Sainsbury’s Holiday Entitlement & How to Book Leave

Holiday is one of the most valuable things your contract gives you, and also one of the easiest to get wrong at Sainsbury’s — not because the rules are complicated, but because leave is booked in hours rather than days, and the system catches people out. This guide covers how much holiday you get, how it builds up, and exactly how to book it through Kronos without losing hours you did not mean to use.

How Much Holiday Do Sainsbury’s Colleagues Get?

Every worker in the UK is legally entitled to a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year. For someone working a standard five-day week, that is 28 days. This statutory floor is set by the Working Time Regulations and applies whether you are full-time, part-time, or on a flexible contract.

Sainsbury’s holiday entitlement typically sits at or above that minimum. Colleagues generally report an allowance in the region of 22 to 27 days depending on role, contract, and length of service, with an extra day added after five years of continuous service. The exact figure — and whether bank holidays are counted within your allowance or handled separately — is set out in your own contract of employment, so your contract is the number that actually governs your leave, not a general figure from a guide.

If you are part-time, you receive the same 5.6 weeks pro-rated to your working pattern. The calculation is your days worked per week multiplied by 5.6. Someone working three days a week, for example, is entitled to 16.8 days. Part-time colleagues are legally protected from being treated less favourably than full-time colleagues doing the same job, so a pro-rated allowance is a right, not a discretionary reduction.

When Does Holiday Start Building Up?

Holiday accrues from your very first day. There is no qualifying period before you begin earning leave, though how much you can take early in your first year depends on how much you have accrued so far.

If you join part-way through the leave year, your allowance for that year is worked out proportionally — based on the fraction of the year remaining from your start date. A common way this is simplified is to credit one-twelfth of the annual entitlement for each complete month you work. The same pro-rata principle applies in reverse in your final year if you leave part-way through: your entitlement is calculated up to your leaving date.

Your Leave Year and Carrying Days Over

Holiday is managed across a fixed leave year, and it is your responsibility to plan your time so you actually use your allowance within it. Booking everything in the last few weeks rarely works, because popular dates fill up and busy trading periods limit approvals.

Carrying unused days into the next leave year is limited and not guaranteed. Some leave may be lost if not taken, so do not assume days will roll over automatically. If you are approaching the end of your leave year with days remaining, raise it with your manager early rather than hoping to carry them or squeeze them in at the last minute.

How to Book Holiday at Sainsbury’s Through Kronos

Holiday requests are submitted through Kronos, the workforce system now powered by UKG. You reach it through the OurSainsburys portal with your normal work login — there is no separate holiday system to log into. Once inside, look for the absence, time-off, or leave request section, submit your dates, and the request goes to your manager to approve or decline.

The core steps:

1. Sign in to OurSainsburys and open Kronos (also labelled UKG, Schedule, or Time and Attendance depending on your store).
2. Find the holiday, absence, or time-off request area.
3. Select the date or dates you want off and submit the request.
4. Wait for manager approval — the request stays pending until they action it.
5. Check back to confirm it has been approved, and keep a screenshot for any important dates.

Full Kronos features work best on a desktop or laptop. You can book on your phone through the mobile browser at oursainsburys.co.uk, but the layout is easier to read on a bigger screen, and holiday booking is one task where a mistake costs you real hours — so it is worth doing carefully.

The Big Catch: Holiday Is Booked in Hours, Not Days

This is the part that catches almost everyone, and it is the single most important thing to understand before you book. Kronos tracks holiday in hours, not days. When you request a day off, you are really requesting the number of hours you were scheduled to work — and you usually have to enter that duration yourself.

The complication is unpaid breaks. Because your break time is not paid, it does not count as holiday, so you may need to subtract your break from the shift length when booking. If you work a six-hour shift with a 20-minute unpaid break, the holiday you book for that day is the worked portion — around 5 hours 40 minutes — not the full six. Get this wrong and you can use up more of your holiday balance than the day is actually worth.

A few practical tips to avoid losing hours:

• Book against your actual rostered hours for each day, not a flat “one day” assumption — shift lengths vary, so two days off are not always the same number of hours.
• Account for unpaid breaks so you are not booking paid holiday against time you would not have been paid for anyway.
• Check the figure after you submit. The system can round durations in ways that look odd. If the hours deducted do not match what you expected, query it before it is approved rather than after.
• If the maths is confusing, ask your manager to confirm how your store expects holiday hours to be entered — practice can vary slightly between sites.

