How to get 45 days off in 2022 using only 18 days of annual leave

This workplace hack could earn you an extra long holiday next year

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It hasn’t exactly been the best year. But if all goes well, 2022 could bring better and brighter things, namely because you might be able to transform 18 days of annual leave into 45 days off.

This is because next year, Good Friday, which is a bank holiday, falls on 15 April, while Easter Monday falls on 18 April.

This means that if you get bank holidays off at your workplace, you could enjoy a 10-day break by simply taking four days of annual leave over Easter.

And if you book off 19-22nd April, this means you’d be able to go on holiday from 15 April until 24 April.

This is how it would pan out:

• Friday 15 April: Bank holiday
• Saturday 16 April: Weekend
• Sunday 17 April: Weekend
• Monday 18 April: Bank holiday
• Tuesday 19 April: Annual leave
• Wednesday 20 April: Annual leave
• Thursday 21 April: Annual leave
• Friday 22 April: Annual leave
• Saturday 23 April: Weekend
• Sunday 24 April: Weekend

A similar hack could be applied to the May bank holidays next year. If you go abroad on 30 April, and take 3 May until 6 May off as annual leave, you would be able to go abroad until 8 May, meaning you could enjoy an eight-day holiday with just four days of annual leave again.

This is because Monday 2 May is the first May bank holiday next year.

This is how your schedule would look:

• Saturday 30 April: Weekend
• Sunday 1 May: Weekend
• Monday 2 May: Bank Holiday
• Tuesday 3 May: Annual leave
• Wednesday 4 May: Annual leave
• Thursday 5 May: Annual leave
• Friday 6 May: Annual leave
• Saturday 7 May: Weekend
• Sunday 8 May: Weekend

There will also be a bank holiday for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next year, which falls on 2 and 3 June.

Plan it right, and you could go abroad from 30 May until 5 June using just three days of annual leave. This is how it would work:

• Monday 30 May: Annual leave
• Tuesday 31 May: Annual leave
• Wednesday 1 June: Annual leave
• Thursday 2 June: Bank holiday
• Friday 3 June: Bank holiday
• Saturday 4 June: Weekend
• Sunday 5 June: Weekend

Then, in August you could work out a similar routine by making the most of the bank holiday at the end of the month. Plan it right, and you could get a nine-day holiday using just four days of annual leave:

• 27 August: Weekend
• 28 August: Weekend
• 29 August: Bank holiday
• 30 August: Annual leave
• 31 August: Annual leave
• 1 September: Annual leave
• 2 September: Annual leave
• 3 September: Weekend
• 4 September: Weekend

Finally, we turn our attention to Christmas. With multiple bank holidays, you could find yourself jetting off for another nine days using just three days of annual leave:

• Saturday 24 December: Weekend
• Sunday 25 December: Christmas Day (weekend)
• Monday 26 December: Bank holiday (Boxing Day)
• Tuesday 27 December: Bank holiday
• Wednesday 28 December: Annual leave
• Thursday 29 December: Annual leave
• Friday 30 December: Annual leave
• Saturday 31 December: Weekend
• Sunday 1 January: Weekend
• Monday 2 January: Bank holiday

Now you know, it’s time to start booking your annual leave for next year.