How many vacation days accrue per month in Finland?

If your employment has lasted more than a year by the end of the holiday credit year (31 March), you accrue 2.5 days per full holiday credit month, up to 30 days per year. If the employment has lasted less than a year, you accrue 2 days per month, up to 24 days.

What is the holiday credit year?

The holiday credit year runs from 1 April to 31 March. Vacation days accrued during it are normally taken during the following holiday season: summer holiday between 2 May and 30 September, and winter holiday before the next holiday season begins.

Does Saturday consume a vacation day?

Yes. Under the Finnish Annual Holidays Act, vacation days are consumed on weekdays from Monday to Saturday. Sundays and statutory public holidays do not consume vacation days, so a full week off (Mon to Sun) uses 6 vacation days.

Can a collective agreement grant more vacation?

Yes. The Annual Holidays Act sets the minimum level, and many Finnish collective agreements include better terms, such as longer annual holidays or holiday bonus pay. Check the collective agreement for your sector.

Vacation Accrual Calculator

Calculate how many vacation days you accrue under the Finnish Annual Holidays Act (162/2005). The accrual is 2 or 2.5 days per full holiday credit month, depending on how long your employment has lasted.

Full holiday credit months: 12 months

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A full holiday credit month = a calendar month with at least 14 working days or 35 working hours.

Employment lasted by 31 March

Accrued vacation days

30 / 30 days

2.5 days

Accrual per month

30 days

Maximum per year

This calculator follows the Finnish Annual Holidays Act (162/2005). Your collective agreement may grant better terms, such as longer holidays. Note that when taking holiday, Saturdays consume vacation days (holiday runs Mon–Sat).

How vacation days accrue under Finnish law

This calculator follows the Finnish Annual Holidays Act (vuosilomalaki 162/2005), which applies to employees working in Finland. Vacation accrues for each full holiday credit month during the holiday credit year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March. The accrual rate depends on the length of your employment: if the employment relationship has lasted more than a year by 31 March, you accrue 2.5 days per month. If it has lasted less than a year, the rate is 2 days per month.

At the full rate, you can accrue at most 30 vacation days per year (2.5 × 12), or 24 days (2 × 12) in shorter employment. If the calculation results in half days, they are rounded up to full days under section 5 of the Act. For example, 7 full months at 2.5 days per month gives 17.5 days, which rounds up to 18 vacation days.

The 14-day and 35-hour rules

Vacation accrues only for full holiday credit months. The main rule is the 14-day rule: a calendar month counts as full if you work at least 14 days during it. Certain absences, such as annual holiday and sick leave within statutory limits, also count as days worked.

If your employment contract schedules so few working days that the 14-day rule can never be met, the 35-hour rule applies instead: the month is full if you work at least 35 hours. The two rules are not applied in parallel — each employee falls under one rule based on their contract. This calculator asks directly for the number of full months, so you can use whichever rule applies to you.

When can you take the accrued vacation?

Vacation accrued during the holiday credit year (1 April to 31 March) is normally taken during the following holiday season. The summer holiday, up to 24 vacation days, is placed in the holiday season between 2 May and 30 September, and the remainder — the winter holiday — is taken before the next holiday season begins. The employer decides the timing after hearing the employee, although the timing can also be agreed. Note that when you take vacation, days are consumed from Monday to Saturday — Sundays and public holidays do not consume vacation days. Collective agreements may include terms that are better than the Act.