Leave Days Calculator South Africa
Calculate your annual leave entitlement, accrued balance and rand value under BCEA Section 20. Updated for 2026 — based on current South African labour law.
Understanding your leave entitlement should be simple. This calculator shows exactly how many leave days you are entitled to under the BCEA, how many you have accrued so far in your current cycle, your remaining balance, and what that balance is worth in rand — whether you're planning time off or calculating a payout on termination.
Under Section 20 of the BCEA, every South African employee is entitled to 21 consecutive days of annual leave per leave cycle — equivalent to 15 working days on a standard 5-day week. Leave accrues at 1 day for every 17 days worked. On termination, any accrued unused leave must be paid out at your current daily rate of pay.
| Leave type | Minimum entitlement | How it accrues |
|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 21 consecutive days (15 working days on a 5-day week) | 1 day per 17 days worked |
| Sick leave | 30 days per 3-year cycle (6 weeks) | 1 day per 26 days worked in year 1, then full cycle |
| Family responsibility | 3 days per year | On request — illness, birth or death of close family |
Enter Your Details
Enter your salary and work details above to calculate your leave entitlement and balance.
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How to Use This Calculator
Select your work pattern
Choose 5-day or 6-day week — this determines whether your entitlement is 15 or 18 working days per year.
Enter start date and leave taken
Enter your employment start date and any leave days already taken this cycle.
Accrual is calculated
Leave accrues at 1.25 days/month (5-day week) or 1.5 days/month (6-day week) from your start date.
Remaining balance is shown
Outstanding leave days = accrued days minus days already taken.
Leave payout value is calculated
Payout = (monthly salary ÷ 21.67) × remaining leave days.
How Annual Leave Works in South Africa
Annual leave in South Africa is governed by Section 20 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). Every employee who works more than 24 hours per month for the same employer is entitled to paid annual leave. The BCEA sets the minimum entitlement — your employment contract or collective agreement may provide for more, but never less.
A common source of confusion is the difference between consecutive days and working days. The BCEA states the entitlement as 21 consecutive calendar days — not 21 working days. For a 5-day week employee, 21 consecutive days includes 6 weekend days, leaving 15 actual working days of paid leave. For a 6-day week employee, 21 consecutive days includes 3 weekend days, giving 18 working days of paid leave.
Annual Leave Entitlement by Work Pattern
| Work pattern | Consecutive days (BCEA) | Working days | Monthly accrual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 days/week (Mon–Fri) | 21 days | 15 working days | 1.25 days/month |
| 6 days/week (Mon–Sat) | 21 days | 18 working days | 1.5 days/month |
How Annual Leave Accrues
Leave does not vest upfront at the start of a leave cycle. It accrues progressively throughout the 12-month cycle, starting at zero. Under the BCEA, leave accrues at the rate of 1 day for every 17 days worked — which for a 5-day week employee works out to approximately 1.25 days per month.
This means a 5-day week employee who has completed 6 months of their leave cycle has accrued 7.5 days of leave (6 × 1.25), regardless of how many days they may have been granted upfront by their employer.
Step-by-Step Leave Accrual Example
An employee earns R18,000 per month, works a 5-day week, is entitled to 15 days per year, has completed 8 months of their current cycle, and has taken 5 days already.
| Item | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Annual entitlement | 5 days/week × 3 weeks | 15 working days |
| Monthly accrual | 15 ÷ 12 | 1.25 days/month |
| Accrued to date | 1.25 × 8 months | 10 days |
| Leave taken | — | 5 days |
| Remaining balance | 10 − 5 | 5 days |
| Daily rate | R18,000 ÷ 21.67 | R830.88 |
| Leave balance value | 5 × R830.88 | R4,154.40 |
Leave Payout on Termination
When employment ends — whether through resignation, retrenchment, or dismissal — your employer must pay out any outstanding leave balance. This is governed by Section 40 of the BCEA. The payout is calculated at your normal daily rate of remuneration and is taxed as regular income at your marginal PAYE rate (not under the lump sum tax table).
Importantly, you cannot agree to forfeit your leave payout. Section 40 creates a mandatory obligation on the employer — no contract clause can override it.
Can You Take Leave Before It Has Accrued?
Many employers grant employees their full annual leave entitlement at the start of the cycle — before it has technically accrued. This is permitted under the BCEA but creates a risk for the employer: if the employee then resigns before the leave has been earned, the employer may find themselves unable to recover the advance leave as a debt.
Employees should check their employment contracts to understand whether their employer operates on an advance-grant or a pro-rata accrual basis, as this affects how much leave is available at any point in the year.
Other Leave Types Under the BCEA
The BCEA also provides for the following leave types which run separately from annual leave:
| Leave type | Entitlement (5-day week) | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 15 working days | 12 months |
| Sick leave | 30 days | 36 months |
| Family responsibility | 3 days | 12 months |
| Maternity leave | 4 consecutive months | Per pregnancy |
| Parental leave | 10 consecutive days | Per birth/adoption |
Public Holidays and Annual Leave — How They Interact
If a public holiday falls during your scheduled annual leave, the BCEA is clear: that day does not count against your annual leave balance. For example, if you take a week of leave that includes a Monday public holiday, only 4 of your leave days are deducted, not 5 — your employer must credit the public holiday back to your leave balance (or, if using calendar-day leave counting, simply not deduct it in the first place). This is a common source of payroll disputes, so it's worth checking your leave balance after any period that included a public holiday.
South Africa observes 12 public holidays each year, and none of them are deducted from an employee's annual leave entitlement — they are separate, paid days off in addition to the statutory minimum leave.
Leave During Notice Period or Retrenchment
Employees are generally allowed to take annual leave during their notice period, provided the employer agrees to the timing — an employer cannot force an employee to use up all remaining leave to shorten the effective notice period without consent. On termination of employment for any reason (resignation, dismissal, or retrenchment), the BCEA requires that all accrued but untaken annual leave be paid out in full as part of the final settlement, calculated at the employee's normal daily rate of pay at the time employment ends. This leave payout is separate from any severance pay owed on retrenchment and from notice pay.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many leave days am I entitled to in South Africa?
How does leave accrue each month?
Can annual leave be paid out instead of taken?
Does annual leave expire if I do not take it?
How much sick leave am I entitled to?
Can my employer refuse annual leave in South Africa?
What happens to unused leave when I resign in South Africa?
How is leave pay calculated in South Africa?
Do public holidays count as leave days in South Africa?
What is the BCEA leave entitlement in South Africa?
Under BCEA Section 20, employers must grant annual leave within 6 months after the end of the leave cycle in which it was earned — they cannot simply let it lapse or withhold it. This means leave does not disappear just because you did not take it in time; your employer remains obligated to schedule it. What you cannot do is demand payment instead of taking leave while still employed — a payout is only permitted when employment ends. If your employer claims your leave has expired and refuses both the time off and a payout, this is a common dispute — raise it with the Department of Employment and Labour.