In this page, we’ll break down all you need to know about leave laws in the Czech Republic.
Read on to learn about employees’ rights in regards to paid time off/annual leave, sick leave, parental leave, national/public holidays, and more.
This page is intended for reference purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please see official government sources or consult a legal professional for actual legal advice.
Full-time employees are entitled to a total of four weeks of paid annual leave, accruing weekly. Employees are also entitled to take one vacation lasting at least two consecutive weeks.
Leave is instructed to be used within the year it is given. However, employees and employers can agree to carry over unused leave into the following year, but in this case it must be used by the end of that year.
Any outstanding PTO must be paid out when an employee leaves their job, and cannot be paid out in other circumstances.
Learn more about Use It or Lose It policies here.
All employees are entitled to paid sick leave. For the first 14 days off work, the employer pays for sick leave. From the 15th day onwards, the employee is paid a sickness benefit from national social insurance.
Prior to 2019, the employer wasn’t required to pay for the first three days of sick leave. However, this was repealed as of July 1 2019, and now employees are paid by their employer for all of the first 14 days of sick leave.
The Czech Republic has 13 bank holidays (aka public holidays).
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year’s Day |
| March/April (variable) | Good Friday |
| March/April (variable) | Easter Monday |
| May 1 | May Day |
| May 8 | Liberation from Fascism |
| July 5 | Cyril and Methodius |
| July 6 | Burning at Stake of Jan Hus |
| September 28 | Czech Statehood Day |
| October 28 | Establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic |
| November 17 | Freedom and Democracy Day |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve |
| December 25 | Christmas Day |
| December 26 | Christmas Day |
Bank holidays do not transfer to another day if they fall on a weekend. Employees are entitled to a paid day off for bank holidays, or if required to work they are entitled to double pay or a compensatory day off.
Employees in the Czech Republic are entitled to 28 weeks of paid maternity leave (increased to 37 weeks for multiple births).
Maternity leave starts from at least six and at most eight weeks before the baby’s due date. The rest must be taken before the child turns one year old.
Maternity benefit is paid by national social insurance.
Fathers are entitled to 14 calendar days of paternity leave, to be taken all at once, within six weeks from the date of birth. Paternity leave, too, is paid by national social insurance.
A father can also take over the mother’s remaining maternity leave entitlement after the child reaches seven weeks of age.
Parents can also take paid parental leave, with the benefit again paid from social insurance, within the first four years of the child’s life.
Parental leave benefits (maternity and paternity) are the same for adoptive parents.
Employees are entitled to two days of paid leave, plus one more paid day off for the funeral (a maximum of three days), if their spouse, partner or child dies, a maximum of two days off for the death of a parent, siblings, grandparents, father in law, mother in law, brother in law, sister in law, son in law or daughter in law, and one day off for the death of another relative, providing they lived in the same household.
What is Bereavement Leave? Click here to learn more.
https://portal.gov.cz/en/informace/the-right-to-leave-INF-14
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