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Holidays and Annual Leave - How Many Days are Employees Entitled to in Portugal?

Information on the obligations of the employer and the employee when it comes to Paid Time Off.

As established in the Labour Code,  workers are entitled, in each calendar year, to a period of paid vacation, which cannot be waived and cannot be replaced by another form of compensation.

How many days worth of Holiday can I take in 2025? 

The number of days depends, partially, on when you joined the company: 


  • Employees in Portugal who have worked for a company for a full year can take 22 working days of leave per calendar year. 
  • In the year of admission, the worker is entitled to 2 working days of vacation for each month of the duration of the contract, up to 20 days, which can be enjoyed after six full months of contract performance.

 

Article 238.º(C.T.) of the Labour Code, states that employees in Portugal who have worked for a company for a full year can take 22 working days of leave per calendar year.  For holiday purposes, working days are deemed to be the days of the week from Monday to Friday, public holidays excluded. Every calendar year, employees are entitled to a period of paid vacation, which is acquired every January 1st (referred to as the preceding calendar year) as stated in Article 237º (C.T.) of the Labor Code.

The Labour system in Portugal states that all new employees accrue 2 business days of vacation per each month of the labour contract’s duration, with 20 days limit, to be enjoyed after 6 months of work. If the calendar year ends before that 6 months period, vacation may be taken until June 30. The same rules apply in case of an impediment that started in the previous year. 

Holiday pay corresponds to what the worker would receive if he or she were actually at work.  In addition to this remuneration, the worker is entitled to holiday pay, comprising basic pay and other elements of pay. 

Furthermore, Article 241.º (C.T.) of the Labour Code clearly states that regardless of the agreement between the employee and the employer, employees are entitled to, at least, take 10 consecutive working days of leave.

Bear in mind that meal allowance is not deducted when employees take holidays therefore it is paid for 11 months deducting it all in one month.

Can I take time off in the same year I joined a company? 

Yes, with some limitations. 

As explained above, in the year of admission, the worker is entitled to two working days of vacation for each month of the contract, up to 20 days, which can be enjoyed after six full months from the stipulation of the employment contract.

Can I use/roll over unspent holidays?

Yes - until April 30th of the following year. 

Article 240.º of the Labour Code states that holidays may be taken until April 30th of the following year, in addition to or without holidays expired at the beginning of the holiday, by agreement between an employer and an employee or whenever the latter intends to enjoy them with a family member residing abroad. The enjoyment of half of the holiday period due in the previous year may be cumulated with the one due in the year in question, by agreement between employer and employee.