Pay & Employment
Annual Leave Calculator
BCEA annual leave: 21 consecutive days a cycle, accruing at one day per 17 days worked, for a 5- or 6-day week.
Result
Updates as you typeWorking days of annual leave per cycle
15 days
- Days worked so far
- 130
- Accrued so far (1 per 17 days worked)
- 7,6 days
- Consecutive days per cycle
- 21 days
How it's calculated
Section 20 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act gives every employee at least 21 consecutive days' annual leave on full pay for each 12-month cycle with the employer — three working weeks, so 15 days on a five-day week and 18 on a six-day week. By agreement the leave can accrue at one day for every 17 days worked.
Worked example
Six months into a cycle on a five-day week:
- Entitlement per cycle: 3 × 5 = 15 working days (21 consecutive days)
- Days worked: 130; accrued 130 / 17 = 7,6 days
Leave accrual table
| Months worked | 5-day week | 6-day week |
|---|---|---|
| Months worked: 1 | 5-day week1,3 days | 6-day week1,5 days |
| Months worked: 3 | 5-day week3,8 days | 6-day week4,6 days |
| Months worked: 6 | 5-day week7,6 days | 6-day week9,2 days |
| Months worked: 9 | 5-day week11,5 days | 6-day week13,8 days |
| Months worked: 12 | 5-day week15 days | 6-day week18 days |
Frequently asked questions
How many days of annual leave am I entitled to?
At least 21 consecutive days on full pay for each 12-month leave cycle: 15 working days if you work five days a week, 18 if you work six. Your contract or a bargaining council agreement can give more.
How does leave accrue during the year?
By agreement, at one day for every 17 days worked (or one hour per 17 hours), which comes to about 1,25 days a month on a five-day week. After six months you have accrued about 7.6 days. The employer must let you take the leave within six months of the end of the cycle.
Can leave be paid out instead of taken?
Not while you are employed: the Act prohibits paying for statutory leave instead of granting it, except on termination, when accrued but untaken leave must be paid out at your current rate. Leave in excess of the statutory minimum follows your contract.
What about public holidays during leave?
A public holiday that falls on a working day during your annual leave does not count as a day of leave; it is added to the leave. Sick leave taken during annual leave is treated the same way.
Who is covered?
Employees who work more than 24 hours a month for the employer. Senior managers, sales staff who regulate their own hours and employees earning above the BCEA threshold are excluded from some chapters but not from annual leave.
Sources
Statutory minimum under the BCEA; contracts, bargaining councils and sectoral determinations can give more. Results are for guidance only.
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