Is the absence of the employee taken into account for the calculation of his paid leave?
Verified 20 February 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
Yes, certain periods of absence still allow the employee to acquire paid leave if these absences are considered as actual working time. Therefore, those periods of absence are taken into account in the calculation of the number of days of paid leave.
Conversely, if periods of absence are not considered to be actual working time, the number of days of earned leave may be reduced by the number of days of absence.
Periods assimilated | Non-assimilated periods |
|---|---|
| Except treaty provisions more favorable, the periods not taken into account include: |
The employee is entitled to a leave of absence of 2.5 days workable per month of actual work (i.e 30 days annual leave workables)
Warning
In case of work stoppage due to illness unprofessional, the employee shall be entitled to paid leave, up to 2 days workable per month (or 24 working days per year).
The employee can benefit, according to his personal situation, from additional days of paid leave.
Any period equivalent to 4 weeks or 24 days is equivalent to one month of actual work.
In order to acquire all the annual leave days, it is not necessary to justify a full year of work.
The employee must, however, justify 48 weeks actual work (including equivalent absences) during the period referred to as reference to benefit from the 30 working days.
If the employee is absent during the reference period, his paid leave shall be counted as follows and in accordance with the rule applicable to him most favorable :
- Either in monthly statement : 2.5 working days per month of actual work
- Either in weekly count : 2.5 working days every 4 weeks of actual work
- Either in daily count :
- 2.5 working days for a period of 24 days of actual work
- or 20 working days if working hours are spread over 5 days per week
- or 22 working days if working hours are spread over 5.5 days per week
- or 24 days if the working hours are spread over 6 days per week
The employer must then calculate the leave with pay statement according to the period that is most favorable to the employee, either monthly, weekly or daily.
Where the number of working days earned is not an integer, the duration of the leave shall be increased to the next higher integer.
Example :
An employee earned 26.5 days of paid leave. His days off are rounded to 27 days.
Please note
The period of absence not equivalent to actual working time may not lead to a reduction in leave entitlements greater than the duration of the period of absence.
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Administrative information by telephone - Allô Service Public
For more information on this subject, you can contact Allô Service Public.
Please note: the service does not have access to users' personal files and therefore cannot provide information on their progress.
He does not respond questions concerning unemployment compensation and the approach to the France Labor (formerly Job center), public servants or contract workers of the fCivil Service, the amount or payment of contributions social, wage or employer.
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The informants who answer you belong to the ministry responsible for labor.
Periods of work treated as actual working time
Number of days of leave acquired during a work stoppage related to an accident or illness not of an occupational nature
Leave for economic, social and trade union training
Personal Training Account
Competence assessment