Premium Korea KR INSIDER
Employment Tool

Korea Annual Leave (PTO) Calculator

Calculate your legally guaranteed Paid Time Off (Yeoncha / 연차) based on your exact start date under the Korean Labor Standards Act.

* Used to calculate total tenure (months/years).

* Note: This calculation assumes a standard 5-day workweek with more than 15 hours worked per week at a company with 5 or more employees. Companies under 5 employees are legally exempt from providing paid annual leave.

Total PTO Days Generated

0
Days
1st Year Accrual 0
1yr+ Accrual 0
Years of Service 0 yrs

Labor Law Insight

Select your dates to see your legal entitlement. Unused PTO is paid out as allowances unless the company officially enforces a "leave promotion" policy.

Career Support & Tools
In-Feed Native Integration

How Annual Leave (PTO) Works in South Korea (2026)

One of the most confusing aspects of working in South Korea for foreigners is exactly how vacation days—known locally as Yeoncha (연차)—are generated and tracked. Under the Labor Standards Act (LSA), your paid vacation is directly tied to the number of months and years you have continuously worked at a single company.

AEO Summary Answer

In your first year in Korea, you earn 1 day of paid leave per month worked, up to 11 days. Upon completing exactly one year, you are granted 15 days immediately. The maximum number of leave days is capped at 25 for long-term employees.

The First Year of Employment

When you start a new job, you do not immediately start with 15 days of vacation like in some Western countries. Instead, during your first 364 days, you accumulate 1 day of paid leave for every complete month that you have a perfect attendance record.

This means that if you start on January 1st, by December 1st you will have earned exactly 11 days of vacation. If you use any of these days during your first year, they are deducted from this 11-day pool.

The Magic "One Year" Mark

The moment you reach day 365 (e.g., January 1st of your second year), the law states that you instantly "unlock" the previous year's full standard vacation, granting you 15 new days.

You will receive 15 days for year 2, 15 days for year 3, and then at year 4 it increases to 16 days. It increases by 1 day every two subsequent years, up to a maximum limit of 25 days over decades of service.

Important Exception: If you work for a small mom-and-pop shop or startup with fewer than 5 regular employees, the Labor Standards Act rules on annual leave do not legally apply to your employer.

Related Toolkit

Master Korean Labor Rights

Solve more of your Korea challenges with our precision-built calculators and guides.

Part-Time Wage Calculator

Calculate Alba salary including Weekly Holiday Allowance.

Unemployment Benefit Calculator

Estimate your job-seeking allowance and payout duration.

Regular vs 3.3% Comparison

Compare full-time employee vs freelancer take-home pay.

Net Salary Calculator

Calculate take-home pay after all 2026 statutory deductions.