How to Check Your Holiday Balance

Your remaining holiday shows in the HR or absence section of the portal, and because it is held in hours, the number can look unfamiliar if you are used to thinking in days. To convert roughly, divide your remaining hours by the length of a typical shift for you.

If your balance looks wrong, the usual explanation is that future approved leave has already been deducted, which makes the current figure appear lower than you expected. Check what is already booked before assuming there is an error. If it still does not add up, compare it against the holiday you have actually taken and raise it with your manager or People Team.

When Can Your Holiday Request Be Refused?

Approval is not automatic. Managers balance leave requests against how many colleagues can be spared at once, and requests during busy trading periods — Christmas being the obvious one — are harder to get approved. Some periods may effectively be blackout windows where leave is restricted.

The practical lesson is to get popular dates in early. A request submitted weeks ahead has a far better chance than one made close to the date, when the rota may already be committed and other colleagues may have booked the same days. If a request for a religious observance is declined, note that employers are generally expected to try to accommodate such requests where it is reasonable and you have the entitlement, so it is worth discussing directly with your manager if this affects you.

Other Types of Leave

Annual holiday is not the only leave you may be entitled to. Sainsbury’s operates policies covering several other situations, and while the detail is set out in official company policy, the general shape is worth knowing:

• Bereavement leave. Colleagues are normally given paid leave when a close relative dies — commonly cited as around three days for a close blood relative, with more where the colleague is the main organiser of the funeral. Individual circumstances are considered on their merits.
• Maternity, paternity, and family leave. Statutory and company provisions apply, with eligibility usually depending on length of service.
• Unpaid leave. May be granted at management discretion where paid entitlement has been used or does not apply.

For any of these, the amounts and eligibility are governed by current company policy and your contract, so confirm the specifics with your manager or People Team rather than relying on general figures.

Holiday Booking FAQs

How many days holiday do Sainsbury’s colleagues get?

At least the UK statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks (28 days for a five-day week). Sainsbury’s allowances are commonly reported in the 22–27 day range depending on role and service, with an extra day after five years. Your contract states your exact entitlement, including how bank holidays are treated.

How do I book holiday at Sainsbury’s?

Through Kronos (UKG), reached via the OurSainsburys portal with your work login. Open the absence or time-off section, submit your dates, and wait for your manager to approve. There is no separate holiday system.

Why does booking holiday use hours instead of days?

Kronos tracks leave in hours because shift lengths vary and breaks are unpaid. When you book a day off, you enter the worked hours for that shift — often minus your unpaid break — rather than a flat “one day.” This is why two days off can use different amounts of your balance.

Do I subtract my break when booking a day off?

Often, yes. Unpaid break time is not holiday, so the hours you book for a shift are usually the paid working hours, not the full clock length of the shift. Check how your store expects this to be entered if you are unsure, and always review the hours deducted after submitting.

How do I check my holiday balance?

In the HR or absence section of the portal. Remember it is shown in hours, so divide by your usual shift length for a rough day count. If it looks low, check whether future approved leave has already been taken off the total.

Can my manager refuse my holiday request?

Yes. Leave is approved around business needs, and busy periods such as Christmas are harder to book. Requesting popular dates well in advance gives you the best chance of approval.

Does holiday carry over to the next year?

Carry-over is limited and not guaranteed, and some leave can be lost if unused. Plan to take your allowance within the leave year, and speak to your manager early if you have days left near the end of it.

Do part-time colleagues get holiday?

Yes — the same 5.6 weeks, pro-rated to your working pattern (days worked per week × 5.6). Part-time colleagues are legally protected from being treated less favourably than full-time colleagues in the same role.

Where to Get Official Help

This page is a colleague guide, not the official HR system. For your exact entitlement, carry-over rules, or a booking problem specific to your record, use the official routes:

• Your People Manager or store HR contact — for entitlement questions, approvals, and anything specific to your contract
• IT Service Desk: 0345 603 2638 — if Kronos itself will not load or the holiday booking screen is failing

For step-by-step help with the system itself, see our Kronos and UKG workforce guide, and for the wider portal — payslips, rota, and login — see our main OurSainsburys guide and employee FAQ.

Disclaimer: This is an independent informational resource for Sainsbury’s colleagues. We are not affiliated with, owned by, or endorsed by Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. Holiday entitlement, carry-over rules, and leave policies are set by Sainsbury’s and your contract of employment, and can change, so always confirm current terms through official colleague guidance or your manager.