Time off to study or train: your right to ask, and when your employer can say no

Updated 8 November 2026

Some pages claim a new right to paid time off for training began in October 2026. It did not. This page explains the right that does exist, how to use it well, and the other routes that can get you time to learn.

Who can ask for time off to train?

According to the government's guidance on training and study at work, you can make a request if:

• you are an employee
• you have worked for your employer for at least 26 weeks
• the training would help you do your job better
• at least 250 people work in the organisation

You cannot use this right if you are an agency worker, in the armed forces, of compulsory school age, aged 16 to 18 and already expected to take part in education or training, or a young person who already has a right to paid time off for study. If you are unsure whether you are an employee, see our page on worker or employee status.

Is the time off paid?

Usually not. Time off under this right is unpaid unless your employer agrees to pay it, and your employer does not have to pay for the course either, although it can choose to pay some or all of the fees.

The main exception is for young people. In Wales and Scotland, an employee aged 16 or 17 who is not in full-time education and has not reached a set standard of qualification is entitled to reasonable paid time off to study or train towards one, under section 63A of the 1996 Act.

How to make the request

Follow your employer's own procedure if it has one. If not, write to your employer and say the request is made under section 63D of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Include:

• the date
• the subject of the study or training
• where and when it would take place
• who would provide it
• the qualification it leads to, if any
• why it would help you do your job better and help the business
• whether you have made a request before, and when

Your employer does not have to consider a request that leaves any of this out, so be thorough. You can only make one request every 12 months. If you later do not start the course, do not finish it, or switch to a different one, you must tell your employer.

What your employer must do

Your employer has 28 days to either accept the request or hold a meeting with you to discuss it. You can bring a trade union representative or a colleague to the meeting, and ask to postpone it if they cannot attend. After a meeting, your employer must decide within 14 days unless you agree in writing to more time.

Your employer can only turn the request down for one of these reasons:

• the training would not benefit the business
• it would mean extra costs
• it would not be able to meet customer demand
• it cannot reorganise the work among other staff
• it cannot recruit extra staff
• it would damage quality or performance
• there would not be enough work for you at the times you intend to work
• it conflicts with planned structural changes

Appealing a refusal

You can appeal within 14 days of the decision. The appeal must be in writing, dated, and set out your reasons. Your employer must arrange a meeting within 14 days of receiving it, and give its decision in writing within 14 days of that meeting.

If that does not resolve it, you can contact Acas or raise a grievance. A tribunal claim is possible only on narrow grounds: if your employer did not follow the procedure properly, or refused based on wrong facts. The gov.uk guidance says claims must usually be made within six months of the appeal decision, or three months if the decision was before 1 October 2026; our deadline calculator can help with the dates.

Making your request hard to refuse

Because your employer can refuse for business reasons, the strongest requests answer those reasons before they are raised. In your written request, try to:

• link the course to your current job, and to something your employer cares about, such as a skills gap, a qualification clients ask for, or a regulatory requirement
• suggest how your work would be covered while you are away, or propose times that suit quieter periods
• say whether you are asking your employer to pay for the course, or only for the time
• offer a trial or a review point if the time off is spread over many months

Keep a copy of your request and note the date you sent it, so you can tell when the 28-day deadline for a response passes.

Other ways to get time to learn

A request under section 63D is not the only route:

• Flexible working. If you want to change your hours to fit a course around work, a flexible working request is a day-one right with its own process.
• Union learning representatives. If your workplace has a recognised union, its learning representatives have their own right to time off to advise members about training, and can help you make a case.
• Training your employer requires. If your employer tells you to do training, that is part of your job. If it later tries to make you repay the cost, read our page on training costs taken from your final pay.