Am I entitled to paid annual leave?

How the answer differs across 9 jurisdictions

The Short Answer

You are legally entitled to at least 24 paid workdays of vacation per calendar year in Germany.

24 days
Minimum paid vacation per year
5 days/week
Standard workweek for calculation
100%
Pay during vacation must be full salary
Dec 31
Default expiry date (if notified)
The Short Answer

Under federal law in Canada, most employees are entitled to at least 2 weeks of paid vacation after completing one year of employment.

2 weeks
Minimum vacation
1 year
Employment required
4%
Vacation pay (first 5 years)
6%
Vacation pay (after 5 years)
AustraliaFull article
The Short Answer

Yes, your employer can direct you to take annual leave during a shutdown period, but only if the direction is reasonable and complies with the Fair Work Act 2009.

s. 88(1)
Fair Work Act
reasonable
Key test
4 weeks
Min. notice
10 days
Max. leave
The Short Answer

You are legally entitled to paid annual leave under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. If your employer hasn’t given you your holiday entitlement, you can make a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission within 6 months.

4 weeks
Minimum paid leave
6 months
Time limit to complain
1997
Governing Act year
20 days
Min. leave for 5-day week
SingaporeFull article
The Short Answer

If you are covered by the Employment Act, you are entitled to at least 7 days of paid annual leave after 3 months of continuous service, increasing to a maximum of 14 days after 2 years of service.

7 days
Minimum leave after 3 months
14 days
Max leave after 2 years
3 months
Service for first leave
2 years
For full entitlement
European UnionFull article
The Short Answer

The EU minimum annual leave is 4 weeks (20 working days) per year, guaranteed by the Working Time Directive.

4 weeks
EU minimum leave
20 days
Working days
Directive 2003/
Legal basis
Mandatory
Not optional
The Short Answer

Yes, zero-hours workers in the UK are entitled to paid annual leave if they are classified as 'workers' — not just self-employed contractors.

5.6 weeks
Statutory leave
12.07%
Accrual rate
5.6 days
Min per year
Pro rata
Pay calculation
South KoreaFull article
The Short Answer

Most employees in South Korea are entitled to 15 days of paid annual leave per year after one year of continuous employment.

15 days
Minimum paid leave
1 year
Eligibility period
80%
Attendance requirement
2 years
Carryover limit
The Short Answer

You can take paid leave after working continuously for 6 months and attending work for at least 80% of scheduled workdays.

6 months
Minimum service
80%
Attendance rate
10 days
First-year entitlement
15 days
After 2 years

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Not legal advice. This article is general information based on publicly available sources, written for educational purposes. Laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting on anything you read here. Last reviewed: June 2026.