Someone hands in their notice, sends a polite email, and casually mentions they have 11 days of holiday left. You open your tracker and realise your “system” is a spreadsheet on someone else’s computer, a trail of emails, and a few approvals buried in WhatsApp. That’s annoying today, but from 6 April 2026 it becomes a legal risk: UK employers must keep annual leave records for every worker for six years, and those records must be accessible if the Fair Work Agency asks.

We walk through what’s changing, why it matters, and how holiday law has tightened across recent reforms, including the rules affecting irregular hours and part-year workers. We also spell out the money side, because holiday pay is not soft admin: small miscalculations can stack up into arrears, and enforcement can add painful penalties on top. If you’ve ever argued about bank holidays, carry-over, or what to pay someone when they leave, you already know how quickly “we think it’s fine” turns into “prove it”.

Then we get practical. We share a three-week tidy plan that does not require new software: pick one home for records, do a focused catch-up data fill, and write a one-page process that covers request, approval, and recording. We myth-bust the idea that payroll solves everything, explain why trusting staff to track their own leave is not enough, and finish with a seven-step action list you can put in the diary, including a quarterly review that stops your tracker drifting out of sync.

If you want calm, defensible annual leave records and fewer nasty surprises when someone resigns, press play. Subscribe, share with a fellow small business owner, and leave a quick review so more people can find straight-talking HR help.

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If you're not sure how your HR is really holding up, take the free HR Health Check. It's short, jargon-free, and gives you a clear score on what's working and what could do with a bit of love.

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Got a question or need actual HR support? Find Kate at kateunderwoodhr.co.uk, email [email protected], or follow along on social.

Until next time, keep buzzing, and take care of your people.