Easily check your annual leave entitlement under the Korean Labor Standards Act (for reference). Enter your hire date and work period to automatically calculate accrued leave, used leave, and remaining leave, plus view the monetary value of unused vacation days.
This annual leave calculator is a tool that makes it easy to check the number of paid vacation days available to employees under the Korean Labor Standards Act. You can conveniently determine the annual leave that accrues automatically over time after employment, plan your leave usage, and calculate unused leave compensation upon resignation.
Enter your exact hire date in YYYY-MM-DD format. The hire date is the most important reference point for leave accrual. For example, if you were hired on March 15, 2020, enter "2020-03-15". Use your initial hire date (including probation period), not your permanent employment conversion date. Under Korean Labor Standards Act, employees with less than one year of service accrue 1 day of leave per month, so the accurate hire date is crucial.
Enter the reference date for calculating your leave. If left blank, today's date is automatically applied. Use this when you want to calculate leave as of a specific date. For example, entering your planned resignation date allows you to calculate accrued leave and unused leave compensation up to that point. Or if you want to check remaining leave at year-end, enter December 31st.
Enter the number of leave days you have already used this year. This can be verified in your company's HR system or payslip. Daily ordinary wage is optional, but if entered, the calculator will compute the monetary value of unused leave. Ordinary wage is calculated by dividing base salary by average monthly working days (typically 20-22 days). For example, if your monthly salary is 3 million KRW and you work 20 days per month, your daily ordinary wage is 150,000 KRW.
Review your years of service, total accrued leave, remaining leave, and unused leave compensation in the calculation results. Employees with less than one year of service accrue 1 day per month, while those with one year or more receive 15 base days plus 1 additional day every 2 years (maximum 25 days). If you have significant remaining leave, plan to use it before year-end. Most companies require annual leave to be used within the calendar year, and unused leave either expires or is paid as compensation.
Situation: Kim, hired on July 1, 2024, checks annual leave as of December 31, 2024.
Calculation:
• Hire Date: 2024-07-01 • Calculation Date: 2024-12-31 • Length of Service: 6 months • Accrued Leave: 6 days (less than 1 year = 1 day per month) • Used Leave: 2 days • Remaining Leave: 4 days
Analysis: Employees with less than one year of service accrue 1 day of leave per month after hire. After 6 months of work, 6 days have accrued, and with 2 days used, 4 days remain. You can use all 4 remaining days by year-end, or receive compensation if unused.
Situation: Lee, hired on March 1, 2022, checks annual leave as of March 1, 2025.
Calculation:
• Hire Date: 2022-03-01 • Calculation Date: 2025-03-01 • Length of Service: 3 years • Accrued Leave: 16 days (15 base days + 1 additional day for 2 years) • Used Leave: 8 days • Remaining Leave: 8 days
Analysis: Employees with one year or more of service receive 15 base days of leave, with 1 additional day added every 2 years. At 3 years, this equals 15 + 1 = 16 days. With 8 days used, 8 days remain. Leave must be used within one year from accrual date, so by the end of February 2026.
Situation: Park, hired on January 1, 2010, is planning to resign on December 31, 2025, and calculates unused leave compensation.
Calculation:
• Hire Date: 2010-01-01 • Calculation Date: 2025-12-31 • Length of Service: 15 years • Accrued Leave: 25 days (maximum) • Used Leave: 10 days • Remaining Leave: 15 days • Daily Ordinary Wage: 150,000 KRW • Unused Leave Compensation: 2,250,000 KRW
Analysis: With 15 years of service, the maximum leave of 25 days has accrued. With only 10 days used and 15 days remaining, upon resignation you can receive 15 days × 150,000 KRW = 2,250,000 KRW in leave compensation. Long-term employees have significant leave, so it's important to use it strategically or receive compensation upon resignation.
Employees with less than one year of service accrue 1 day of leave per month of perfect attendance. For example, if you resign after 6 months of work, 6 days of leave have accrued, and unused leave can be compensated. However, months without perfect attendance do not accrue leave. Months with absences, tardiness, or early departures are excluded, so verify the exact accrual with your company. Even when resigning within one year, unused leave compensation is claimable, so confirm the exact accrued and used days with HR and verify it's included in your final paycheck.
Annual leave can be used for one year from the accrual date. For example, if you were hired on March 1, 2024 and 15 days of leave accrued on March 1, 2025, this leave must be used by February 28, 2026. If not used within this period, it technically expires, but if the employer prevented or didn't promote usage, compensation must be paid. Many companies manage leave on a fiscal year basis (January-December), so it's important to verify your company's leave policy. Some companies allow carryover of unused leave to the next year, but this is not legally required.
