ILR absence calculator

Check your trips abroad against the continuous residence rule for indefinite leave to remain: no more than 180 days outside the UK in any 12-month period.

This is a guide to the published rules. It is not a decision on your application, and it does not replace advice on your own route and evidence.

Planned application date

Qualifying period 5 years 3 years 10 years

Exact qualifying period start (optional)

Most settlement routes use 5 years. Some use 3. Choose 10 years for Long Residence. This page does not apply the extra Long Residence limits of 184 days in one absence and 548 days in total before 11 April 2024.

Leave the start date blank to count back 3, 5 or 10 years from the application date. If you enter the date your qualifying permission began, the page also checks whether you can apply up to 28 days before that period completes.

Trips outside the UK

Add each time you left the UK and came back. Only whole days count: the day you leave and the day you return are not absence days. Tick permitted absence only where you believe Appendix Continuous Residence CR 3.4 applies, for example a humanitarian or environmental crisis, travel disruption from a natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic, a life-threatening illness or the death of a close family member, or specified research for certain Skilled Worker occupation codes or Global Talent endorsers. The calculator does not decide whether your reason qualifies.

Add a trip Check my absences

How the 180-day rule is applied here

For permission granted on or after 11 January 2018, Home Office guidance looks at absences on a rolling basis: any 12-month period in the qualifying period, not a calendar year. The result is the highest total in any of those windows.

• A day outside the UK is counted once, even if two trips cover the same dates.
• The number beside a trip is its full whole-day length. The totals only include days inside the qualifying period, so a trip that starts earlier can show a higher figure on the row than in the period total.
• More than 180 days in any 12 months is over the limit. More than 170 days is marked as close to the limit. The 170-day marker is only a guide. It is not a Home Office threshold.
• Consecutive 12-month periods ending on the application date are shown because they are the test for absences during permission granted before 11 January 2018. The result uses the rolling test and does not judge those figures.
• Absences are counted back from the application date you enter. The qualifying period can also be counted back from a date up to 28 days after the application, or from the decision date, when that is more beneficial to you (CR 1.1).

Frequently asked questions

How many days can I be outside the UK before applying for ILR?

Under Appendix Continuous Residence (CR 3.1), you must not have been outside the UK for more than 180 days in any 12-month period during your qualifying period. Some routes and older grants of permission have different rules.

Is the 12-month period a calendar year?

Not for permission granted on or after 11 January 2018. Home Office guidance says these absences are looked at on a rolling basis over any 12-month period, not in fixed years. Absences during permission granted before 11 January 2018 are looked at in consecutive 12-month periods ending on the application date.

Do the days I leave and return count as absences?

Home Office caseworker guidance says only whole days are counted. Part-day absences of less than 24 hours do not count, so the day you leave and the day you arrive back are not usually counted as days of absence.

Which date is my qualifying period counted back from?

It is counted back from whichever of these is most beneficial to you: the date of application, any date up to 28 days after the date of application, or the date of decision (CR 1.1). Some UK Ancestry cases have an extra option.

Are any absences not counted towards the 180 days?

Yes. Absences for certain reasons do not count, for example helping with a humanitarian or environmental crisis overseas, travel disruption caused by a natural disaster, military conflict or pandemic, or compelling and compassionate personal circumstances such as a life-threatening illness or the death of a close family member (CR 3.4). Evidence is needed.

Is this calculator's result a guarantee?

No. It is a guide based on the dates you enter and the published rules. A trip is left out of the totals only if you mark it as a permitted absence, and the calculator does not decide whether your reason qualifies. It does not apply the Long Residence limits. Consecutive 12-month figures are shown for permission granted before 11 January 2018, but the result uses the rolling test. Book a free 15-minute consultation for advice on your own case.

This calculator is a general guide only and is not legal advice. Results depend on the dates you enter and on the published Immigration Rules and Home Office guidance (Appendix Continuous Residence; Continuous residence caseworker guidance v10.0, 8 October 2026). Your own circumstances, route and evidence may change the outcome. Nothing is stored or sent: the calculation runs in your browser. Worldwide Immigration Ltd is regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA), reference F201900032.