ILR Absence Days Calculator (UK)

How to do it

1. 1
   Enter the start date

   Use the start of your qualifying period.

2. 2
   List your trips

   One per line as departure date to return date.

3. 3
   Check the rules

   Edit the limit and the qualifying years if your route differs.

4. 4
   Read the worst window

   See the highest number of days in any 12 months and the date it ends.

5. 5
   Check the margin

   See how many days you have to spare and when the period ends.

About this tool

To apply for indefinite leave to remain on many routes you must not have spent more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period during the qualifying period. This calculator takes your start date and a list of trips, one per line, counts the days outside the UK without the days of departure and return, tests every rolling 12-month window in your qualifying period and shows the worst one, the margin left and the date the period ends. The qualifying years and the limit are editable, because they depend on your route and on rule changes.

Who this is for Workers, spouses and others planning settlement who travel often, and advisers who need a quick check. It does not decide whether you qualify.

How absences are counted The Home Office counts the days you were outside the UK, not the days you left and returned. A trip that starts on 1 March and ends on 25 March counts as 23 days. The limit is 180 days in any rolling 12-month period, not in each calendar year, so two long trips close together can break it even if each year looks fine. The rules for some routes allow exceptions for compelling reasons, such as serious illness, and the limits can differ for routes such as long residence.

Why the qualifying period needs checking Many routes require five years of qualifying residence before settlement, but government policy has been moving toward longer periods under an "earned settlement" approach, up to ten years for some routes. The qualifying years in the tool are an editable value, so use the one that applies to your route and check the current Home Office guidance before you apply.

Using the tool Type the start date of your qualifying period. Add one trip per line in the form 2024-03-01 to 2024-03-20 (departure date, return date). The calculator lists each trip with the days counted and gives the worst 12-month window, the date it ends, how many days you have to spare and the earliest date at which the qualifying period is complete.

Worked example A person who started in September 2021 made four trips: March 2022 (23 days), July to August 2023 (40 days), December 2024 to January 2025 (27 days) and August to September 2025 (43 days). The worst rolling 12-month window is below 180 days, so the person is within the limit. A person who spent seven months abroad in a single trip in 2022 would exceed it, with about 211 days in the worst window.

Limits This is a counting tool. Evidence, exceptions, the exact date definitions and the rules for each route are decided by the Home Office. It is not immigration advice.

Worked example

Four trips between 2022 and 2025 total 133 days abroad and the worst rolling 12-month window is well under the limit of 180 days.