[Free template] 2026 Holiday Planner & Absence Calendar
See your whole team's holidays at a glance. Pre-loaded public holidays, colour-coded employees, and instant clash detection — all in one spreadsheet.
Holiday Planner
Planning holidays across a growing team shouldn't mean cross-referencing five different calendars and hoping for the best.
The problem
No single calendar view — you can't see who's off when without asking around.
Public holidays differ by location, and nobody tracks them consistently.
Overlapping leave only gets spotted after it's been approved — causing staffing gaps.
What you'll get
A full-year calendar view with every employee colour-coded so you spot clashes instantly.
Public holidays pre-loaded for 2026 — no manual entry, no missed bank holidays.
A clear visual overview your managers can use to plan capacity and approve leave confidently.
What's inside
- Full 2026 calendar with UK bank holidays pre-filled (easily editable for other countries).
- Per-employee colour coding for quick visual scanning.
- Automatic clash detection — see overlapping leave at a glance.
- Separate tabs for team overview, individual records, and summary stats.
- Works in Excel, Google Sheets, and most spreadsheet apps.
Get your free template
Instant download. No spam. You'll also get 1–2 practical emails on how other SMEs solve this.
How smarter HR teams use this
Download and add your team
Enter employee names and assign colours. Pre-loaded holidays are ready to go. Takes about 10 minutes.
Use it through a full holiday cycle
See where clashes happen, where manual updates get forgotten, and where the process slows down.
Upgrade to Factorial
When the spreadsheet can't keep up, move to a shared team calendar with real-time updates and app-based requests.
When the planner can't keep up, automation takes over
- Shared team calendar synced with approvals — always up to date, no manual edits.
- Employees request holidays from their phone, managers approve in one tap.
- Automatic balance tracking and carry-over rules — no more formula errors.