Rules
Term-time holiday fines: what a penalty notice costs
Taking a child out of school for a holiday without permission can cost each parent a fine per child. Here is the arithmetic.
In England a term-time holiday that the school has not authorised can lead to a penalty notice of £80 per parent and per child if paid within 21 days, rising to £160 if paid between day 22 and day 28, under the national framework in force since 19 August 2024. A second notice for the same child within three years is a flat £160, and a third is not allowed: the council then considers prosecution, where fines reach £1,000 or £2,500. Schools must consider a notice once a pupil has 10 sessions of unauthorised absence, five school days, within 10 school weeks. Two parents taking two children away for a week can therefore owe £320 if they pay quickly. Wales charges £60 within 28 days and £120 within 42. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no penalty notice for absence. Enter your situation below.
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England: the national framework
Since 19 August 2024, the same rules apply in every council area of England, set out in the Department for Education's statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance (paragraphs 179 to 205 of the 2026 edition). Before that date each council had its own code and its own threshold. The amounts are fixed by regulation:
| Situation | Paid within | Amount per parent, per child |
|---|---|---|
| First notice for this child in 3 years | 21 days | £80 |
| First notice, paid late | day 22 to 28 | £160 |
| Second notice within 3 years | 28 days | £160 flat |
| Third time within 3 years | no notice possible | prosecution or other action |
Unpaid after 28 days, the council must decide whether to prosecute for the original offence or withdraw the notice. In the magistrates' court, failing to secure regular attendance carries a fine of up to £1,000, and up to £2,500 with a possible community order or prison sentence of up to three months when the parent knew the child was not attending.
The threshold: ten sessions in ten school weeks
A school day has two sessions, morning and afternoon. A school must consider issuing a notice when a pupil reaches 10 unauthorised sessions within any 10 school weeks. A week's holiday is ten sessions on its own. The rolling period crosses terms and school years, so two days taken before the summer and three after it count together. For a holiday in term time, the guidance says a notice should normally be issued without first offering support, because support is not relevant to a holiday.
Who gets the notice
Each parent who allowed the absence can receive one, for each child: in practice both parents of a couple on a family holiday. A parent who did not agree to the trip, for example a separated parent who was not consulted, should usually not be issued one, whichever parent asked the school for leave. Money goes to the council, which must spend any surplus on attendance support.
Wales
Welsh councils issue notices under the Education (Penalty Notices) (Wales) Regulations 2013: £60 if paid within 28 days and £120 if paid within 42 days. Each council's code of conduct sets when a school may ask for one, so the threshold is local.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Neither has a penalty notice for absence. In Scotland the Scottish Government attendance guidance asks schools to record most term-time holidays as unauthorised; persistent non-attendance can end in an attendance order, a referral to the Children's Reporter or prosecution under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. In Northern Ireland the Education Welfare Service can take a parent to court, where nidirect says the fine can reach £1,000 for each child.
Ways to avoid a fine legally
Use the holidays your council sets, which you can check on this site; add INSET days, which are not absences; and if a family event really is exceptional, ask the school in writing well before. The half term dates and the council comparison help families with children in two areas find the weeks they share.