Leave Days Calculator
Check your BCEA leave entitlements: annual, sick, and family responsibility leave.
Last reviewed: Source: Department of Employment and Labour — BCEA s20–27
Leave entitlements under the BCEA
The Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) sets minimum paid leave entitlements for all employees earning below the earnings threshold of R270,641/year. These are floors, not ceilings — your employment contract may grant more generous leave, but it cannot legally grant less.
| Leave type | Entitlement | Accrual |
|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 15 working days per year | Accrues at 1.25 days/month on a 5-day week (or 1 day per 17 days worked) |
| Sick leave | 30 days over any 36-month cycle | Full 30 days available after 6 months; first 6 months: 1 day per 26 days worked |
| Family responsibility leave | 3 days per year | Available on request: birth/adoption of child, illness/death of close family member |
| Maternity leave | 4 consecutive months | Unpaid under BCEA — UIF may pay; see UIF benefit calculator |
| Parental leave | 10 days | Father, same-sex partner, or adoptive parent |
| Adoption leave | 10 weeks (primary adopter) | As agreed with employer; BCEA minimum is 10 weeks |
| Commissioning parental leave | 10 weeks (surrogate) | For the commissioning parent if not entitled to adoption leave |
Annual leave — the detail
The BCEA grants 15 working days of annual leave per leave cycle (12 consecutive months). On a 5-day working week that is 3 weeks off. On a 6-day week the equivalent is 18 days.
Leave accrues continuously. An employee who worked 8 months and resigns is entitled to 10 days’ paid leave (8 × 1.25). The employer must pay out unused leave on termination — it cannot be forfeited.
An employer may determine when leave is taken (e.g., closing the office over December) but must give reasonable notice and cannot require you to take leave during a notice period or sick leave.
| Working week | Days accrued per month | Days per year |
|---|---|---|
| 5-day week | 1.25 days | 15 days |
| 6-day week | 1.5 days | 18 days |
Sick leave — the 36-month cycle explained
Sick leave in SA is unusual: you receive the full 30 days up front at the start of each 36-month cycle — but only after completing 6 months of employment. In the first 6 months you accrue 1 day for every 26 days worked.
An employee who uses all 30 sick days in the first 6 months of a new 36-month cycle has no further statutory sick leave for the remaining 30 months. This is the statutory minimum; a better employer will offer a separate income protection or group disability scheme on top.
After the second day of absence, an employer may require a medical certificate. Many employers require a certificate from day 1 — this is legal in terms of the BCEA if the employment contract or policy says so.
Family responsibility leave
An employee is entitled to 3 paid days of family responsibility leave per year for:
- The birth of the employee’s child (or spouse’s child).
- When the employee’s child is sick.
- The death of a spouse, life partner, parent, adoptive parent, grandparent, child, adopted child, grandchild, or sibling.
This right applies only to employees who have worked for the employer for more than 4 months and who work more than 4 days per week. It does not accumulate — unused days lapse at year-end.
Worked examples
Employee resigns — calculating leave pay on termination
Monthly salary R22,000. 5-day week. Employed 14 months. Took 8 leave days during employment.
- Leave accrued (14 months × 1.25)
- 17.5 days
- Leave taken
- 8 days
- Leave balance due on exit
- 9.5 days
- Daily rate (R22,000 ÷ 21.67)
- R1,015.69
- Leave pay due
- 9.5 × R1,015.69 = R9,649
New employee — sick leave in first 6 months
Started work 1 February 2026. Off sick 10 March (one month in). How many sick days available?
- Employment start
- 1 Feb 2026
- Sick day requested
- 10 Mar 2026 (28 working days in)
- Days worked (÷ 26 accrual)
- 28 ÷ 26 = 1.07 → 1 sick day accrued
- Result
- 1 paid sick day available
Long-service employee — annual leave payout calculation
R50,000/month, 5-day week. 18 days leave outstanding. Retrenched.
- Leave outstanding
- 18 days
- Daily rate (R50,000 ÷ 21.67)
- R2,308.26
- Leave payout
- 18 × R2,308.26 = R41,549
Leave and tax — what gets taxed
Paid leave taken during employment is taxed normally as part of salary — PAYE applies. Leave pay on termination (i.e., a lump-sum payout of accrued leave) is also taxed as normal income, not as a severance or retirement lump sum. It attracts PAYE at your marginal rate.
This is an important distinction from severance pay, which has its own tax table and first-R550,000 exemption. Leave payout, as a standalone item, does not benefit from that treatment.
How this calculator works
Enter your employment start date, working days per week, any leave already taken, and any leave already paid out. The calculator returns your statutory leave balance under the BCEA: annual, sick (with 36-month cycle tracking), and family responsibility days remaining.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
The BCEA guarantees at least 15 working days of paid annual leave per year. Some employers provide more (e.g., 21 days). Accrual is typically 1.25 days per month.
Annual leave is paid holiday time you can use at your discretion. Sick leave (30 days per year) is for illness or injury and requires a medical certificate after 2 consecutive days.
No. Your employer must grant annual leave, though they can specify timing based on operational needs. Leave must be taken each year — unused leave cannot roll over indefinitely.
Employees are entitled to 3 days of paid family responsibility leave per year for the death, illness, or medical emergency of a family member (spouse, child, parent, etc.).