Guide
Annual Leave in Singapore: How Little the Law Actually Guarantees
Ask most people how much annual leave they are entitled to in Singapore and they will name whatever their own company gives: 18, 21, more. The legal minimum is a lot lower than that, and knowing the real floor changes how carefully you should be spending those days. Here is what the Employment Act actually guarantees, and how the number is worked out.
The statutory minimum: 7 days, rising to 14
Under the Employment Act, an employee who has completed three months of service is entitled to paid annual leave, starting at 7 days in the first year and rising by one day for each additional year of service, up to a maximum of 14 days from the eighth year onward:
| Year of service | Statutory minimum leave |
|---|---|
| 1st year | 7 days |
| 2nd year | 8 days |
| 3rd year | 9 days |
| … | … |
| 8th year onward | 14 days |
That is the floor the law sets. Many employers, especially in office roles, offer well above it, and 14 to 21 days is common, but that is their choice, not your right. If you are relying on a generous allowance, it is worth checking that it is actually in your contract and not just custom.
How it accrues in your first year
Two things trip people up in year one:
- The three-month gate. Leave begins to accrue from your first day, but you are only entitled to take it (or be paid for it) once you have completed three months of continuous service.
- Pro-rating. For a partial year, entitlement is scaled to the months you have worked: (completed months ÷ 12) × annual entitlement. Join in July and by December you have completed six months, so you have earned 6 ÷ 12 × 7 ≈ 3.5 days for that year, not the full seven.
This is why a new job in the second half of the year leaves you with very little leave to spend before year-end, and why that first year needs the most careful planning.
What happens to the days you don't use
This is where the real variation lives, because the Act leaves most of it to your employer:
- Carry-forward depends on which part of the Act covers you. If you are covered under Part 4 (a workman earning $4,500 or less, or a non-workman earning $2,600 or less in monthly basic salary), MOM says your employer must let you carry unused statutory leave into the next 12 months, and it can be forfeited only if it is still unused at the end of that period. Above those salary lines there is no such requirement, and neither is there for days your contract gives on top of the statutory minimum: the contract decides whether those are encashed, carried forward or forfeited. In practice most employers allow 5 to 7 days to roll over, with the rest lapsing on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. Read the handbook, and check which of the two rules you are actually under.
- Leaving your job triggers a payout. When you resign or are let go, your employer must encash the annual leave you have earned but not taken, paid at your gross rate of pay. The one exception: if you are dismissed for misconduct, unused leave can be forfeited. Which days count depends on your last day, not the day you resign, so work out the notice period first.
And a point people conflate: annual leave is separate from the other leave types. Paid sick leave, hospitalisation leave, and the family-related leaves each have their own entitlements and do not come out of your annual leave.
Public holidays don't come out of it
A point worth stating plainly, because it is easy to get wrong: the eleven public holidays are separate from your annual leave. You do not spend annual leave on Chinese New Year or National Day. They are paid days off on their own, on top of your entitlement. If a public holiday falls on a day you had already booked as leave, that leave day should be credited back to you (more on that in the rules guide).
What this means for planning
If the law only guarantees you 7 to 14 days, each one is worth spending well. The highest-return move is to place them next to public holidays: one day of leave against a Tuesday or Thursday holiday buys a four-day break. The annual leave calculator works the entitlement out from your start date, including the pro-rating for a part year, and the Leave Optimizer takes your balance, whatever it actually is, and shows the exact days to book for the most time off, and the honest leave guide covers the office realities that get in the way. For the precise, current entitlement rules, the authority is the Ministry of Manpower.
Common questions
How many days of annual leave am I entitled to in Singapore? The statutory minimum is 7 days in your first year (after completing three months of service), rising by one day per year of service to a maximum of 14 days from your eighth year. Many employers offer more, but that is contractual, not a legal right.
Can my employer decide when I take my leave? Yes. An employer can direct when annual leave is taken (a year-end shutdown, for example) as well as approve or decline specific requests, so long as you can still take your full entitlement.
Do unused annual leave days expire? They can. Under Part 4 of the Employment Act, unused statutory leave must be carried into the next 12 months and can be forfeited only after that. Outside Part 4, and for any days above the statutory minimum, carry-forward is whatever your contract says. Leave can also be forfeited if you are absent without permission for more than 20% of the working days, or dismissed for misconduct.
Is unused leave paid out when I resign? Yes. Annual leave you have earned but not used must be encashed at your gross rate of pay when you leave, unless you are dismissed for misconduct.
Are public holidays counted as annual leave? No. The 11 public holidays are separate paid days off and do not come out of your annual leave balance.