GuidesSwitzerlandUpdated 6 October 2026
Calculating holiday pro rata, with a calculator.
How many days for someone who starts mid-year, works part-time or is paid by the hour? The Swiss rules, month by month and person by person, with a calculator.
In three lines
- 1.In Switzerland, every employee is entitled to at least four weeks of holiday a year, and five up to the age of 20.
- 2.The entitlement builds up over time: one twelfth of the annual entitlement per month worked.
- 3.It is calculated for each person, according to their weeks of holiday and their working days.
The calculator
25 days
Annual entitlement: 25 days, i.e. 2.08 per month worked.
Full year: 5 weeks × 5 days = 25 days.
Irregular hourly pay: a supplement of 10.64% on every wage.
The rules, one by one
The legal minimum
At least four weeks per year of service, and five up to the age of 20 (art. 329a para. 1 CO). Your contract or collective agreement can provide more: the CCNT for hotels and restaurants provides five.
Month by month
The annual entitlement divided by 12 gives what is earned each month. Four weeks counted in working days make 20 days, or 1.67 days a month; five weeks make 25 days, or 2.08 days a month. Counted in calendar days, as the CCNT does, five weeks make 35 days, or 2.92 days a month.
An incomplete year
The entitlement is calculated pro rata to the time worked in the year (art. 329a para. 3 CO): annual entitlement × months worked ÷ 12. Example: 25 days a year and a start on 1 September: 25 × 4 ÷ 12 = 8.33 days. The law speaks of the “year of service”; many companies count by calendar year, which is simpler to track.
Part-time work
The weeks stay the same: a part-time employee is also entitled to at least four weeks. In days, it depends on their working days: at four days a week, four weeks make 16 days.
Irregular hourly pay
For an employee paid by the hour with irregular hours, holiday can be paid as a supplement on every wage: 8.33% for four weeks, 10.64% for five, 13.04% for six. The CCNT sets 10.65% for its five weeks. The supplement must appear separately in the contract and on every payslip.
Public holidays
A public holiday is not annual leave: if one falls during someone’s holiday, it is not counted as a day of leave.
In Novteam
You set the company’s annual entitlement, then each person’s if needed. You choose how it builds up: the whole year’s entitlement from the start date, or month by month (with 35 days a year, 2.92 days a month). The calculation starts from the start date, each month started counts, and the balance is rounded up to the next half day, in the employee’s favour. Public holidays are counted separately.
Leave & absencesQuestions
Can holiday be paid instead of taken?
In principle no, while the contract lasts (art. 329d para. 2 CO), except for the supplement on irregular hourly pay. When the contract ends, days that can no longer be taken are paid.
Who sets the holiday dates?
The employer, taking the employee’s wishes into account. At least two weeks must be consecutive (art. 329c CO).
What about illness during the holiday?
Days of illness that prevent the employee from resting, backed by a medical certificate, do not count as holiday.
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