QWE calculator: part-time hours and up to four organisations

2 yearsof QWE – at least the two years you need

Two years reached

730 full-time days of 730. Your placements reach two years on 29 October 2028.

Your placements in full-time days
Placement	Calendar days	Share of full time	Full-time days
1 · Organisation A	730	100%	730
Counted			730

Confirmation checklist

Organisation A (31 October 2026 – 29 October 2028): one solicitor of England and Wales or COLP confirms the dates, that you had the chance to develop at least two competences, and any character and suitability issues.

Key facts

QWE must add up to at least two years’ full time or equivalent, in no more than four organisations.
The SRA does not define full time and expects employers to take a common-sense view; GOV.UK says a full-time worker usually works 35 hours or more a week.
Counted pro rata, 21 of 35 hours a week is 60% of full time, so two years of QWE take 3 years 4 months.
Where two placements overlap, the calculator counts at most one full-time day per calendar day.
Each organisation’s period is confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales or a COLP, and QWE can be gained before, during or after the SQE assessments.

How is the result calculated?

The SRA requires QWE of at least two years’ full time or equivalent, in no more than four separate organisations (SRA, Authorisation of Individuals Regulations). It does not prescribe what full time means and expects employers to take a common-sense view (SRA, QWE for employers). So you enter each organisation’s own full-time week; the default of 35 hours follows GOV.UK, which says a full-time worker usually works 35 hours or more a week (GOV.UK, part-time workers' rights).

For each placement the calculator counts the calendar days, first and last day included, and your share of a full-time week:

D_i = (\text{last day} - \text{first day}) + 1, \qquad s_i = \min\!\left(1, \frac{h_i}{H_i}\right)

$h_i$ is the hours you work a week and $H_i$ the organisation’s full-time week. Then it goes through the calendar day by day. Where placements overlap, their shares add up, but one calendar day never counts as more than one full-time day:

F = \sum_{\text{days } t} \min\!\Big(1, \sum_{i \text{ on day } t} s_i\Big), \qquad \text{two years} = 2 \times 365 = 730

If $F$ is short of 730, the rest $R = 730 - F$ is shown, and how long the placement that ends last would have to continue at its share: $\lceil R / s \rceil$ calendar days. Months are $F \times 12 / 365$ , rounded down.

These counting rules are ours, not the SRA’s: hours above full time do not count extra, a leap day can add a day of slack, and with more than four organisations the total keeps the four with the most full-time days. The person who confirms your QWE decides how long your experience was.

Worked example

Two years as a full-time paralegal. One organisation, 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2027, 35 of 35 hours: 730 calendar days × 100% = 730 full-time days. Two years are reached on 31 August 2027.
A year part time, then a year full time somewhere else. Organisation A at 21 of 35 hours (60%) for 365 days gives 219 full-time days; organisation B full time for 365 days gives 365. Together 584 days (1 year 7 months), so 146 are left. Staying full time at B, you reach two years on 24 January 2028.
Two roles at the same time. A 20-hour job at organisation A for two years, plus 20 hours a week volunteering at a law centre (B) for 184 days. On the overlapping days the shares add up to 114%, but only one full-time day counts, so about 26 full-time days are not added. Total: 496 full-time days (1 year 4 months). Continuing at A, two years are reached on 14 October 2028.

Two years at 21 of 35 hours a week take 1,217 calendar days: 3 years 4 months.

What does your result mean for you?

The number is a plan, not a decision. Whether a role counts as QWE depends on the work itself: it must involve providing legal services, be real rather than simulated, and give you the chance to develop at least two of the competences in the Statement of Solicitor Competence (SRA, qualifying work experience). If your total is short, you have three levers: more hours where you are, a longer stay, or another placement – as long as you stay within four organisations. You can gain QWE before, during or after the SQE assessments and only need to register the two years by the time you apply for admission (SRA, qualifying work experience), so many people revise for SQE1 alongside it. Our guide to revising while working full time shows how that can fit into a week.

How do you get your QWE confirmed?

