An expert in HR and employment law has said there's a way to 'convert' time off12:54, 06 Jul 2026Brits only have a limited number of days to take off work to enjoy themselves each year - whether that's a holiday abroad, a staycation or simply some well-deserved time with their out-of-office on. But if your plans are spoiled by a sudden illness, workers may not realise they could be entitled to a 'refund'.‌People employed in the UK are generally entitled to a set amount of annual leave, ranging from 28 to 34 days on average (including bank holidays), for full-time positions, based on the legal minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave. So, burning through days while feeling under the weather can feel like unfortunate timing and a complete waste of time.‌However, people generally have the right to convert their holiday leave to sickness leave. You cannot legally be on both at once, so if an illness take over your time off, you may have the right to switch those particular days to sick leave and reclaim your holiday allowance to use at a later date.‌Employment and HR specialist Amy Stokes (who goes by @Employment_with_Amy online) highlighted the matter online. In a video, she posed the question to one member of the public: "If you're sick during your annual leave, can you get your holidays back?"While the answer is yes, you can legally do so, certain specific circumstances must apply. She explained that if you were due to be off work on leave but fall ill during that period, you can contact your employer to request that your annual leave be reinstated for use at another time, with your current absence switched to sick leave, reports the Express.Content cannot be displayed without consent‌She said: "You can do all that, if the reason that you're sick is a reason you'd be sick from work. So, for example, it can't be that you've broken a leg because if you work in an office, they might say you could still [work] in an office chair."It needs to be something you'd be off sick from work with, but you can get [days] added back onto your annual leave." There are certain situations where people may actually be worse off financially by switching from holiday to sick pay.Amy said: "Sometimes, people don't end up [trying to get the days back] because if they get statutory sick pay rather than full sick pay, for the holiday they've just had, they're actually getting less pay, so sometimes they keep it as annual leave."‌The video makes it clear that these rules apply to statutory annual leave entitlements, and individual companies may have their own policies in place. Should your employer offer additional "contractual" holiday days beyond the legal minimum, the rules for reclaiming those particular extra days will depend entirely on your company handbook.How to convert annual leave into sick leaveDon't delay until you're back in the office to tell your boss. You should handle this exactly as you would on any other working day, following your company's standard sickness reporting procedure.Article continues belowIn most cases, a text or voicemail won't do and it often requires a phone call with your manager. It is worth noting that sick days will typically only be counted from the moment you formally report your illness, so waiting until you have returned to work and recovered will do little to strengthen your position.Although UK employees can ordinarily "self-certify" for the initial seven days of sickness, employers are legally entitled to apply far stricter rules when changing a pre-booked holiday into sick leave, and may well request a doctor's note or medical certificate covering the precise days you were unwell.If you get your annual leave back but your company's "holiday year" is coming to an end, and your illness prevents you from taking that time off before the deadline, you are legally entitled to carry up to four weeks of that unused statutory holiday over into the next leave year. Always thoroughly check your own workplace policies for precise details.