Annual-leavevalue calculator

How much annual leave an employee earns

Under Article 109, an employee is entitled to paid annual leave of no less than twenty-one days. This rises to no less than thirty days once the employee has completed five continuous years with the employer.

These are minimums. An employer can give more in the contract or in its work regulations, and is then bound by what it gives.

The days are calendar days, not working days, so weekly rest days inside the leave count towards it unless agreed otherwise. If Eid, National Day or Founding Day falls inside the leave, the annual leave is extended by those days (Article 24 of the Executive Regulations).

If the employee falls ill during annual leave, the annual leave pauses until the sick leave ends and then resumes (Article 26 of the Executive Regulations).

Moving from twenty-one days to thirty

The condition is five continuous years with the same employer. If service is broken and the employee later returns, the count starts again, unless the contract says earlier service counts.

The higher entitlement applies from the year that starts after the fifth year is completed. Past years are not recalculated.

Pro-rata calculation for part of a year

An employee who starts or leaves mid-year earns leave in proportion to the time served. The formula is the annual entitlement divided by twelve, multiplied by the number of months completed.

So an employee with a twenty-one day entitlement who has served seven months earns roughly twelve and a quarter days. Days already taken are then subtracted to get the remaining balance.

Who decides when leave is taken

The employer can set leave dates to suit the work, or rotate leave so operations keep running. The employee must be told the date at least thirty days in advance, and leave pay is paid up front (Article 109).

If the work requires it, the employer can also defer leave by up to ninety days after the end of the year in which it accrued. Any longer deferral needs the employee's written consent and cannot go past the end of the following year (Article 110). While still employed, an employee cannot give up leave in exchange for cash.

Cash value on end of service

When employment ends, Article 111 entitles the employee to be paid for accrued leave days not taken, calculated on the last wage.

This payment is also due for part of a year, in proportion to the time served, even if a full year was not completed. It is separate from the end-of-service gratuity and is paid in addition to it.

Common mistakes in calculating the balance

The most frequent mistake is deducting sick leave or public holidays from the annual balance. These are separate entitlements with their own rules.

Another is skipping the pro-rata calculation for someone who left mid-year because they did not complete a full year. That is wrong. A third is letting carried-over balances lapse over time without the employee's written consent.

A fourth shows up at the final settlement: calculating leave pay on the basic wage alone when the employee also received fixed allowances. That underpays the employee and invites a claim.