Leave earned after each completed year
A helper earns paid annual leave after each twelve months of continuous service with the same employer. The entitlement increases with service; it is not seven days for every new two-year contract. The Labour Department gives the example of nine days after the fourth service year, during the second two-year contract.
| Completed service year | Paid annual leave days |
|---|---|
| 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 9 |
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 11 |
| 7 | 12 |
| 8 | 13 |
| 9 or more | 14 |
Source: Labour Department: paid annual leave, service years and taking leaveLabour Department: foreign domestic helper annual leave and contract renewal
Keep the original service date
Fictional example: a helper starts continuous service on 1 October 2023 and renews with the same employer on 1 October 2025. The third service year runs from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. After completing it, the reference entitlement is eight days. The renewal date does not turn that into the first service year.
This example assumes uninterrupted service and an employment-anniversary leave year. A common leave year, incomplete service history, a 29 February anniversary or employment ending needs its applicable rules checked separately.
Source: Labour Department: paid annual leave, service years and taking leaveLabour Department: foreign domestic helper annual leave and contract renewal
Entitlement is different from remaining leave
An entitlement table cannot establish how many days remain today. Earlier leave may already have been taken, and an employer may have granted additional days. Start from an explicit unused balance at a stated cutoff, then record later changes without adding the same earned entitlement twice.
In a separate fictional example, five unused days at the end of 1 October already includes all leave credited through that date. With no further credits, three days actually taken leaves two unused days. A separate two-day booking reserves those two days, leaving zero available to book. The booking is still a reservation until taken or cancelled; its date passing alone does not prove leave was taken.
An advance against a future service year is also different from extra leave. Keep the total advanced and the later earned entitlement separately so the advance is not credited twice. If the earlier balance or advance total is unknown, record that uncertainty instead of assuming zero.
Agree the timing and keep the arrangement
Paid annual leave is to be taken within the following twelve months. The employer appoints its timing after consultation, with written notice at least fourteen days ahead unless a shorter period is mutually agreed. A reminder date or an app balance is not evidence that the leave was granted.
Annual leave is normally consecutive. At the employee’s request, an entitlement of ten days or fewer may have up to three days taken separately, with the rest consecutive. For more than ten days, at least seven days should be consecutive. An app should retain unresolved arrangements rather than silently erase unused leave when a date passes.
Source: Labour Department: paid annual leave, service years and taking leave
A rest day inside annual leave still counts
A rest day or statutory holiday within annual leave counts as an annual-leave day, and another rest day or holiday must be appointed. Keep both the annual-leave dates and the separate replacement arrangement. A planned replacement or an extra payment does not establish that the required day off occurred.
Source: Labour Department: paid annual leave, service years and taking leaveLabour Department: foreign domestic helper annual leave and contract renewal
Days and pay need separate records
The number of leave days does not establish the daily payment rate. Annual leave pay uses the applicable average-wage rules and its specified date; it should not be guessed by dividing the current monthly salary by thirty. Check what ordinary salary already covers before adding a payment.
Keep the original service date, the service year being credited, a dated unused opening balance and subsequent taken/booked days. Notes can help explain an exception, but lengthy text or uploads should not be needed for ordinary record keeping. Termination payments and payment in lieu have separate conditions.
Source: Labour Department: paid annual leave, service years and taking leave
Good questions deserve clear answers.
Does renewing the contract reset the helper to seven days?
No. Count continuous service with the same employer. The fourth completed service year carries nine days even during the second two-year contract.
Is booked leave already used?
A booking reserves days. Record whether it was actually taken or cancelled; a passed booking date does not establish taking.
Can I calculate remaining leave from service years alone?
No. You also need the unused balance or earlier credits and use. An unknown history should remain visibly incomplete.
Sources & review dates
Official sources were checked on the dates below. Later changes and individual cases may require a fresh review.
- Labour Department: paid annual leave, service years and taking leaveChecked 8 October 2026
- Labour Department: foreign domestic helper annual leave and contract renewalChecked 8 October 2026