France paid leave (congés payés) calculator
How many days of leave you have earned in France and what a day of leave is worth, with the rules of the reference period.
Paid leave earned
30 working days
that is 5 weeks of leave
- 25 business days
- One-tenth pay €2,400
- €80.00 per day
With 12 months of actual work, you have earned 30 working days of paid leave. In business days, the base is 25 business days.
With €24,000.00 gross over the reference period, the one-tenth rule gives €2,400.00 for all 30 days, that is €80.00 per working day. For 12 days of leave: €960.00. The employer compares it with salary maintenance and pays the more favourable amount.
I’m not an accountant or a financial advisor. This is an estimate, for information only. Check with a professional before you decide.
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| Months of actual work | 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| × | Working days per month | 2.5 |
| = | Days before rounding | 30 |
| = | Days earned, rounded upa fraction of a day counts as a whole day | 30 |
| = | Total in working days | 30 |
| Base in business days25 business days equal 30 working days; extra days excluded | 25 | |
| Gross pay of the period | €24,000.00 | |
| ÷ | One tenth | 10 |
| = | Pay for all the leaveone-tenth rule | €2,400.00 |
| ÷ | Days earned | 30 |
| = | Value of one working day | €80.00 |
| × | Days taken | 12 |
| = | Pay for the days taken | €960.00 |
How it works
- The reference period runs from 1 June to 31 May, unless the collective agreement or a company agreement sets another. Each month of actual work gives 2.5 working days (jours ouvrables); four weeks equal a month, and some absences count as actual work: paid leave, maternity, paternity, work accident.
- A month of ordinary sick leave gives 2 working days instead of 2.5, up to 24 days per period. The total does not exceed 30 working days, that is 5 weeks, and a fraction of a day is rounded up to the whole day.
- Dependent children add 2 days each (1 if you are under 21 and have earned at most 6 days). From age 21 the total cannot exceed 30 working days.
- The employer may count in business days (jours ouvrés): 25 a year instead of 30 working days, that is 2.08 a month, always rounded up to the day.
- Holiday pay is the more favourable of two methods: one tenth of the gross pay of the reference period, or salary maintenance. The calculator applies the one-tenth: the total pay is the gross divided by 10, and the value of a day is that pay divided by the days earned.
Worked example
An employee aged 21 or over, with no children, with 12 months of actual work: 12 × 2.5 = 30 working days, that is 5 weeks or 25 business days. With €24,000 gross over the period, the one-tenth gives €2,400 for the 30 days, so €80 per working day, thus €960 for 2 weeks of leave (12 working days): that is the Service Public example. With only 5 months of work: 5 × 2.5 = 12.5, rounded up to 13 working days. With 1 dependent child under 15 it would be 15.
Sources
- Service Public: paid leave of a private-sector employee: days earned, reference period, days for children (in French)
- Service Public: how is an employee’s holiday pay calculated? (in French)
- Service Public: is an employee’s absence taken into account for paid leave? (in French)
- Service Public: can an employee earn paid leave during sick leave? (in French)
Text checked on October 5, 2026
Good to know
- The result is an estimate for a full-time or part-time private-sector employee, with the legal rules. Your collective agreement, your contract or a company custom may provide more: leave for seniority or age, splitting days, RTT days. What counts is the count on your payslip.
- The pay calculated here follows the one-tenth rule. The employer must also calculate the salary maintenance you would have received by working, and pay the higher of the two: if your salary rose during the period, maintenance is often higher.
- Year-end bonuses, profit-sharing, participation and expense reimbursements do not enter the reference pay; overtime, commissions, benefits in kind and the previous year’s holiday pay do (Service Public).
- Leave is taken in the period from 1 May to 31 October, over a period set by the agreement or the employer; you cannot take more than 24 working days in a row, except in special cases (Service Public).
- Some companies, such as those in construction or entertainment, depend on a paid-leave fund, with a reference period from 1 April to 31 March. This calculator does not cover them.
- Nothing here is legal advice: in case of disagreement about your days of leave, see the payroll department, the staff representatives or the labor inspectorate.
Frequently asked questions
How many days of paid leave per month?
Each month of actual work gives 2.5 working days, so 30 working days (5 weeks) for a full year. In business days it is 25 days a year, about 2.08 a month (Service Public).
What is the difference between working days and business days?
Working days (jours ouvrables) are all days of the week except the weekly rest day, usually Sunday, and public holidays that are not worked: 6 a week. Business days (jours ouvrés) are the days actually worked in the company, usually Monday to Friday: 5 a week. A week of leave is therefore 6 working days or 5 business days.
How are days of leave rounded?
Up to the whole day: an employee who has worked 5 months earns 2.5 × 5 = 12.5, rounded up to 13 working days (Service Public example).
Do you earn paid leave during sick leave?
Yes. Since 24 April 2024, sick leave for illness or a non-occupational accident gives 2 working days a month, 24 a year at most. For a work accident or an occupational disease, the period counts as actual work, at 2.5 days a month.
How is holiday pay calculated?
The employer compares two methods and pays the more favourable: one tenth of the gross pay of the reference period, or salary maintenance. Service Public example: €24,000 gross gives €2,400 for 30 working days, so €960 for 2 weeks of leave (12 days).
How many extra days of leave for a child?
2 working days per dependent child, or 1 if you are under 21 and have earned at most 6 days. From age 21 the total cannot exceed 30 working days. A child is dependent if they live with you and are under 15 on 30 April of the current year, or if they are disabled, whatever their age.
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