Annual leave entitlement in Singapore: 7 to 14 days explained
Checked against MOM on 15 November 2026
If the Employment Act covers you, you are entitled to at least 7 days of paid annual leave in your first year of service, rising by one day a year to 14 days from your eighth year. Many employers give more, and your contract can never give less.
Who qualifies
You need to have worked for your employer for at least 3 months. After that, you can apply for leave even if you are still on probation.
Days by year of service
| Year of service | Paid annual leave |
|---|---|
| 1st | 7 days |
| 2nd | 8 days |
| 3rd | 9 days |
| 4th | 10 days |
| 5th | 11 days |
| 6th | 12 days |
| 7th | 13 days |
| 8th and after | 14 days |
Your year of service starts on your first day of work. If you joined on 14 March, your second year starts on 14 March the following year, not on 1 January.
Pro-rating before a full year
Until you complete 12 months in a year of service, your leave is worked out from completed months:
completed months ÷ 12 × annual leave days
Part months do not count. MOM’s example: 14 March to 31 July is 4 completed months. With an entitlement of 10 days, that gives 4 ÷ 12 × 10 = 3.33 days.
Rounding
- A fraction below one half is rounded down.
- A fraction of one half or more is rounded up to a full day.
So 3.33 days becomes 3 days, and 3.5 days becomes 4.
Worked example
Mei started on 14 March 2026 in her first job. By 31 July 2026 she has 4 completed months in year 1, where the full entitlement is 7 days: 4 ÷ 12 × 7 = 2.33, rounded to 2 days. Try your own dates in the annual leave calculator.
Making leave go further
Joining leave to public holidays multiplies it. In 2027, two days of leave between Hari Raya Haji and Vesak Day give six days off in a row. The leave planner finds these combinations for any number of days.
Source: MOM, annual leave eligibility and entitlement.
Plan your 2027 leave around the public holidays.