A practical guide to statutory leave and time-off rights in the Republic of Ireland — annual leave, public holidays, sick pay, family leave and more. Every figure below comes from official sources: Citizens Information (the State's statutory information service), gov.ie, the Workplace Relations Commission and the Department of Social Protection. Several leaves are unpaid by the employer but covered by a social-welfare benefit. Weekly benefit rates reflect Budget 2026.
At a Glance
| Leave type | Duration | Paid? | Rate / who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual leave | 4 working weeks/year | Yes | Normal pay (employer) |
| Public holidays | 10 days/year | Yes | Paid day off or equivalent (employer) |
| Statutory Sick Pay | 5 days/year | Yes | 70% of pay, max €110/day (employer) |
| Maternity leave | 26 weeks (+16 unpaid) | 26 weeks via benefit | Maternity Benefit €299/week (DSP) |
| Paternity leave | 2 weeks | Via benefit | Paternity Benefit €299/week (DSP) |
| Parent's leave | 9 weeks per parent | Via benefit | Parent's Benefit €299/week (DSP) |
| Parental leave | 26 weeks per child | No | Unpaid |
| Adoptive leave | 24 weeks (+16 unpaid) | 24 weeks via benefit | Adoptive Benefit €299/week (DSP) |
| Carer's leave | Up to 104 weeks | No (by employer) | Unpaid; Carer's Benefit/Allowance may apply (DSP) |
| Force majeure leave | 3 days/12 months (5 days/36 months) | Yes | Normal pay (employer) |
| Domestic violence leave | 5 days/year | Yes | 100% normal pay (employer) |
| Medical care leave | 5 days/year | No | Unpaid |
| Jury service | As required | Yes | Normal pay (employer) |
Annual Leave
Most employees are entitled to 4 working weeks of paid annual leave each leave year under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. A "working week" is the number of days you normally work, so the entitlement in days depends on your pattern. The statutory leave year runs 1 April to 31 March, though many employers administer leave on a calendar-year basis.
How Entitlement Is Calculated
Use whichever of these three methods gives the greatest entitlement:
- 1,365 hours rule: if you worked at least 1,365 hours in the leave year, you get the full 4 weeks.
- Monthly rule: one-third of a working week for each calendar month in which you worked at least 117 hours.
- 8% rule: 8% of the hours you worked in the leave year, capped at 4 working weeks — the usual method for part-time workers.
Pay and Accrual
- Holiday pay is paid by the employer at your normal weekly rate, in advance; variable pay uses the average of the 13 weeks before the leave.
- Annual leave continues to accrue during certified sick leave, maternity, paternity, adoptive, parental and force-majeure leave, and the first 13 weeks of carer's leave.
Public Holidays 2026
Ireland has 10 public holidays a year. St Brigid's Day (added in 2023) falls on the first Monday in February, unless 1 February is a Friday — in which case the Friday is the holiday. In 2026, 1 February is a Sunday, so the holiday is Monday 2 February.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Thursday | New Year's Day |
| 2 February | Monday | St Brigid's Day |
| 17 March | Tuesday | St Patrick's Day |
| 6 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 4 May | Monday | May Day (first Monday in May) |
| 1 June | Monday | June holiday (first Monday in June) |
| 3 August | Monday | August holiday (first Monday in August) |
| 26 October | Monday | October holiday (last Monday in October) |
| 25 December | Friday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Saturday | St Stephen's Day |
Good Friday is not a public holiday in Ireland (many businesses close but there is no statutory entitlement).
Your Public-Holiday Entitlement
For each public holiday, a qualifying employee is entitled to one of the following (the employer decides which):
- a paid day off on the public holiday;
- an additional day of annual leave;
- an additional day's pay; or
- a paid day off within a month of the public holiday.
Part-time employees qualify once they have worked at least 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks.
Working Time and Rest Breaks
Maximum Working Week
- Average working time must not exceed 48 hours a week, averaged over a reference period — normally 4 months (longer for certain sectors). A single week may exceed 48 hours; it is the average that counts.
Rest Periods
- Daily rest: 11 consecutive hours in each 24-hour period.
- Weekly rest: 24 consecutive hours in each 7 days (or two 24-hour rests in a fortnight), normally including a Sunday.
- Rest breaks: a 15-minute break after 4½ hours worked, and a 30-minute break after 6 hours (which may include the first 15 minutes). Breaks are not counted as working time and need not be paid unless the contract says so.
Breastfeeding Breaks
Employees who are breastfeeding are entitled to 60 minutes' paid time off (or a one-hour reduction in working hours) per day, now available for the first 104 weeks (2 years) of the child's life.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Under the Sick Leave Act 2022, employees are entitled to employer-paid sick leave:
- 5 paid sick days per calendar year in 2026. (The scheme began at 3 days in 2023 and rose to 5 from 2024; the planned increase to 7 days was deferred, so it remains 5.)
- Rate: 70% of normal pay, capped at €110 a day.
- Eligibility: at least 13 weeks' continuous service; the sick day must be certified by a GP.
After Statutory Sick Pay is used up, employees may qualify for Illness Benefit from the Department of Social Protection if they have sufficient PRSI contributions.
Maternity Leave
- 26 weeks' statutory maternity leave, plus up to 16 weeks' additional (unpaid) maternity leave.
- At least 2 weeks must be taken before the due date and at least 4 weeks after the birth. No minimum service is required for the leave.
- Pay: the employer is not obliged to pay. Maternity Benefit covers the 26 basic weeks (not the additional 16) if PRSI conditions are met — €299 a week in 2026.
