- Used hours — holiday hours already taken
- Remaining balance — hours available to request
This transparency helps guards plan their time off and reduces queries to management about “how much holiday do I have left?”
Manager Controls
Managers can choose between two holiday modes in settings:
- Fixed Allocation — traditional model where each guard gets a set number of days/hours at the start of the year
- Statutory Accrual — automatic calculation at 12.07% of hours worked
For the accrual mode, managers can also make manual adjustments — adding or removing hours when needed. The system warns if an adjustment would take a guard below the statutory minimum, protecting you from inadvertent non-compliance.
Why Accrual Mode Matters
For security companies with guards on variable-hour contracts (which is most of the industry), accrual mode is significantly more accurate than fixed allocation. A guard who works 50 hours one week and 20 the next accrues holiday proportionally, reflecting their actual work pattern.
This accuracy protects you legally and financially — you’re meeting your statutory obligations without overpaying.
Statutory Holiday Accrual is available on all TacDesk plans. Try the demo to see accrual calculations in action.