Holiday Buy Scheme
Our Holiday Buy Scheme allows you to purchase up to one working week of additional annual leave. We add this on to your holiday entitlement for the year. The scheme works through salary sacrifice and is subject to eligibility.
This benefit offers increased flexibility. It could suit you if you:
- need more time off than normal in a particular year, for purposes such as:
- moving house
- getting married
- visiting relatives overseas
- having 'the holiday of a lifetime'
- need to have more time off for caring responsibilities
- would simply like more holiday to support your work-life balance.
Salary sacrifice
The scheme operates as a 'salary sacrifice' arrangement. This means eligible employees will pay for extra holiday out of their pre-tax salary. This provides colleagues with Income Tax and National Insurance (NI) savings. We spread salary deductions across the 12-month holiday year.
Impact of the scheme on pension and other benefits
Taking part in the scheme may impact your pension contributions and other benefits.
Before you apply to purchase additional holiday, carefully consider the impact on your:
- pension
- pension contributions
- life assurance
- other benefits.
We outline these in the scheme guidance document.
Salary Sacrifice Holiday Buy Scheme — guidance and FAQs
Applying
You may purchase up to the equivalent of one working week per holiday year. The minimum amount is equivalent to one fifth of your contracted weekly hours. You apply to buy holiday through MyHR, in a similar way to how you book annual leave. We calculate holiday in hours, and you purchase it the same way.
You should discuss your request with your line manager. You should do this before you submit your formal request for additional holiday in MyHR.
The window for colleagues to submit applications to the Holiday Buy Scheme opens on 1 August. It closes again on 19 August.
You can access the user guide to find out how to apply in MyHR via the SharePoint link below.
MyHR and MyPeople SharePoint — user guides
Authorising your application
Once you've submitted your application, your line manager will receive a notification. They will then review your application. We ask line managers to approve requests fairly and consistently. However, there may be exceptions where we can't approve requests.
Confirmation of acceptance to the scheme
You'll receive confirmation of your acceptance to the scheme once:
- your line manager authorises it, and
- we determine it meets the eligibility criteria.
We'll only commence pay deductions once you've received confirmation.
Deductions from your pay
After confirmation of acceptance to the scheme, we'll begin the monthly deductions from your September pay.
Taking your additional holiday
You'll receive written confirmation from HR that we've accepted you into the scheme. You can then request to book your additional holiday in MyHR in the same way as you would usually book holiday.
Visit the MyHR and MyPeople SharePoint site for guidance on how to request holiday.
Eligibility
This benefit is available to most colleagues. Certain eligibility criteria are in place. All colleagues are responsible for checking the eligibility criteria before application.
You can find details on eligibility criteria for different groups of employees below.
If you're unsure whether the criteria applies to you, please speak to your line manager.