Annual Leave Singapore 2026: Entitlement, Calculation, and Your Rights

Under Singapore's Employment Act, employees are entitled to 7 to 14 days of annual leave per year, depending on years of service. Your employer cannot deny you this entitlement. Here's how the calculation works, what happens to unused leave, and what your rights are.

Annual Leave Entitlement by Years of Service

Years of Service	Annual Leave (Days)
1st year	7 days
2nd year	8 days
3rd year	9 days
4th year	10 days
5th year	11 days
6th year	12 days
7th year	13 days
8th year and beyond	14 days

These are the minimum entitlements under the Employment Act. Your employer may offer more — check your contract.

Note: The Employment Act applies to employees earning $4,500/month or less (basic salary) for non-workmen, and all workmen regardless of salary.

How Is Pro-Rated Annual Leave Calculated?

If you join mid-year, your annual leave for that year is pro-rated by the number of complete months worked:

Formula: (Days entitlement for year × Months worked) ÷ 12

Example: You join on 1 April 2026. By 31 December 2026, you've worked 9 complete months.

• Annual entitlement for Year 1 = 7 days
• Pro-rated leave = (7 × 9) ÷ 12 = 5.25 days (round to 5 days)

Use the Annual Leave Calculator to get your exact number.

Can Your Employer Refuse Annual Leave?

Your employer can:

• Require advance notice before taking leave (typically 1–2 weeks minimum)
• Postpone the timing of your leave if there is a genuine business reason (e.g., peak season, urgent project)

Your employer cannot:

• Refuse to grant annual leave altogether
• Deny leave already approved without good reason
• Terminate you for taking your entitled leave

What Happens to Unused Annual Leave?

Your employment contract determines whether unused leave carries forward or is forfeited. Under the Employment Act, there is no statutory requirement to carry forward unused leave — it can be forfeited at year-end if your contract says so.

However, many companies allow carry-forward of up to 1 year of unused leave, or provide leave encashment (paid out at your daily rate).

Leave Encashment Formula: Daily rate × Number of unutilised leave days

Daily Rate: Monthly basic salary × 12 ÷ 52 ÷ 5 (for a 5-day work week)

Sick Leave vs Annual Leave

If you fall sick during annual leave, you may be able to convert the sick days to sick leave (and retain the annual leave days). You must produce a valid Medical Certificate (MC). Not all employers allow this — check your HR policy.

Special Leave Types

Singapore employees may also be entitled to (separate from annual leave):

Leave Type	Entitlement
Sick leave	14 days (outpatient) + 60 days (hospitalisation)
Maternity leave	16 weeks (government-paid for SC child)
Paternity leave	4 weeks (government-paid for SC child)
Childcare leave	6 days/year (child under 7, SC child)
Shared parental leave	Up to 4 weeks (from mother's maternity leave)
Marriage leave	Per employment contract (not statutory)

Annual Leave for Part-Time Employees

Part-time employees are entitled to pro-rated annual leave based on hours worked:

Formula: (Hours worked per week ÷ Full-time hours per week) × Full-time annual leave entitlement

For a 20-hour/week employee (full-time = 44 hours): 20 ÷ 44 × 14 = 6.4 days in Year 8+.

Use the Annual Leave Calculator to see your exact entitlement.