Do Relief Chefs Get Holiday Pay?
Do you work as a relief chef and wonder what it means when a job is advertised as £18 per hour plus holiday pay?
Or are you thinking about becoming an agency chef and feel confused about how much holiday pay you’re entitled to and how it works?
Maybe you’ve seen a job with holiday pay included in the salary and you’re curious whether that’s a better option?
In our latest blog, we’re explaining everything you need to know about holiday pay as a relief chef working for a recruitment agency in temporary placements in kitchens.
What is holiday pay?
Almost all UK workers are entitled to holiday pay, even if you work on a temporary or casual basis, like our chefs do.
The only exception is if you are fully self-employed.
Legally, you’re entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday every year, according to the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Your holiday pay “accrues” (or builds up) for every hour you work.
The amount of holiday pay you accrue will depend on how many hours you work, what your rate of pay is for those hours, and how you’re usually paid.
How much holiday pay am I entitled to?
You accrue holiday pay at a rate of 12.07% for every £1 you earn.
Who pays my holiday pay if I’m an agency chef?
Your employer (in this case, that’s us here at Chefs Jobs UK) puts an extra 12.07p away for you for every £1 you earn.
For example, if you work a 40 hour week at a restaurant, hotel or care setting at a rate of £18 an hour, you would save up an extra £87 in holiday pay.
So, when you go on holiday or take time off, you can take all that extra money we have been saving for you.
Sometimes it adds up to hundreds or even thousands of pounds!
Due to the fact you work for us and the site you temporarily work at is classed as our client, they pay us and we pay your wage directly to you.
Even if you live-in at the venue and have accommodation provided by the client whilst you're contracted to work certain hours per week there, you're still classed as our employee and will get paid for the hours worked by the CJUK team on a PAYE basis.
How much holiday pay can I accrue?
There’s no limit to how much holiday pay you can accrue over a 12 month period!
It’s based on the hours you’re doing, so it will naturally build up as you work.
When can I claim my holiday pay? Can I take it all in one go?
Your holiday pay adds up quickly, and it’s handy to know it’s there when you need it.
When you work as a CJUK relief chef, you can choose to claim your holiday pay for the odd day off here and there, or save it all up for a longer break.
Many chefs choose to use it when they’re in between jobs to ensure they can cover their outgoings, or if they have to stop working for a while for any reason.
Others will save it up all year then take an extended break - for example, taking a six-week holiday in Spain to recharge their batteries after a long stretch of work.
The choice is yours, and how you use it is flexible - the important thing to remember is that it's there to give you much-needed work-life balance and support your mental wellbeing.
What happens if I stop working for CJUK before I take my holiday pay?
If you finish working for us and we issue your p45, you can claim back all the holiday pay you’ve accrued within that 12-month period.
Even if you’ve forgotten about it, we won’t! So, if you decide to move on from CJUK and work elsewhere, we’ll check how much holiday pay you built up per week and pay it out to you all in one lump sum.
What other financial benefits do I get as a relief chef with CJUK?
Working as a relief chef with Chefs Jobs UK, you get a host of other financial benefits, including:
Hassle free tax deductions (you don’t need to spend the time filling in your self assessment - we sort that out on your behalf)
Weekly pay from our reliable finance team - our chefs are paid weekly on time by us, so you avoid the hassle and awkwardness of chasing your wages. Plus, you always get paid for every hour you work, including any overtime - one of the many benefits of working for CJUK!
Sickness pay to keep you in pocket while you’re unwell
Pension scheme to help you prepare for the future
Pay slips so you can easily document your earnings.
Do some chef jobs have holiday pay included?
You may see some temporary work advertised with holiday pay included in the hourly rate.
This is known as 'rolled-up' holiday pay, and it means that rather than accruing your holiday, it's paid weekly on top of your hourly rate.
We choose not to roll up holiday pay with our chefs’ hourly rate of pay because we prefer to let you build it up and use it when you need it.
However, rolling up holiday pay with your hourly salary does happen elsewhere in the hospitality and catering industry.
Is rolled-up holiday pay allowed?
Rolling up holiday pay with hourly pay was classed as “unlawful” between 2006 and 2023. However, guidance in November 2023 stated new legislation would make it acceptable again from 2024.
Our approach to holiday pay is that it’s there for you to take when you need a holiday from working, so we’ll continue to allow you to accrue it for every hour you work.
As a relief chef working long hours in fast-paced kitchen environments we believe you need that time to relax and unwind in between stints of work or placements, and being paid to take a break helps you manage your finances more easily.
Looking for a chef or relief chef jobs?
At CJUK, we’re passionate about promoting good mental wellbeing and we only work with sites that offer you a positive working environment.
So, making sure you accrue and enjoy your holiday pay as an agency chef doing relief work is a no-brainer for us - you’ve earned it, and you deserve to make the most of it in the right way.
Do you have a question about holiday pay we haven’t covered here?
Are you a head chef, chef de partie, or sous chef looking to start working as an agency chef to get out of a rut in new kitchens and bring more flexibility into your life?
Or are you a manager who needs to find a chef to fill an urgent vacancy at your site?
We're currently recruiting for high quality, nationwide relief chefs. Plus, we're always looking for good employers in the catering and hospitality industry to add to our books.
Click here to register with CJUK today or contact us about hiring a chef.
