Section 20 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act deals with the annual leaves. These leaves are only applicable to employees who work more than 24 hours per month under the same employer. Here are some things you must know in consideration of the annual leave days calculator in South Africa.

• An employee is entitled to consecutive 21 days of leave on full payment during an annual cycle.
• An annual leave cycle is a 12-month period, which starts from the first day of employment or from the end of the previous cycle.
• The employee is paid for the number of working days within the annual leave days.
• The annual leave is accrued, which means the number of leaves an employee receives starts at zero and progresses with time.
• Employees and employers can mutually agree on when the annual leaves can be taken.
• The employee cannot take annual leaves during notice period.
• The employer cannot purchase annual leave from the employee. The only time when he/ she can do it is in regards to the termination of employment for whatever reason.
• The employee has the right to receive accumulated annual leave in one cycle on consecutive days. For instance, if the employee has 11 unused accumulated annual days, he can request to use them in one go and the employer has no right to refuse them.
• If the employee does not use the annual leaves, they will be added to the credit of the employee.

How to Calculate Annual Leave Days in South Africa?

As discussed above, the BCEA states that the employee is entitled to 21 consecutive days of annual leave on full remuneration within each cycle. The number of days decided for annual leave depends on his working days with respect to an annual leave cycle.

For instance, an employee working five days a week is entitled to 15 days of leave on a payday, and those working six days a week are entitled to 18 leaves on a payday. Simply put, the number of working days falling within the 21 consecutive days will be granted to the employee for annual leave. During this time, the employee will be paid the ordinary wages of a regular working day.

Calculation of Accrual of Annual Leaves

BCEA states that the rule of accrual calculation of annual leaves is such that it counts one hour for every 17 hours worked by the employee. As per this, an employee working five days per week has their annual leave days accrued at the rate of 1.25 days per month. Similarly, if an employee works for six days a week, his/ her annual leave will be accrued at the rate of 1.5 days per month.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, employees are entitled to 21 consecutive days of annual leave if they work for at least 24 hours per month under the same employee. However, if unused, these leaves will expire after one annual cycle and six months following it. I hope this article has clarified all your queries regarding the calculation of annual leave days.