BCEA annual leave days — how much leave employees are legally owed
Section 20 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act entitles an employee to 21 consecutive days of paid annual leave for every 12 months of employment. On a five-day week that is 15 working days; on a six-day week it is 18. Alternatively leave accrues at one day for every 17 days worked, or one hour for every 17 hours worked.
Payroll Africa Editorial · SARS Payroll Compliance Team
The Payroll Africa editorial team is composed of registered tax practitioners, payroll administrators and BCEA specialists who maintain the SARS PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI engines that power the platform. Every article is reviewed against the current SARS BRS and Basic Conditions of Employment Act before publication.
- SARS registered tax practitioners
- SAPA-affiliated payroll administrators
- BCEA and LRA compliance reviewers
Last updated 23 Aug 2026
Converting the entitlement
The Act expresses leave in consecutive days, which includes the weekend days that fall inside the leave period. Payroll systems convert this to working days so that a full annual entitlement is taken correctly.
- Five-day week — 15 working days per annual leave cycle
- Six-day week — 18 working days per annual leave cycle
- Accrual alternative — 1 day for every 17 days worked (1.25 days per month on a five-day week)
- Part-time and shift workers — pro-rata on the hours-worked formula
When leave must be taken
Annual leave must be granted no later than six months after the end of the 12-month cycle in which it accrued. Leave may not be taken as pay while employment continues, except for the portion exceeding the statutory minimum. An employer may set a shutdown period and require leave to be taken then, with reasonable notice.
Payout and forfeiture
On termination the employer must pay out all leave accrued in the current cycle plus anything untaken from the previous cycle. A policy that forfeits statutory leave is unenforceable for the minimum entitlement — only contractual leave above the BCEA minimum may be subject to a use-it-or-lose-it rule.
Other BCEA leave types
Annual leave sits alongside sick leave of 30 days (five-day week) per 36-month cycle, three days' family responsibility leave per year, four consecutive months of maternity leave, and 10 consecutive days of parental leave.
Frequently asked questions
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