Glossary

Annual Leave

Annual leave is the paid holiday an employee is entitled to each year for rest and vacation. In most countries a statutory minimum applies - for example, the EU Working Time Directive guarantees at least four weeks.

How it works

  • Entitlement is usually set per year and often scales with tenure or contract type.
  • It is one part of broader paid time off, distinct from sick leave.
  • Part-time entitlements are typically pro-rated, often expressed in full-time-equivalent terms.
  • Unused days may carry over or expire, depending on the policy and local law.

Annual leave sits on top of public holidays, which are separate non-working days for everyone.

Why it matters

Accurate leave records protect the entitlement, keep balances correct at year end, and let managers plan around who is away. They also support the working-time records many jurisdictions expect.

How Sandtime.io fits

Sandtime.io keeps worked hours and approved leave in one reviewable record, so annual-leave balances stay in sync with the hours behind reports and payroll. See the statutory minimums per country in the working time rules.

Annual leave is a form of paid time off, is separate from public holidays, and its balance depends on PTO accrual and carryover.

Related Terms

Explore other time tracking and workforce management definitions.

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Paid leave an employee can take while still being paid, such as vacation, personal days, and often sick days, usually pooled into one bank of days.

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Public Holiday

Official days off recognized by a country's government. Most employees are entitled to paid leave.

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PTO Carryover

Unused paid time off that rolls from one period into the next instead of being lost, usually with a cap and a deadline to use it.

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Working-Time Records in Poland

Working-time records are the ongoing logs of hours worked by each employee, distinct from the registration system or process that produces them.

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