Under the Korean Labor Standards Act, employees have the right to designate when to use annual leave, and employers cannot refuse unless there would be significant operational disruption. If a company continues to refuse leave usage without legitimate reason, this violates the Labor Standards Act. First, document your leave requests and refusals in writing (email, messaging, etc.). You can then file a complaint with the Labor Office, and the company may face penalties. Additionally, unused leave due to employer refusal must be compensated, so you can claim unused leave compensation upon resignation. If the company doesn't pay, you can report it to the Labor Office as wage theft.
Parental leave is a period without work performance, but it counts toward length of service under the Korean Labor Standards Act. Therefore, annual leave continues to accrue normally during parental leave. For example, if you took one year of parental leave in your second year of employment, after returning you're recognized as a third-year employee and receive leave based on third-year standards. However, you cannot use leave during parental leave since you're not actively working; it can be used after return. If leave accrued before parental leave remains, you can use it within the usage period after return or receive compensation. Company policies may vary, so confirm details with HR.
Annual leave is paid time off guaranteed to employees under the Korean Labor Standards Act, which can be used freely for any reason. Sick leave, however, is time off used when unable to work due to illness or injury. Sick leave is not legally mandated, so companies have varying policies on paid sick days or unpaid sick leave. Some companies provide paid sick leave separate from annual leave, but many companies deduct annual leave for sick days or treat it as unpaid. If it's a work-related injury or illness, it's recognized as an industrial accident and treated as medical leave rather than sick leave, in which case annual leave is not deducted. Personal sick leave may require a medical certificate, so check your company's sick leave policy.
Yes, contract workers (fixed-term employees) accrue annual leave the same as regular employees. The Korean Labor Standards Act applies to all workers regardless of employment type. Contract workers with less than one year accrue 1 day per month, and after one year of service, 15 base days accrue. However, for short-term contracts under one year, unused leave is compensated upon contract completion. For example, if 6 days accrued during a 6-month contract and only 2 were used, you receive compensation for 4 days upon contract end. Companies that don't provide leave to contract workers are clearly violating the Labor Standards Act, so you can assert your rights or report to the Labor Office.
Yes, part-time and hourly workers also accrue annual leave under the Korean Labor Standards Act. However, ultra-short-time workers who work less than 15 hours per week are excluded from leave accrual. Part-time workers who work 15 hours or more per week accrue leave proportional to their working hours. For example, if full-time workers receive 15 days of leave for 40 hours per week, part-time workers working 20 hours per week receive 7.5 days. Part-time workers with less than one year also accrue leave proportional to working hours per month of perfect attendance. Leave compensation is also calculated based on hourly wage. Many part-time workers are unaware of their leave rights, so check your contract and payslip and exercise your rights.
This calculator computes annual leave based on general provisions of the Korean Labor Standards Act. Leave accrual and usage rules may differ according to company employment rules, collective agreements, and individual contracts, so always verify your company's HR policies. Perfect attendance, leave of absence periods, and unpaid leave may affect leave accrual. When calculating unused leave compensation, ordinary wage may include regular allowances beyond base salary, so refer to your payslip for accurate calculation.
Annual leave is a statutory paid vacation guaranteed under Article 60 of the Korean Labor Standards Act. Employees who have attended 80% or more over one year are entitled to 15 days of paid leave, with an additional day added every 2 years beyond the third year of service (maximum 25 days).
Unused annual leave is compensated monetarily based on ordinary wages when it expires or upon resignation. The compensation amount equals the ordinary daily wage multiplied by the number of unused leave days. If an employer implements the leave promotion system, the compensation obligation may be waived.
Employees with less than one year of service accrue 1 day of paid leave per month of perfect attendance, up to 11 days. Since 2020, leave used during the first year is no longer deducted from the 15-day base leave granted upon completing one year of service.
Annual leave is a statutory paid vacation guaranteed to all workers under Article 60 of the Labor Standards Act. Employers must grant 15 days of annual paid leave when an employee has attended 80% or more over one year, and violations may result in legal penalties. Use the annual leave calculator to easily check your accrued and remaining leave days.
Under the Labor Standards Act, employees with less than one year of service earn 1 day of paid leave for each month of perfect attendance. After one year, a base of 15 annual leave days is granted, and for continuous service of 3 years or more, 1 additional day is added for every 2 years beyond the first year. The statutory maximum is 25 days, with longer-tenured employees receiving more leave. Since 2020, leave used by employees with less than one year of service is no longer deducted from the following year's 15 days.
When annual leave expires unused, employers are generally required to pay compensation for unused leave. The compensation is calculated based on ordinary wages and must be settled even upon resignation. However, if the employer has lawfully implemented the leave promotion system—formally notifying employees in writing to use their leave and the employee still does not use it—the employer's monetary compensation obligation may be waived. Therefore, it is important to actively exercise your right to use annual leave.