The statutory minimum annual leave is four weeks in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic in 2026, but the two systems calculate and administer it very differently. Slovakia counts leave in days and grants a fifth week based on age or childcare, while the Czech Republic has calculated leave in hours since 2021. In both countries unused leave cannot be paid out during employment; compensation is due only when the employment ends.
How much leave is the legal minimum?
The floor is the same on both sides of the border: four weeks per calendar year. In Slovakia (Act No. 311/2001 Coll., the Labour Code) that is 20 days on a five-day week. In the Czech Republic (Act No. 262/2006 Coll., the Labour Code) four weeks is the private-sector minimum, while the public sector gets five weeks and teachers eight. A business running teams in both countries should not assume the entitlements line up beyond that shared minimum, as our overview of Slovak tax and advisory services for companies also stresses for cross-border payroll.
When does the fifth week apply?
This is where the systems diverge most. In Slovakia, an employee who turns 33 by the end of the year, or who permanently cares for a child, is entitled to five weeks (25 days) regardless of length of service. In the Czech Republic, there is no such age or childcare rule in the private sector: the fifth week is a voluntary benefit, not a statutory right, and only public-sector employees have five weeks by law.
How is the entitlement calculated?
Slovakia calculates leave in days. A full year worked with at least 60 days on the job gives the full entitlement; a shorter engagement gives one twelfth per full calendar month, and fewer than 60 days worked gives one twelfth for every 21 days worked. The Czech Republic calculates leave in hours: the annual entitlement equals the weekly working time multiplied by the number of weeks of leave, so a 40-hour week with four weeks of leave yields 160 hours. Proportional Czech leave is one fifty-second of that figure per multiple of weekly working time actually worked.
When can leave be reduced?
In Slovakia, an employer may cut leave by one to two days for each unexcused missed shift, and long absences such as extended sick leave reduce entitlement by one twelfth for the first 100 missed working days and a further twelfth for each additional 100. In the Czech Republic, since 2021 leave is reduced only for unexcused absence; long-term obstacles like illness instead count as worked time only up to a capped extent, which lowers the entitlement through the hours calculation rather than through an explicit cut.
Can unused leave be paid out?
The rule is identical in both countries: during the employment relationship unused leave cannot be paid out and must be taken or carried over. Compensation in the form of wage replacement is due only when the employment ends. In the Czech Republic the portion above four weeks can be carried to the next year at the employee’s written request, and in Slovakia the employer must schedule carried-over leave, failing which the employee may set the date after 30 June of the following year.
What are you paid during leave?
Both jurisdictions pay wage compensation at the average earnings calculated from the previous calendar quarter, so bonuses and premiums paid in the decisive period feed into the figure. The practical difference is administrative: the Slovak day-based model is simpler to track, while the Czech hour-based model is more precise for part-time and irregular schedules but demands accurate payroll records. For a company operating in both markets, the safest approach is to keep leave balances in the local unit and reconcile them at year-end and on departure, an approach we build into professional accounting for companies in Slovakia.
Do you employ staff in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, or both, and need to calculate leave entitlement, reductions or end-of-employment pay-outs correctly? We will set up your payroll so it follows each country’s Labour Code and avoids unnecessary underpayments.
FAQ
What is the minimum annual leave in Slovakia and the Czech Republic?
In both countries the statutory minimum is four weeks per calendar year. Slovakia grants a fifth week to employees who turn 33 during the year or care for a child, while in the Czech Republic five weeks is standard only in the public sector and eight weeks for teachers. Private Czech employers may offer more voluntarily.
Why does the Czech Republic calculate leave in hours?
Since 1 January 2021 Czech leave is measured in hours based on weekly working time rather than in fixed days. The annual entitlement equals weekly working time multiplied by the number of weeks of leave, for example 160 hours for a 40-hour week and four weeks. The model is fairer to part-time and irregular schedules. Slovakia still counts leave in days.
Can unused leave be paid out instead of taken?
No, not during employment in either country. Leave must be taken or carried over, and only when the employment relationship ends is unused leave paid out as wage compensation. This prevents leave from being routinely converted into extra pay while the job continues.