Study and exam leave in the United Kingdom
Reviewed by Mellow Editorial Team, HR & payroll content team
Employees in the UK have no statutory right to paid study or exam leave, but employers can — and often do — grant it as a contractual or discretionary benefit. How you handle it will shape whether your people feel genuinely supported in their development, or quietly resentful.
What the law actually says
There is no specific legislation requiring employers to give paid time off for studying or sitting exams. The closest statutory provision is the right to time off for study or training under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (as amended), which applies to employees who have been employed for at least 26 weeks and work for an employer with 250 or more employees. Even then, the right is only to request time off — not to receive it automatically — and there is no legal requirement to pay employees during that time.
Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, day-one employment rights have been strengthened in several areas, but study and exam leave is not among them. The obligation to have a written policy remains a matter of good practice rather than law.
Apprentices have separate entitlements. Employers are required to give apprentices time off for off-the-job training as part of the apprenticeship standard — this is paid time off, and it forms a core part of how apprenticeships are funded and structured.
Building a fair policy
Because the law leaves so much discretion to employers, a written policy is the most practical way to manage study leave consistently and avoid accusations of favouritism.
A solid policy should cover:
- Who qualifies. Is the benefit open to all employees, or only those whose studies are directly relevant to their role? Do you require a minimum length of service?
- What is covered. Study days, revision leave, exam days, and resit days are all distinct. Be explicit about each.
- How much time is granted. A common approach is to offer a set number of paid days per qualification or academic year — some employers offer one or two days per exam, others offer a block for revision. There is no standard number; the right amount depends on your organisation and the nature of the qualification.
- Pay during leave. Will study or exam days be paid at full basic pay? Many employers pay in full to reduce financial pressure on employees; others pay a proportion or nothing at all.
- Notice and evidence requirements. Most employers ask for reasonable notice and confirmation of the exam date. Some require a pass certificate before reimbursing fees.
- What happens on a resit. This is worth addressing directly. Some employers pay for one resit; others do not. Being clear upfront avoids difficult conversations later.
The employer-funded qualifications angle
Study leave often sits alongside a broader question about whether the employer is funding the qualification itself. If you are paying course fees, it is reasonable to include a clawback clause — for example, if the employee leaves within 12 months of completing the qualification, they repay a proportion of the costs. These clauses are enforceable provided they are clearly written into the contract or a separate learning agreement before training begins.
HMRC's rules on tax-free employer-funded training are worth knowing here. Where an employer pays for a course that is work-related, the cost is generally exempt from income tax and National Insurance for the employee. If the training is not work-related or the employee is reimbursed rather than the employer paying direct, the tax treatment changes — it is worth checking the current HMRC guidance on this before setting up a scheme.
Managing the practical side
A few things tend to trip employers up when study leave is informal or undocumented.
Consistency matters. If you grant generous leave to one employee and little to another in similar circumstances, you create grievance risk. Apply your policy the same way regardless of the individual.
Workload planning. Exam season can cluster around the same weeks for employees on the same course. Factor this into your absence planning in the same way you would annual leave — the statutory minimum for annual leave is 5.6 weeks (28 days including bank holidays for a full-time employee), and study leave sits on top of that, so you need to manage both.
Line manager training. If managers have discretion to approve or refuse study leave requests, make sure they understand the policy and apply it consistently. Inconsistent decisions at manager level are a common source of disputes.
Mental health and pressure. Employees balancing work and study are often under significant pressure. Flexible working arrangements around exam periods — adjusted start times, remote working — can support wellbeing without any additional cost to the business.
When employees fund their own study
Not every employee studying is doing so on the employer's ticket. Where an employee is self-funding a qualification in their own time, there is no obligation to grant paid study leave. Many employers still choose to offer unpaid leave or flexible arrangements as a goodwill gesture. If you do, document it the same way you would any other leave arrangement to keep things consistent across the team.
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