- Governed by the Maternity Protection Acts 1994 and 2004.
Paternity Leave
- 2 weeks' leave, taken as a single block at any time in the first 6 months after the birth or adoptive placement.
- Available to the "relevant parent" — including the mother's spouse, civil partner or cohabitant — and to same-sex couples.
- Pay: employer not obliged. Paternity Benefit is €299 a week in 2026.
- Governed by the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016.
Parent's Leave
- 9 weeks per parent (increased from 7 weeks on 1 August 2024), non-transferable between parents.
- Must be used within the child's first 2 years (or 2 years of an adoptive placement). Can be taken as one 9-week block or in separate weeks.
- Pay: employer not obliged. Parent's Benefit is €299 a week in 2026.
- Governed by the Parent's Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (as amended).
Parental Leave (Unpaid)
- 26 weeks per child, unpaid, to take care of a child.
- Available until the child turns 12 (or 16 if the child has a disability or long-term illness).
- Usually requires 1 year's service; can be taken as one block, two blocks of at least 6 weeks, or in smaller units if the employer agrees. Up to 14 weeks can be transferred between parents working for the same employer.
- Pay: unpaid — there is no social-welfare benefit for parental leave.
- Governed by the Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2019.
Adoptive Leave
- 24 weeks from the date of placement, plus up to 16 weeks' additional (unpaid) leave. One parent of a couple takes adoptive leave; the other may take paternity leave.
- Pay: employer not obliged. Adoptive Benefit covers the 24 weeks if PRSI conditions are met — €299 a week in 2026.
- Governed by the Adoptive Leave Acts 1995 and 2005.
Carer's Leave
- Unpaid leave to care for someone needing full-time care: a minimum of 13 weeks up to a maximum of 104 weeks (2 years) per care recipient.
- Requires 12 months' continuous service; the person being cared for must be certified by the Department of Social Protection as needing full-time care.
- Pay: unpaid by the employer, but you may qualify separately for Carer's Benefit (PRSI-based) or the means-tested Carer's Allowance. You can take the leave even if you don't qualify for either payment.
- Governed by the Carer's Leave Act 2001.
Force Majeure Leave
- Paid leave for an urgent family crisis — a sudden injury or illness of a close family member where your immediate presence is indispensable.
- Up to 3 days in any 12 consecutive months, or 5 days in any 36 consecutive months.
- Paid by the employer. Note it does not apply to the death of a relative (see Other Statutory Leave).
- Governed by the Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2019.
Domestic Violence Leave
- 5 days' paid leave in any 12-month period for an employee experiencing (or supporting a relevant person experiencing) domestic violence. In force since 27 November 2023.
- No minimum service is required, and no notice is needed in an emergency. Part-time staff get a pro-rata entitlement; part of a day counts as a full day.
- Pay: the employer pays 100% of normal daily pay (set by S.I. No. 574/2023) — there is no €110 daily cap (that cap applies only to Statutory Sick Pay).
- Introduced by the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023.
Leave for Medical Care Purposes
- 5 days' unpaid leave in any 12 consecutive months to provide care or support to a person who needs serious medical care.
- Covers a child, spouse or partner, parent or grandparent, sibling, or a person sharing the household. No minimum service; no notice needed in emergencies.
- Pay: unpaid — no social-welfare benefit applies.
- Introduced by the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023.
Other Statutory Leave
- Jury service: if summoned, you must generally attend, and your employer continues to pay you as normal for the time off; it does not reduce your annual leave or other rights (Juries Act 1976).
- Compassionate / bereavement leave: there is no statutory minimum — it depends on your contract, workplace custom and employer discretion.
- Career break or study leave: no automatic statutory right; available by agreement with the employer.
Social-Welfare Benefit Rates (2026)
| Payment | Weekly rate (2026) |
|---|---|
| Maternity Benefit | €299 |
| Paternity Benefit | €299 |
| Parent's Benefit | €299 |
| Adoptive Benefit | €299 |
| Statutory Sick Pay | 70% of pay, capped at €110/day (employer-paid) |
The four family benefits each rose from €289 to €299 a week under Budget 2026 (from January 2026).
Recent and Upcoming Changes to Watch
- Statutory Sick Pay held at 5 days: the increase to 7 days was deferred by Government decision in April 2025, so the entitlement stays at 5 days for 2025 and 2026.
- Budget 2026 benefit rise: Maternity, Paternity, Parent's and Adoptive Benefit each increased by €10 to €299 a week from January 2026.
- Parent's leave at 9 weeks: the extension from 7 to 9 weeks per parent took effect on 1 August 2024 and remains in force.
- Breastfeeding breaks are now available for the first 104 weeks (2 years) of the child's life, extended from 26 weeks.
Sources
All facts are taken from official Irish State sources:
- Citizens Information — Annual leave
- Citizens Information — Public holidays
- Citizens Information — Working week and Rest periods and breaks
- Citizens Information — Sick leave and sick pay and gov.ie — Sick leave to remain at 5 days
- Citizens Information — Maternity leave
- Citizens Information — Paternity leave
- Citizens Information — Parent's leave
- Citizens Information — Parental leave
- Citizens Information — Adoptive leave
- Citizens Information — Carer's leave
- Citizens Information — Force majeure, jury and other leave
- Citizens Information — Domestic violence leave
- Citizens Information — Social welfare rates in Budget 2026
This guide is for general information only and is not legal advice. Irish employment law and social-welfare rates change regularly, and many entitlements depend on individual circumstances. Always confirm current rules with Citizens Information, gov.ie or a qualified adviser before relying on any single entitlement.
