The number of days of annual holiday day is calculated for each holiday credit year, i.e. the period between 1 April and 31 March (e.g. 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020).

An employee accrues annual holiday days as follows:

• 2 days per month if the employee works at least 14 days or 35 hours per calendar month and the employment relationship has lasted less than a year by 31 March, or
• 2.5 days per month if the employee works at least 14 days or 35 hours per calendar month and the employment relationship has lasted at least a year by 31 March. Half days of holiday are always rounded up.

The 14 day rule covers those who work for at least 14 days every month under their contract. They accrue holiday for each calendar month when they have accumulated at least 14 days at work or the equivalent of 14 days at work.

The 35 hour rule applies to those who work less than 14 days a month under their contract, but who work at least 35 hours at least one month. They accrue holiday for each calendar month when they have accumulated at least 35 hours at work or the equivalent of 35 hours at work.

The collective agreement may include an agreement on a holiday that is longer than the one required in the Annual Holidays Act.

If the employee has been on several fixed-term employment contracts back-to-back or separated with only brief interruptions, the employment is considered to be continuous as far as the accrual of holiday is concerned.

A part-time employee does not accrue annual holiday if he/she works for less than 14 days or less than 35 hours in a calendar month. Part-time employees are, however, entitled to free time.

Employees accrue annual holiday for periods equivalent to time at work as per the Annual Holiday Act. Any period of absence from work for which the employer is obliged by law to pay the employee is considered to be a period equivalent to work. The following cases where an employee is unable to work during an employment relationship are also considered periods equivalent to work: pregnancy, special pregnancy or parental leave; temporary child-care leave; absence for compelling family reasons; illness or accident; medical rehabilitation; or lay-offs (a complete list of applicable cases may be found in section 7 of the Annual Holiday Act.

When an employee is absent from work because of pregnancy, special pregnancy or parental leave, temporary child-care leave and absence for compelling family a total of most 156 days (i.e. appr. 6 months) are considered to be equivalent of days at work and thus holiday accrual time. More information on how the annual holiday is determined on the site Family leave.

Additional leave days to supplement the annual holiday

An employee is entitled to additional leave days to supplement their annual holiday if they have not earned at least 24 annual leave days during a full leave-earning year because of absence from work due to illness, an accident or medical rehabilitation prescribed by a doctor. In such cases, the maximum is 75 working days in one holiday credit year. However, the entitlement to additional leave will cease after 12 months of uninterrupted absence.

---

 

This website is part of the European Commission's Your Europe portal. Did you find what you were looking for?