Find the right person for each organisation. A solicitor of England and Wales or a COLP confirms; they do not need a practising certificate. If nobody in the organisation can, an outside solicitor who has looked at your work and received feedback from your supervisors can (SRA, qualifying work experience).
Know what they confirm. The length of the experience, that it gave you the chance to develop at least two competences, and that no character and suitability issues arose – not whether you are competent (SRA, qualifying work experience).
Use mySRA. The solicitor receives an email, logs in to mySRA and confirms the period; you then receive an email saying whether it has been accepted or rejected (SRA, SQE Q&A).

Which QWE mistakes are common?

Counting a fifth organisation. QWE can come from no more than four (SRA, Authorisation of Individuals Regulations). If you change jobs often, decide early which four periods you will rely on.
Expecting long hours to shorten the two years. The requirement is two years’ full time or equivalent; this calculator never counts more than one full-time day per calendar day.
Leaving old roles too long. QWE can be claimed for past jobs with no limit on how far back, but someone has to be able to confirm it, and where no records exist that may not be possible (SRA, qualifying work experience). Ask while your supervisors still remember your work.
Assuming leave is counted in a particular way. The SRA’s QWE pages do not say how holidays, sickness or parental leave count. If a long break falls inside a placement, ask the person who will confirm it and shorten the dates here if needed.

What this tool covers

Last updated

30 October 2026

Based on

The SRA’s rules on qualifying work experience (Authorisation of Individuals Regulations 2.1–2.3 and the SRA’s QWE pages)
GOV.UK’s guide that full time usually means 35 hours or more a week (the default full-time week)
Your placements: organisation, dates and weekly hours

Includes

Full-time-equivalent days and months against two years
What is left, and when you reach two years if your last placement continues
Overlapping placements, counted at most one full-time day per day
The four-organisation limit and a confirmation checklist per organisation

Not included

Whether a role counts as QWE (legal services, real work, at least two competences): the confirming solicitor and the SRA decide
Holidays, sickness or parental leave: the SRA’s pages do not say how they count
Exemptions for qualified lawyers and solicitor apprentices

Frequently asked questions

How is part-time QWE calculated?

The SRA requires two years’ full time or equivalent and leaves the meaning of full time to employers. The calculator counts each placement pro rata: your weekly hours divided by the organisation’s full-time hours, times the calendar days. At 21 of 35 hours a week, two years of QWE take 3 years 4 months.

How many hours a week is full time for QWE?

The SRA does not prescribe it and expects employers to take a common-sense view. GOV.UK says a full-time worker usually works 35 hours or more a week, which is the calculator’s default; enter your organisation’s own full-time week if it differs.

Can I split QWE between several employers?

Yes, between no more than four organisations, in paid or voluntary work. Each organisation’s period needs its own confirmation by a solicitor of England and Wales or a COLP.

What if I have two roles at the same time?

The calculator adds their shares of full time but counts at most one full-time day per calendar day, so overlapping roles never add up to more than full-time QWE. Ask the people who will confirm your QWE how they count it.

Do I need to finish QWE before I sit SQE1?

No. You can gain QWE before, during or after the SQE assessments and need to register the two years by the time you apply for admission.

Can past work count as QWE?

Yes. QWE can be claimed retrospectively for a past job, placement or volunteer role, with no limit on how far back, as long as it meets the requirements and someone can confirm it.

Does the calculator save my placements?

No. It runs in your browser. Your placements appear only in the page address after the # sign, with organisations as letters, so you can bookmark or share the result; they are not sent to us.

Sources

Solicitors Regulation Authority: SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations (regulation 2: qualifying work experience; regulation 11: transitional provisions) (version in effect from 11 April 2025). Accessed 30 October 2026.
Solicitors Regulation Authority: Qualifying work experience (26 January 2024). Accessed 25 October 2026.
Solicitors Regulation Authority: Qualifying work experience for employers (19 February 2025). Accessed 30 October 2026.
Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE questions and answers (28 January 2026). Accessed 25 October 2026.
GOV.UK: Part-time workers' rights. Accessed 30 October 2026.

Study aid only – not legal, financial or careers advice. The tool runs in your browser and stores nothing.

High Performer Certs is an independent study platform. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and it is not authorised or accredited by the SRA or the SQE assessment provider. The SQE and SOLICITORS QUALIFYING EXAMINATION trade marks are the property of and are used under licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.