How Annual Leave Builds Up From Day One
The first year — one day per full month worked
Workers with under one year of service earn one day of leave for each fully attended month, up to 11 days during that first year. These early days can be used within the first year and are counted separately from the 15 days that accrue once one full year is reached. Using all 11 days in year one does not reduce the 15 that follow.
One full year — 15 days accrue
Once continuous service reaches one full year with 80%+ attendance during that year, 15 days of leave accrue at once — the allowance used during year two.
From year three — one extra day every two years, up to 25
| Years of service | Leave days |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | 15 일 |
| Year 3 | 16 일 |
| Year 5 | 17 일 |
| Year 7 | 18 일 |
| Year 9 | 19 일 |
| Year 11 | 20 일 |
| Year 13 | 21 일 |
| Year 15 | 22 일 |
| Year 17 | 23 일 |
| Year 19 | 24 일 |
| Year 21 | 25 일 |
Starting in year 3, one extra day is added every 2 years, reaching the statutory cap of 25 days in year 21 — after which it no longer increases. Try the annual leave calculator with your own hire date.
Exceptions — under one year and workplaces under five employees
In the under-one-year period, only the specific month without perfect attendance loses that month’s day — later fully attended months still accrue normally. Separately, workplaces with fewer than five regular employees are outside the scope of Labor Standards Act §60 (annual paid leave), so granting leave there is discretionary rather than a legal obligation. See the statute at the Korea Law Information Center, and the minimum wage & weekly holiday pay guide for related pay concepts.
When can you actually take it — timing rights on both sides
The right to choose when to take leave belongs to the employee in principle. However, if granting leave on the requested date would seriously disrupt business operations, the employer may exercise a right to shift the timing and request a different date. This only changes the timing, not whether leave is granted — outright blocking leave without justified cause is not generally permitted.
What happens to leave you don’t use
Unused leave is generally settled as cash compensation. However, if the employer properly follows the statutory leave-encouragement procedure (formally urging the employee to schedule leave, then designating dates if the employee does not), the employer’s obligation to pay for the unused days can be waived. So it is not simply "leave went unused" — whether the employer correctly followed this procedure is what determines whether compensation is owed.
How annual leave differs from other kinds of leave
Annual leave is a statutory, paid entitlement employees can use for any reason. Sick leave, bereavement leave and sabbaticals, by contrast, are not uniformly guaranteed by the Labor Standards Act — they usually exist only if a company’s work rules or collective agreement specifically provide for them, and whether they are paid, and for how many days, varies by employer. Even though they’re all called "leave," statutory paid annual leave and discretionary company leave rest on very different legal footing. It’s worth checking what other leave types your work rules provide alongside annual leave.