Ukraine Leave Laws & Holidays

Last updated on May 18, 2026.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in Ukraine

Vacation (Annual Leave) Quota

24 days

Regular employees in Ukraine must be offered at least 24 paid vacation days.

Employers are obligated to provide more vacation days for the following categories:

• 56: Workers in Education
• 30 days: Workers that belong to the 1st or 2nd disability category
• 26 days: Workers that belong to the 3rd disability category
• 31 days: minors (under 18)

Also, any employee engaged in difficult and hazardous occupations and the mother of two or more children who are younger than 14 years old. Vacation entitlement for seasonal workers depends on their working duration.

Accrual Rate

Vacation accrues monthly at a rate of 2 days.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for vacation, an employee must have completed 6 months of employment at the employer.

Carry Over

Unused vacation days can be carried over to be taken in the following year.

Sick Leave in Ukraine

4 months

Employees in Ukraine are entitled to partially paid sick leave, as follows:

• 4 months: For most diseases, injuries, and temporary disabilities

• 5 months: Recurring condition and complications of the already existing disease

• 10 months: Tuberculosis

To be eligible, an employee must have worked for 6 or more months at the company and made contributions to the fund of social insurance. Also, they must present a medical certificate.

An employee may be subject to termination after taking sick leave continuously for a period of 4 months.

Payout of Sick Leave

Compensation for sick leave depends on its duration.

• The first five days are paid by the employer at 100% of the salary.
• 6 or more days: paid by the government at 50–100% of the salary. The exact compensation varies depending on the duration of the employee’s contributions to social insurance.

Maternity and Paternity Leave

Maternity Leave in Ukraine

126 days (18 weeks)

A pregnant employee in Ukraine is entitled to receive 126 days of fully paid maternity leave if the birth of the child goes without complications. If there are complications or multiple births, this leave is 140 days.

Maternity leave is to be taken as follows:

• 70 days prepartum;

• 56 days postpartum.

Following the maternity leave, a mother may take parental leave.

Payout of Maternity Leave

A pregnant employee on maternity leave is compensated 100% of earnings by the Ukrainian Social Insurance Fund.

Paternity Leave in Ukraine

2 unpaid weeks (14 calendar days)

An employee who has become a father is entitled to two weeks of paid paternity leave.

In addition to this, a father (or a mother) can take parentak (child care) leave.

Payout

Paternity leave in Ukraine is paid by the Social Insurance Fund (100% of the employee’s average salary).

Parental Leave

Up to 3 years.

After the end of maternity leave, one of the parents may take unpaid child care (parental) leave. Parental leave may be taken until the child is 3, so this leave may last up to 3 years. An employee must present the child’s birth certificate and proof confirming that the child’s other parent has not taken childcare leave at their own workplace.

Payout of Child Care Leave

Child care leave is funded by social security at a rate determined by the government.

Bereavement Leave in Ukraine

Up to 7 days

An employee may take leave following the death of a close family member:

• For up to 7 calendar days: parents (stepparents), husband (wife), siblings, child (stepchild);
• For up to 3 calendar days: other relatives.

Jury Duty Leave in Ukraine

Not identified in publicly available online sources. Please consult official or offline legal materials.

Military Leave in Ukraine

Upaid leave.

Employees on active duty, conscripts, or volunteers for the Armed Forces who are called up for military service must be given unpaid leave. Although an employer is not required to pay employees during leave, they must keep the employee’s job and position. An employer may not fire an employee during their military leave.

After being called up for military service, an employee has the right to request full payment from their employer for all unused annual vacation days.

Payout

Military leave is paid by the Ukrainian state.

Voting Leave in Ukraine

Not identified in publicly available online sources. Please consult official or offline legal materials.

Unpaid Personal Time Off

30 days

Employees may be allowed to take unpaid leave, but this must be agreed upon with the employer. This leave is usually for family-related reasons or other personal reasons. The length of this leave is to be decided through mutual agreement between the employee and employer. In any case, this leave should not be more than 30 days annually.

Public Holidays in Ukraine

11 public holidays

Ukraine observes 11 legal national holidays annually. Orthodox Easter, Whit Monday, and Christmas are each observed over two days. All these national holidays are paid and come in addition to vacation days. Being an Orthodox Christian, Ukraine’s religious holidays are celebrated following the Julian calendar, although Christmas is celebrated on December 25, the same as Catholics and Protestant churches.

A complete list of official holidays celebrated in Ukraine:

Sources

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

2. Payroll and Benefits Guide Ukraine, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/ukraine/

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

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