Japan Paid Leave Calculator — How many paid leave days you are entitled to under Japanese law, from your start date
Enter your start date and see the annual paid leave (yukyu) you are entitled to under Japan's Labor Standards Act: 10 days after six months, rising to 20. Covers full-time and part-time (proportional) grants, your grant history and the next grant date.
Enter your start date to see how many paid leave days the law grants you, when they were granted and when the next grant is due.
Before you rely on thisThis tool applies the minimum entitlement set by Japan's Labor Standards Act. Your employer may grant more days, or may grant everyone's leave on a single fixed date, in which case your actual balance will differ. Leave is not granted for a year in which you attended fewer than 80% of working days; the tool does not check attendance. Confirm your exact balance with your HR department. If your employer refuses leave you are entitled to, you can consult the local Labor Standards Inspection Office (Rodo Kijun Kantokusho).
Paid Leave Calculator: tips and things to know
- Japan's paid leave usage rate is about 62% (2024), one of the lowest among developed countries, but the days are yours by law.
- Unused paid leave expires two years after it is granted, so you can carry at most one year's balance forward.
- Since 2019 employers must make sure that anyone granted 10 or more days actually takes at least 5 days a year.
How to use the Paid Leave Calculator
Enter your start date
Pick the date you started working for your current employer.
Choose your working pattern
Select full-time or part-time. For part-time, also choose how many days a week you work.
Read the result
The tool shows this year's grant, every grant so far and the next grant date.
Who gets paid leave in Japan
Annual paid leave (nenji yukyu kyuka, usually shortened to yukyu) is a legal right under Article 39 of the Labor Standards Act. It does not depend on being a regular employee, on nationality or on visa type. Part-timers, contract workers and dispatch workers qualify too.
Two conditions apply. You must have worked continuously for six months since your start date, and you must have attended at least 80% of the working days in that period.
Once you meet them you receive 10 days, and the number grows each year after that.
Days granted by length of service
For full-time workers (5 or more days a week, or 30 or more hours a week) the statutory minimum is:
- 6 months: 10 days
- 1 year 6 months: 11 days
- 2 years 6 months: 12 days
- 3 years 6 months: 14 days
- 4 years 6 months: 16 days
- 5 years 6 months: 18 days
- 6 years 6 months and after: 20 days every year
Part-time and reduced-hours workers
If you work 4 days a week or fewer and under 30 hours a week, you receive leave in proportion to your days (proportional grant, hirei fuyo).
For example, at 4 days a week the first grant is 7 days; at 3 days a week, 5 days; at 2 days, 3 days; at 1 day, 1 day. Fewer days, but still guaranteed once you meet the conditions.
If you work 5 or more days a week, or 30 or more hours, you get the full-time amounts even if your contract calls you part-time (arubaito or paato).
Days expire after two years
Leave you do not use expires two years after the date it was granted. Last year's remaining days carry over into this year, but vanish the year after.
Someone granted 20 days a year can therefore hold at most 40 days at once.
Your employer must have you take 5 days a year
Since April 2019, employers must ensure that any worker granted 10 or more days actually takes at least 5 of them within the year. If you do not request leave yourself, the company has to schedule it for you.
This is an obligation on the employer, so if it is not happening you can ask the company to fix it.
You do not have to give a reason for taking paid leave, and an employer may not cut your pay or treat you unfavourably for using it.
Leaving Japan or changing jobs
Employers are not required to pay out unused leave when you resign, though some do. The usual approach is to use your remaining days before your last working day, so plan your notice period with your balance in mind.
The count starts again from zero with a new employer; there is no transfer of days between companies.
Sources
- Labor Standards Act, Article 39 (annual paid leave) (労働基準法第39条)
- Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Employer obligation to designate paid leave dates" (年次有給休暇の時季指定義務)
Paid Leave Calculator FAQ
Do part-time workers get paid leave?
Yes. Switch to "Part-time" and choose your working days per week, and the tool calculates the proportional grant.
When is paid leave first granted?
Six months after your start date, provided you attended at least 80% of working days. The tool shows your next grant date.
Does attendance matter?
Leave for a given year is only granted if you attended at least 80% of working days in the previous period. A long absence can cause a year to be skipped. Normal attendance is not a problem.
Does my visa status affect paid leave?
No. Paid leave under the Labor Standards Act applies to everyone employed in Japan, whatever their nationality or residence status.