Guide for Ireland
Annual leave calculator for hospitality staff in Ireland
5-star reviews on TrustpilotIrish employees build up paid annual leave under the Organisation of Working Time Act, to a maximum of 4 working weeks a year. There are three ways to work it out and the employee gets whichever gives more: 4 working weeks for 1,365 hours in the leave year, a third of a working week for each month with 117 hours or more, or 8% of hours worked.
On this page
Two quick calculators: one for the whole leave year, one for casual staff paid each week or fortnight. Everything runs in your browser: nothing is sent or saved.
Annual leave for the leave year (all three methods)
Enter the hours worked and their usual hours per week.
Casual staff: leave earned this pay period (8%)
Enter the hours they worked this pay period.
The three methods, in plain English
Irish annual leave is built on hours, not on a fixed number of weeks for everyone. The Organisation of Working Time Act gives three ways to work it out, and the employee gets whichever gives them more:
| Method | How it works | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 1,365 hours | 4 working weeks if they work at least 1,365 hours in the leave year (not if they changed job during the year) | Full-time staff who are with you all year |
| 2. 117-hour months | A third of a working week for each calendar month with at least 117 hours | Full-timers with some quiet months |
| 3. 8% of hours | 8% of the hours worked in the leave year, up to 4 working weeks | Part-time, casual and seasonal staff |
A "working week" is the person's own usual week. For a chef on 40 hours a week, 4 working weeks is 160 hours. For a lounge server on 20 hours, it's 80 hours.
Worked example: a weekend bartender
Aoife works Friday and Saturday nights and some Sundays. Over the leave year she works 780 hours. At 8% that's 62.4 hours of paid annual leave. Her usual week is 18 hours, so the 4-week cap (72 hours) doesn't bite. Method 1 and method 2 don't help her, so 62.4 hours it is.
Worked example: a full-time sous chef
Cian works 39 hours a week all year and clocks 1,900 hours. Method 1 applies: 4 working weeks, which is 156 hours, or 20 days if he works 5 days a week. Method 3 would give 152 hours, so method 1 wins.
Make leave part of the roster, not an afterthought
The calculation is the easy part. The hard part in a busy venue is making sure leave gets booked, doesn't leave a Saturday short, and isn't forgotten when next week's roster goes up. Two unbroken weeks are due to anyone who's worked 8 months, and leave should be taken within the leave year or, by agreement, within 6 months after it.
ShiftComplete keeps holidays alongside the roster, so the draft roster it builds already works around who's off, and staff can request leave from their phone for a manager to approve (a setting you switch on). With clocking in switched on you also have the hours worked to feed into method 3. It's €1.99 per active staff member a month after a free 60-day trial, no card needed.
Read the full guide to annual leave for hospitality staff in Ireland, or check who gets what on the next public holiday with the public holiday entitlement checker.
Frequently asked questions
Do part-time and casual staff get annual leave in Ireland?
Yes. Every employee builds up annual leave from the first hour they work. Part-time and casual staff are usually worked out at 8% of the hours they work in the leave year, capped at 4 working weeks. A bartender who works 600 hours in the year has 48 hours of paid leave.
Do hours on sick leave count towards annual leave?
Yes, if the sick leave is certified. Citizens Information says hours on annual leave, certified sick leave, maternity, paternity, adoptive and parental leave, force majeure leave and the first 13 weeks of carer's leave all count as time worked when working out annual leave.
What is the leave year in Ireland?
The statutory leave year runs from 1 April to 31 March, but many employers use the calendar year instead. That's fine and doesn't change anyone's entitlement. Leave should be taken within the leave year or, by agreement, within 6 months after it.
Do public holidays count as annual leave?
No. Public holidays are a separate entitlement on top of annual leave. Ireland has 10 public holidays a year, and the employer chooses whether to give a paid day off, a paid day off within a month, an extra day of annual leave or an extra day's pay. Use our public holiday checker for that.
Is this calculator legal advice?
No. It follows the three methods set out by Citizens Information and the Workplace Relations Commission. Contracts can give more than the legal minimum, and some situations, such as long-term sick leave carried over, need more care.
Sources
- Annual leave (Citizens Information)
- Annual Leave (Workplace Relations Commission)
- Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, section 19 (Irish Statute Book)
Checked 28 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice.