How much leave, and its cash value
Paid annual leave accrues by tenure, and unused days can be paid out as a leave allowance.
Days: under 1 year earns 1 per full month (max 11); from 1 year it is 15 days, plus 1 more every 2 years from year 3 (max 25) — so 16 at year 3, 17 at year 5, reaching 25 around year 21.
Allowance = daily ordinary wage × unused days, where daily wage = monthly ordinary wage ÷ 209 × 8. Note ordinary wage isn't your full salary, and lawful leave-use promotion can extinguish the allowance. See the severance calculator or salary calculator.
Annual leave for foreign employees
Paid annual leave comes from the Labor Standards Act, so it applies to every employee regardless of nationality or visa — E-9, H-2, E-7 and F-series holders alike — at workplaces with five or more employees.
- First year: one day for each month worked with full attendance (up to 11 days).
- After one year: 15 days if you attended at least 80% of working days, plus one more day every two years from the third year (up to 25).
- Unused days are paid out as a leave allowance when the leave expires or when you leave the company — unless your employer formally asked you to use them (leave-use promotion).
Korean contracts and payslips often use the Korean terms: 연차 (yeoncha) for annual leave and 연차수당 (yeoncha sudang) for the unused-leave allowance. If leave pay is missing from your final wages, the Ministry of Employment and Labor (1350) can help.