Zimbabwe Leave Laws & Holidays

Last updated on August 21, 2026.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in Zimbabwe

Vacation (Annual Leave) Quota

30 calendar days => around 22 working days (*)

Employees in Zimbabwe are allowed one full month of paid vacation leave (30 calendar days or 22 working days) per year.

To qualify for this paid leave, the employee must first accumulate the necessary annual leave days. An employee begins to accumulate leave days after completing one full year of service with the current employer.

(*) NOTA BENE: In Zimbabwe, unlike in many countries’s leave laws, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays that happen during an employee’s annual leave are counted as part of the annual leave days.

Additional benefits

A contract of employment might specify, or an employer might permit, the following:

• an employee to take paid annual leave even during their first year of service at the company.

• an employee to take leave even if they have not accrued any leave days; however, this type of leave will be unpaid.

The employer can decide when the employee can take leave.

Carry Over

Employees can accumulate up to a maximum of 90 days of leave before opting to take their leave, based on their personal choice. Other specifics about carry-over are not provided.

Sick Leave in Zimbabwe

180 days (90 days with full pay + 90 days with half-pay).

An employee in Zimbabwe is entitled to up to 180 days of paid sick leave per year.

This means that, over the course of a year, an employee may:

• take up to 90 days of fully paid sick leave;
• if an employee takes all their paid sick leave days within one year (the initial 90 days), they can ask for extended medical leave - up to another 90 days of half-paid sick leave.

Once the combined 180 days are used up, the employer may lawfully terminate the employee.

To have legitimate sick leave, an employee must provide a doctor’s note from a registered medical practitioner.

Sick leave doesn’t accumulate, nor can it be carried over from one year to the following.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave in Zimbabwe

98 days

Employees in Zimbabwe are entitled to 98 days of fully paid maternity leave. Employees can take a maximum of 45 days of leave before their due date and must begin no later than 21 days before the due date.

Eligibility

Eligibility changed by the labor amendment in 2023. It removed the old restrictions: no more one-year service requirement and no more “once every 24 months, max 3 times per employer” limits—every pregnant employee now qualifies regardless of tenure, contract type, or number of pregnancies.

Job Protection

Maternity leave and pregnancy are legally protected. Employers can’t fire or discriminate against an employee for being pregnant or taking maternity leave.

Maternity leave is job-protected, meaning an employee have the right to return to their previous position or an equivalent role with the same pay and benefits.

An Additional Unpaid Leave

An employee may also request additional unpaid maternity leave beyond the standard paid leave period.

Paternity Leave in Zimbabwe

Up to 12 days of unpaid leave.

There is no provision for paid paternity leave. However, a new father can take up to 12 days of compassionate (unpaid) leave following the birth of his child. Compassionate leave is special leave mainly designed for bereavement—the death of a child, dependent, parent, or spouse—but could also be used for paternity leave. When used as paternity leave, it is unpaid.

Parental Leave in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe leave laws do not provide for parental leave.

Bereavement Leave in Zimbabwe

Up to 12 days.

Zimbabwe doesn’t have bereavement leave specified as such, but the Labour Act’s special leave covers it. Therefore, employees in Zimbabwe are entitled to up to 12 days of paid bereavement (aka compassionate) leave in the event of the death of a parent, spouse, child, or any legal child or stepchild. In practice, company policies or collective agreements typically specify 2–5 days per bereavement for close family. The same 12-day pool of special leave also covers things like court appearances.

Jury Duty Leave in Zimbabwe

Up to 12 days.

Jury duty leave is not specified by law. Zimbabwe doesn’t have a jury system.

An employee in Zimbabwe is entitled to up to 12 days of paid leave to attend court as a witness. These 12 days are special leave already mentioned in paternity and bereavement leave, and court appearance is one of its purposes.

This special leave and its 12-day annual pool can also be used for mandatory absence due to infectious diseases, to attend a meeting of a trade union, or police detention for questioning.

Military Leave in Zimbabwe

Military leave is not specified by law. Zimbabwe doesn’t have conscription; service is voluntary.

Voting Leave in Zimbabwe

Voting days in general elections are declared public holidays, so employees get the day off with normal public holiday protections. Only essential-service workers and election staff work that day.

Public Holidays in Zimbabwe

Employees will get a day off for every public holiday and will receive their regular salary for that day as if they would normally have worked.

However, if an employee agrees to work on a public holiday, they will be paid at least double their regular rate for that day, regardless of whether they were scheduled to work.

As already mentioned, weekends and public holidays are considered part of annual leave days.

A complete list of official holidays celebrated in Zimbabwe:

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

When public holidays fall on a weekend in Zimbabwe, they are observed on the next weekday.

Sources

1. Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/zimbabwe

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Zimbabwe, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/zimbabwe/

3. Definitive Guide to Hiring in Zimbabwe, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/zimbabwe

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