Tools · days-based, for the EU, UK, Australia and New Zealand
Annual leave calculator
Pro-rata entitlement for part-time staff and mid-year starters, days accrued so far, what is left, and what the balance is worth if someone leaves today. US hours-based accrual is in the PTO accrual calculator.
Annual entitlement × (days worked per week ÷ 5) × (months worked ÷ 12). An employee with a 25-day entitlement, working five days a week, who joined eight months ago has accrued 25 × 1 × 8⁄12 = 16.7 days. Subtract days taken for the balance; multiply the balance by the daily rate for the payout owed at exit.
Gross figures. A payout is taxed as income and attracts social contributions in most countries. Some jurisdictions round pro-rata results up to the nearest half or whole day — check the country page.
Weeks to days, by working pattern
| Entitlement | 3-day week | 4-day week | 5-day week | 6-day week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks (EU minimum) | 12.0 | 16.0 | 20.0 | 24.0 |
| 5 weeks (FR, AT, DK, SE, FI) | 15.0 | 20.0 | 25.0 | 30.0 |
| 5.6 weeks (UK, incl. public holidays) | 16.8 | 22.4 | 28.0 | 28.0* |
* UK statutory leave is capped at 28 days regardless of days worked.
How to calculate it, step by step
- Start from the annual entitlement in days. Take the statutory minimum for the country, or the higher contractual figure. Convert weeks to days by multiplying by days worked per week.
- Scale for the working pattern. Multiply by days-per-week ÷ 5. A four-day week gets 80% of the five-day entitlement.
- Scale for time in the leave year. Multiply by months worked ÷ 12 for a mid-year starter or leaver.
- Subtract days already taken. The result is the days still available.
- Multiply by the daily rate for a payout value. Remaining days × daily pay = the gross amount owed if employment ends now.
Where the arithmetic goes wrong
The formula is simple; the inputs are where balances go wrong. Countries count leave in different units — 30 Werktage in Germany and Austria means a six-day week, Spain’s 30 days are calendar days, Norway’s 25 virkedager include Saturdays. Public holidays sit outside the entitlement almost everywhere except the UK. Carryover and expiry rules differ by country, and leave keeps accruing during sickness and maternity under EU case law. The country pages carry each rule.
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Common questions
How do you calculate pro-rata annual leave for a part-time employee?
Scale the full-time entitlement by the fraction of a full week the person works. Someone on three days a week gets 3 ÷ 5 of a five-day-week entitlement: 25 days becomes 15. This pro rata temporis principle applies across the EU and UK.
How much leave does someone who starts mid-year get?
Multiply the annual entitlement by the months (or days) worked in the leave year divided by twelve. A 25-day entitlement for someone who joins with eight months left in the year gives 25 × 8 ÷ 12 = 16.7 days. Some countries round up to the nearest half or whole day.
How many days is four weeks of leave for someone working four days a week?
Sixteen. Weeks of leave convert to days by multiplying by the days worked per week: 4 weeks × 4 days = 16 days. For a five-day week the same four weeks is 20 days; for a six-day week, 24.
Does annual leave keep accruing during sick leave or maternity leave?
In the EU, yes. The Court of Justice held in Schultz-Hoff that paid annual leave continues to accrue during sick leave, and in Merino Gómez that maternity leave cannot reduce the annual leave entitlement. National rules on when the accrued leave must then be taken vary.
How is a leave payout calculated when someone leaves?
Untaken days multiplied by the employee’s daily rate of pay at the time they leave. 10.7 remaining days at 200 a day is 2,133.33 gross, before income tax and social contributions. Across the EU and Australia this payout is mandatory; in the US it depends on the state.