South Africa Leave Laws & Holidays

Last updated on Augustu 14, 2026.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in South Africa

Vacation (Annual Leave) Quota

21 consecutive days (15 working days)

Full-time employees in South Africa are entitled to a minimum of 21 consecutive days (15 working days) of fully paid vacation. These consecutive weeks of vacation leave also include non-working days (for example, weekends), so employees who work standard five days a week are entitled to 15 days of vacation.

The accrual rate is either 1 day of vacation for every 17 days worked or 1 hour of vacation for every 17 hours worked.

This vacation entitlement is provided in addition to leave for public holidays.

Eligible employees are those who work at least 24 hours per month for an employer.

Carry Over

Unused days of vacation leave may be carried over from one year to the next. However, an employer must ensure that days of statutory vacation leave are taken in 6 months following the completion of the vacation leave cycle.

If a national holiday falls during an employee’s vacation, the manager must provide an extra day of leave.

Vacation Pay

Vacation leave pay must be given before the beginning of the vacation.

PTO Payout at the Termination

An employer must pay any employee who leaves the company for all unused vacation days at the end of employment.

Sick Leave in South Africa

30 days of paid sick leave for every 36 months of work

During the first 6 months of employment, an employee acquires 1 day of paid sick leave for every 26 days of work.

After this initial period, from the beginning of the 7th month and onward, employees are entitled to the following number of days of paid sick leave:

• If they work a standard 5 days per week: 30 days per 36-month cycle.
• If they work a standard 6 days per week: 36 days per 36-month cycle.

A sick leave cycle lasts 36 months with the same employer, starting on the employee’s first day of work and renewing automatically every three years. For example, if a worker starts employment on April 8, 2027, then first cycle runs from April 8, 2027 to April 7, 2030. His or her next sick leave cycle begins on April 8, 2030.

Employees who work for less than 24 hours a month are not entitled to paid sick leave. Other who work more than 24 hours a month are entitled according to number of working days per week.

When all sick leave is used up, an employee is not automatically entitled to more sick leave until the next 36-month cycle begins. Any additional sick leave beyond this limit may be unpaid, unless internal company policy, a collective agreement, or a special arrangement provides otherwise.

The number of paid sick days resets after the end of the cycle of 3 years, and all unused sick days within the 3-year cycle are lost.

An employee must provide a medical certificate issued by an official medical practitioner when absent for more than 2 days.

Payout

During sick leave, employees receive 100% of their regular salary.

Work-Related Injury Leave

Employees who are disabled or injured at work and whose leave (and recovery) last more than 4 days receive 75% of their salary, paid by an employer for up to 3 months. (During these first 3 months, employers can request repayment from the compensation fund.)

After these initial 3 months, employees may request 75% of their normal pay from the compensation fund.

Family Responsibility Leave

3 days of paid leave per year.

Employees may take family responsibility leave, up to 3 days of paid per year, if their child is injured or sick. This leave is available to employees who have been with their employer for more than 4 months and work at least four days per week.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Parental Leave in South Africa

4 months and 10 days

The old system, where maternity leave was 4 months and paternity leave was 10 days, was abolished in October 2025. The Constitutional Court confirmed the old rules were discriminatory and created a shared system: both parents now share a combined pool of 4 months + 10 days (130 days) of parental leave, which they can split between themselves as they choose. No more traditional “maternity” and “paternity” leave.

Maternity leave may begin any time from 4 weeks (one month) before the expected birth of a baby. On the other hand, an employee is not allowed to return to the job for six weeks after childbirth.

Employees are required to inform their manager in writing at least 4 weeks before they intend to begin their maternity leave.

Payout

Parental leave in South Africa is not paid, but employees may receive payment during this absence from South Africa’s Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), which is under the Department of Labour.

Employees may be eligible for maternity benefits, which can go up to 66% of their regular wage. Parental pay benefits depend on their income and contributions to UIF. To receive parental benefits, an employee must have been participating in compulsory social security contribution payments to UIF.

Parental leave may also be extended at request, but this continuation of leave is unpaid.

Stillbirth or Miscarriage

An employee who bears a stillborn child while in the third trimester of pregnancy or suffers a miscarriage is entitled to six weeks of maternity leave following the stillbirth or miscarriage, regardless of whether they had already started their maternity leave at the time of the unfortunate event of stillbirth or miscarriage.

Adoption Leave in South Africa

Adoptive parents can start leave upon court-ordered child placement, while commissioning parents in surrogacy arrangements can begin leave on the child’s birth date. All parent types receive standard 4 months and 10 days leave allocation under identical terms.

Payout

All these sorts of parental leave are unpaid, but employees can request 66% of their income from South Africa’s Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF)—up to a certain earnings level, beyond which an employee does not receive payment. To be eligible, an employee must be employed for 13 weeks or more.

Bereavement Leave in South Africa

3 days

Employees in South Africa are entitled to up to 3 days of paid bereavement leave per 12-month cycle, in the unfortunate event of the death of the employee’s parent or grandparent; husband, wife, or life partner; brother or sister; child; or grandchild. This leave is defined as family responsibility leave and is not a separate category from leave already described for a child’s illness in the chapter about sick leave in South Africa. To be eligible, same as for family responsibility leave, an employee must have 4+ months of service working 4+ days a week.

Jury Duty Leave in South Africa

Jury duty leave is not specified by South Africa’s leave laws, because the country doesn’t have jury duty.

Military Leave in South Africa

Military leave is not specified by law. Conscription ended in 1994, and both the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and its Reserve Force are volunteer. For reservists (part-time volunteers), the law protects their ability to serve: employers are expected to grant special leave (usually unpaid) for call-ups and training “within reasonable demands.” While military leave duration varies, it is legally protected under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA).

Upon completing military service, employees must be allowed to return to work quickly without facing any penalty or discrimination.

Read more about military leave in South Africa.

Voting Leave in South Africa

Voting leave is not specified by law. South Africa handles this via public holidays: national and local election days are declared public holidays. Those employees who must work get double pay, but employers may not use work to prevent someone from voting.

Study Leave in South Africa

2 days of paid per year (up to a maximum of 10 days)

An employee may take 2 days of paid leave per year, up to a max. of 10 days a year. However, employers may choose how, or if, they apply this requirement. Any additional study leave beyond these 10 days may be used only as unpaid leave.

Public Holidays in South Africa

12 official public holidays

Employees may be required to work on a public holiday or a Sunday if they have agreed to do it. In this case, if an employee does not usually work on Sundays, they must be paid double their regular wages. If they usually work on Sundays, they must be paid 1.5 times their regular wages. Alternatively, paid time off in lieu (extra time off instead of overtime pay) is allowed if both an employee and an employer agree.

(*) - The dates of Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday vary each year according to the Christian Church calendar.

When an official public holiday is on a Sunday, the first following Monday is observed as a public holiday.

Sources

1. Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/south-africa

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide South Africa, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/south-africa/

3. Definitive Guide to Hiring in South Africa, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/south-africa

4. Republic of South Africa - Government Gazette, https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/201409/a75-97.pdf

Check out our Leave Laws page to learn more about laws in various countries.