How is annual leave calculated under Turkish Labour Law?
Seniority-based annual leave under Turkish Labour Law (İş Kanunu) Art. 53, the rule for employees aged 18 or under and 50 or over, and common pitfalls.
Published: 3 min readAuthor: SkyIntegra Team
Paid annual leave is one of the topics that raises the most questions in timesheets. Who is entitled, from when, and to how many days? For companies employing staff in Turkey, Article 53 of Turkish Labour Law No. 4857 (İş Kanunu) gives the basic answer. This article summarises the rule in plain language, with examples.
Who is entitled to annual leave?
Under Art. 53, employees who have worked at least one year from their start date, including the probation period, are entitled to paid annual leave. An employee who hasn't completed a year isn't yet entitled.
Leave by seniority
| Seniority (length of service) | Annual leave |
|---|---|
| 1 to 5 years (5 years included) | 14 days |
| More than 5 and less than 15 years | 20 days |
| 15 years (included) or more | 26 days |
Seniority is the number of full years completed since the hire date. For example, an employee who started on 1 March 2020 completes their sixth year on 1 March 2026 and is entitled to 20 days for that year.
Employees aged 18 or under, or 50 or over
Under the law, annual leave for employees aged 18 or under and for those aged 50 or over cannot be less than 20 days. This is a minimum; if the seniority-based entitlement is higher, the higher figure applies.
- A 51-year-old with 2 years of service: 14 days by seniority, 20 days with the age rule.
- A 52-year-old with 16 years of service: 26 days by seniority (above the minimum).
- A 50-year-old who has worked for 8 months: not yet entitled, because they haven't completed a year.
Days that don't count as leave
Under the law, weekly rest days, national holidays and public holidays that fall within the leave period aren't counted as leave days. For example, the leave of an employee taking 14 days is extended by the weekend and public holiday days in between. One of the most common balance-tracking mistakes is deducting these days from leave.
Points to watch when calculating
- Source dates: the hire date (for seniority) and date of birth (for the age rule) must be entered correctly. A wrong date leads to a wrong entitlement.
- Boundary dates: seniority and age change on a specific date; the calculation should show clearly which date it is based on.
- Half-day leave: half days should be deducted from the balance as half a day.
- Movable holidays: check separately that holidays whose dates change every year, such as religious holidays, are reflected correctly in leave records.
Annual leave in SkyIntegra
In SkyIntegra, the entitlement is calculated automatically from the hire date (seniority) and the date of birth (age rule): 1–5 years 14 days, 5–15 years 20 days, 15 years or more 26 days; at least 20 days for employees aged 18 or under or 50 or over. Weekends and fixed-date public holidays are excluded from days used, and half-day leave counts as half a day. Leave requests go through manager approval, and approved leave days are marked "on leave" in the timesheet.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. For your own situation, refer to the current text of the legislation and consult a lawyer or a financial adviser.