Don’t lose your unused vacation days!

As the end of the calendar year approaches, now is the perfect time to review employees’ remaining vacation day balances. It’s important to remember that vacation days can only be used during the calendar year in which they are earned and on the following calendar year.

For example, if an employee starts a new job on January 2, 2025 and has not taken any vacation during that year, they may still use their 2025 vacation days in 2026. However, if the same employee had started one year earlier—on January 2, 2024—they would need to use their 2024 vacation days by the end of the current year. Otherwise, those unused days would expire.

Unused vacation days cannot be compensated in cash. One of the employer’s obligations is to ensure employees take their vacation, which is why every employer must prepare an annual vacation schedule. This schedule must be compiled for each calendar year and communicated to employees within the first quarter.

The law specifies that the employer determines the timing of the annual vacation, taking employees’ wishes into account. However, some employees have priority rights, meaning they can request their vacation at a time that suits them best.

Those empolyees are:

• a woman immediately before or after maternity leave, and the other parent during the mother’s maternity leave;
• a parent immediately after parental leave;
• a parent raising a child up to seven years old;
• a parent raising a seven- to ten-year-old child during the school holidays;
• a minor who is required to attend school, during school holidays.

There is also an important requirement for annual leave: of the 28 calendar days of basic vacation, at least 14 days must be taken consecutively. Although employees and employers may agree otherwise, employers may refuse vacation requests shorter than seven days. Today, when many employers offer additional types of leave (well-being days, extra days off for personal events or relocation), it is especially important to keep an eye on your basic vacation balance and use your days in time.

As the year comes to a close, every employee should take a moment to check their remaining vacation days to ensure none go to waste.