ILR Absence Calculator: 180-Day Rule Eligibility Tool
Check whether your travel history complies with the Home Office 180-day rolling absence limit for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Add each trip, set your intended application date, and see your total absences in the relevant 12-month window.
For most 5-year ILR routes you must not spend more than 180 days outside the UK in any rolling 12-month period during your qualifying years. The Home Office checks every possible 12-month window, not calendar years, so a single long trip can breach the limit in one window even if your yearly average looks fine. The 10-year Long Residence route instead uses a 540-day total cap with no single absence over 184 days. This calculator adds up your absences in the 12 months ending on your intended application date and flags whether you are within the 180-day limit.
The 180-day absence limit for ILR
The absence calculator checks your travel history against Appendix Continuous Residence. For the majority of 5-year settlement routes — including Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, Spouse/Partner, Global Talent and BN(O) — you must show that you have not been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any rolling 12-month period during the qualifying years.
How the rolling 12-month rule works
UK Visas and Immigration uses a rolling window rather than a calendar-year assessment. In practice this means a 12-month window can start on any date in your qualifying period, and the Home Office assesses each of them. If your absences exceed 180 days in even one of these windows, your settlement application can be refused for failing the continuous residence requirement. This is why two applicants with the same total time abroad can get different outcomes — what matters is how the trips cluster within any single 12 months.
ILR absence limits by route
The headline limits differ by route. The table below summarises the tests this calculator and the Home Office apply.
| Route | Rolling 12-month limit | Total absence limit | Single-trip limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Worker / Health & Care | 180 days | No fixed total cap | — |
| Spouse / Partner (Appendix FM) | 180 days | No fixed total cap | — |
| Global Talent / UK Ancestry / BN(O) | 180 days | 540 days (planning guide) | — |
| 10-year Long Residence | 180 days | 540 days | 184 days |
Source: UK Immigration Rules — Appendix Continuous Residence and the Long Residence rules. The 180-day rolling test is the binding statutory limit on most routes; the 540-day total is the established Long Residence cap.
Absences that may not count toward the limit
Not every day abroad counts against you. Home Office guidance allows certain absences to be disregarded from the continuous residence assessment, provided you can evidence them. These are some of the main categories.
| Absence type | When it may be disregarded |
|---|---|
| Crown service | Time spent overseas in service of the Crown (for example with HM Armed Forces or a government department). |
| Reserve forces | Absences while serving as a member of the reserve forces. |
| Sponsor-linked work overseas | Travel required by, and connected to, the applicant’s sponsored employment, where the role involves overseas assignments. |
| Endorsed research (Global Talent) | Research-related absences undertaken under a relevant Global Talent endorsement. |
| Serious illness or bereavement | Absence caused by your own serious illness, or the serious illness or death of a close family member. |
| Conflict or natural disaster | Absence caused by war, civil unrest, a natural disaster or similar events beyond your control. |
Source: Home Office, Calculating continuous period in the UK, and Appendix Continuous Residence. Each category requires supporting evidence and is assessed case by case; this table is a guide, not a guarantee.
What counts as a day of absence
This tool counts the days between your departure and return dates for each trip, which gives a deliberately cautious estimate. The Home Office assesses whole days spent outside the UK during your qualifying period. Because counting methods can differ at the margins, treat the figure here as a conservative planning estimate and confirm borderline cases against the Home Office guidance before you apply.
Timing your application around absences
If your calculation shows a breach of the 180-day limit, you may be able to defer your submission. By moving your intended application date forward, high-absence periods from the start of your residency may roll out of the relevant 12-month window. Use this tool to simulate different application dates, then check your earliest valid date with the 28-day calculator and confirm your overall position with the eligibility calculator.
ILR absence calculation: frequently asked questions
How many days can I be absent for ILR?
Is the limit 180 days per year or 540 days total?
Do transit connections count as UK absences?
Which absences might not count toward the 180-day limit?
What if I exceeded 180 days due to circumstances beyond my control?
Can I change my application date to fix an absence breach?
Our editorial and accuracy standards
ILR Calculator UK is an independent, free settlement-planning resource. The absence limits, rules and figures on this page are taken directly from the published UK Immigration Rules and GOV.UK guidance, with the primary source linked at the point it is used. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and stores no data. We review the tool and content after each Statement of Changes and record the review date at the top of the page.
This site provides general information, not regulated immigration advice. For a binding assessment of your own case, contact an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) or a solicitor listed on the Law Society’s Find a Solicitor register.