Accumulating holidays

An employee accumulates annual holiday for each full holiday credit month worked during the holiday credit year (1 April–31 March). During the holiday credit year, employees accrue leave that they take during the following summer and winter.

There are two rules for accumulating a full holiday credit month: 14-days rule and the 35-hours rule. These rules are applied in different ways in the public and private sectors.

Public sector

In the public sector a full holiday credit month is a month during which an employee

• has worked at least 35 hours or 14 days and
• the continuous employment relationship has lasted at least 16 calendar days.

This applies to the SOTE, HYVTES, KVTES agreements.

Private sector

In the private sector either the 14-days rule or the 35-hours rule is chosen for an employee based on their working time.

• Full-time employees and the part-time employees who work during at least 14 days in a month according to their employment contract are covered by the 14-day rule.
  • A full holiday credit month is a month during which the employee works at least 14 days.
• Part-time employees working fewer than 14 days a month are covered by the 35-hours rule.
  • A full holiday credit month is a month during which the employee works at least 35 hours.

This applies to the SOSTES and TPTES agreements.

Accumulating holidays during leave and absences

In addition to the actual working days and hours, annual holiday is accumulated during certain periods of absence, even though the employee is not working at the time.

Holiday is accumulated e.g. during:

• annual holidays
• holiday exchange from a holiday bonus
• sick leave
• pregnancy and parental leave
• temporary childcare leave
• furloughs
• study leave.

However, holiday is not accumulated from the full duration of all these absences. The collective agreement applied as well as whether the employee is covered by the 14-days rule or the 35-hours rule have an effect on how long an absence still accumulates holidays.