Annual leave request redaction is the removal of personal data from a holiday request so it meets the anonymisation bar in UK GDPR Recital 26. The entitlement itself comes from the Working Time Regulations 1998 — four weeks under reg. 13 plus a further 1.6 weeks under reg. 13A, with notice rules in reg. 15 — and adequate records must be kept for two years under reg. 9. Truly anonymous data falls outside UK GDPR entirely. anonym.plus marks each identifier on your device.
When this applies
Such a request names the worker, the holiday dates, a team, and an optional note. You trim those identifiers toward the Recital 26 bar before any pattern analysis of absence across the year runs.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the request in anonym.plus on your device.
- Local OCR reads a scanned, signed form if needed.
- The tool flags names, dates, and the note.
- Disable the reversible alias map for true anonymity.
- Swap or black out the confirmed items.
- Save the anonymised copy locally.
What you need to provide
- The request (PDF, DOCX, or scan).
- An operator (Replace keeps the dates readable).
- The alias map disabled when anonymity must be final.
PII entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | employee S. Berger → [EMPLOYEE] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | 14/07/2026 → [DATE] |
| Reason | MEDICAL_CONDITION | reason note → [NOTE] |
| Staff ID | ID | staff no. → [STAFF_ID] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | s.berger@example.co.uk → [EMAIL] |
| Location | LOCATION | office site → [SITE] |
Compliance achieved
- Leaves the dates that evidence the entitlement in Working Time Regs 1998 reg. 13 (four weeks) and reg. 13A (a further 1.6 weeks), with notice under reg. 15.
- Supports the adequate records duty in reg. 9, kept for two years — records that prove the limits were met need no names attached.
- Fits the accrual rules for irregular-hours and part-year workers, at 12.07% of hours worked for leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024 (SI 2023/1426).
- Targets the anonymisation bar in UK GDPR Recital 26: disabling the alias map removes the re-link path, so the data can fall outside the regulation altogether.
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Limitations & cautions
Recital 26 sets a high bar: data is anonymous only if no motivated intruder could re-identify it by reasonable means. Keep the alias map disabled, and check that a small team plus dates does not still single out a worker. A reason note can also carry health data, which stays special category under Art. 9.
Frequently asked questions
When is holiday data truly anonymous under Recital 26?
Only when no party could re-identify it by reasonable means, judged with the ICO's motivated-intruder test. Disable the reversible alias map so no re-link path remains.
What holiday records must be kept?
Working Time Regs 1998 reg. 9 requires adequate records to show the limits were complied with, kept for two years. Those records can be de-identified and still do their job.
Is the request uploaded?
No. The app is fully offline, so the form stays on your device.