Holiday and parental leave

 

Read more about accruing and taking holidays here.

Holiday not possible under maternity/paternity leave and adoption leave

You are not allowed to take holiday while you are on maternity/paternity leave and adoption leave (holiday obstacle). This means that you cannot take days of holiday while you are on leave.

If you are prevented from taking holiday leave throughout the holiday period, the first to fourth holiday weeks will automatically be transferred to the next holiday period, whereas you will have to make an agreement about transferring the fifth holiday week.

You can only transfer the days of holiday from the first to fourth holiday weeks that you will not be able to take before the holiday period expires (31 December). Therefore, it is important that you plan your holiday in connection with your return from leave, as unused holiday from the first to fourth holiday weeks, which could have been taken before expiry of the holiday period on 31 December, will otherwise lapse. 

Holiday must be taken as full days. This means that you cannot take holiday on days on which you both work and are on leave (e.g. in the event of partial resumption of work or agreed deferred leave taken as part of the days).

If you are on leave on some days and at work on other days during a week, you are not prevented from taking holiday on the days on which you work. So, you can take holiday on these days. Furthermore, your manager can tell you to take your remaining holiday on these days in accordance with the general rules. However, in this situation you cannot be told to take your main holiday, as this must usually be taken as a consecutive period of three weeks.

Special holidays may be taken as fractional days. You can therefore take special holidays on days on which you both work and are on leave.

You earn the right to holidays and special holidays with pay in all leave periods.

Unpaid leave of absence without pension entitlement

During unpaid periods of leave in which pension entitlement is not earned, you will generally not earn holidays and special holidays either.

However, salaried employees covered by the state’s holiday agreement will earn paid holiday and special holidays during the first six months of an unpaid period of leave without pension entitlement (this is considered as leave without pay). So, these employees will also earn paid holiday and special holidays when their parental leave is extended by 8 or 14 weeks (from 32 to 40 or 46 weeks), even though they do not earn pension entitlement in these weeks.

However, this is on condition that:

• the employee returns to work before the end of the holiday year in which the holidays/special holidays have to be taken, and

• the holidays/special holidays are taken before the end of the holiday year in question – unless the holidays/special holidays are postponed in accordance with the holiday agreement’s special provisions on holiday obstacles, transfer or postponement of holiday. 

If the conditions are not met, the days will lapse.

Examples

  • You are on maternity/paternity leave until 27 October => Holiday you have not taken because of a holiday obstacle must be taken before 31 December, as holiday from the first to fourth holiday weeks will otherwise lapse. 
  • You are on maternity/paternity leave until 1 December => Holiday you have not taken because of a holiday obstacle must be taken before 31 December, as holiday from the first to fourth holiday weeks will otherwise lapse. 
  • You are on maternity/paternity leave until 20 December => You have time to take up to eight days of holiday before 31 December. You have therefore not been prevented from taking these holidays and must take them before 31 December or otherwise they will lapse.
  • You are on maternity/paternity leave until 2 January => Holiday you have not taken because of a holiday obstacle from the first to fourth holiday weeks will automatically be transferred to the next holiday period. You must make an agreement to transfer the fifth holiday week.