I’ve been furloughed do I still have to take my annual leave?

Answered by Tracy Green

The current guidance from Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) suggests that annual leave can be taken during furlough. Your employer can insist that you take your annual leave during a period of furlough. Employers have the right to tell employees and workers when to take holiday but must give at least twice as many days’ notice as the amount of days they need people to take.

By way of example, if you were furloughed for three weeks, you could be told by your employer that your third week of furlough will be annual leave. This is because you were given two weeks’ notice that you’re required to take one week’s leave.