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Leave policy in the Czech Republic

Learn about statutory leave in the Czech Republic, including vacation days, sick leave, parental leave, and public holidays. Everything employers need to know.

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Payoneer Team

Leave policy in the Czech Republic is governed by the Czech Labor Code, which sets statutory minimums that every employer must honor. If you hire in the Czech Republic, employees are entitled to at least 20 working days of paid annual leave, 13 paid public holidays, sick pay covering up to 380 calendar days, and 28 weeks of maternity leave.

Most benefits are state-funded through the Czech Social Security Administration (ČSSZ). You still administer contracts, track balances, and pay a part of sick wage compensation yourself.

This guide walks through each leave entitlement in the Czech Republic you’re responsible for. Also, explore how Payoneer Workforce Management helps handle compliant leave administration for an international team.

Vacation & annual leave in the Czech Republic

Employees are entitled to a minimum of 20 working days of paid annual leave per calendar year in the Czech Republic. 

Annual leave should be taken in the year it accrues. If business reasons or the employee’s circumstances prevent that, the unused balance carries into the next year, and this is where the rule tightens. You must schedule any rollover days by June 30 of the following year. 

Alternatively, if you miss that deadline, the employee gains the right to set the dates themselves with at least 14 days’ notice. 

Public holidays in the Czech Republic

You must give all employees a paid day off for 13 public holidays each year. 

If you ask employees to work on a public holiday in the Czech Republic, you typically have to pay them regular wages for the hours worked plus either an additional supplement of at least 100% of average earnings or compensatory time off equal to the hours worked. 

Here’s the list of holidays in the holiday calendar for the Czech Republic:

  1. New Year’s Day
  2. Good Friday
  3. Easter Monday
  4. Labor Day
  5. Day of Victory
  6. The Day of the Slavic Heralds of Cyril and Methodius
  7. The Day of the Burning of Master Jan Hus
  8. Czech Statehood Day
  9. The Day of the establishment of the Czechoslovak State
  10. Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy
  11. Christmas Eve
  12. 1st and 2nd Day of Christmas 

Sick leave in the Czech Republic

Czech sick leave is generous, with employees entitled to up to 380 calendar days. 

The split is the part most employers underestimate when they budget for sick leave in the Czech Republic. Here’s how the payment structure breaks down:

  • For the first 14 days, the employer pays 60% of the employee’s average earnings.
  • From day 15 to 30, the Czech Social Security Administration takes over and pays 60% of the assessment base.
  • From day 31 to 60, the benefit increases to 66%.
  • From day 61 onward, the benefit further increases to 72%. 

Maternity leave in the Czech Republic

Eligible employees are entitled to receive 28 weeks of paid maternity leave in the Czech Republic for a single birth. Interestingly, Czech maternity leave is longer than Germany’s 14 weeks and Poland’s 20 weeks.

In case of multiple births, you must extend it to 37 weeks. Moreover, maternity leave can begin six to eight weeks before the expected due date.

Paternity leave in the Czech Republic

Eligible employees are entitled to 14 calendar days of paid paternity leave in the Czech Republic. You must grant it within six weeks of the child’s birth. Once started, the leave runs continuously without breaks.

Other types of leave in the Czech Republic

Several other statutory leaves in the Czech Republic sit alongside the main categories. Most are short, but each one needs to be tracked and approved:

Parental leave

Either parent can take parental leave to care for a child until the child turns three years old. With your consent, parental leave can extend to age four, but the additional period is unpaid.

The state pays a parental allowance up to a fixed ceiling, which the parent can draw down at a flexible monthly rate. Job protection runs for the full statutory period.

Bereavement leave

Your leave policy in the Czech Republic can extend as follows: 

RelationshipPaid leaveAdditional paid day
Spouse, registered partner, or childTwo daysOne day to attend the funeral
Parent, grandparent, sibling, or grandchildOne dayOne day, if the employee arranges the funeral

Romania and other regional jurisdictions vary on bereavement scope; see the Romania leave policy for comparison.

Wedding leave

The leave laws in the Czech Republic also prescribe the following leave types: 

WeddingDays offPaid status
Employee’s ownTwo daysOne day paid (ceremony day) and one day unpaid
Their child’sOne dayPaid
Their parent’sOne dayUnpaid

To estimate the total cost of hiring in the Czech Republic, including statutory entitlements, try the employee cost calculator. 

Explore Payoneer Workforce Management in the Czech Republic

Tracking public holidays, sick leave windows, carryover deadlines, and mandatory benefits filings across countries can be overwhelming for in-house HR teams. Moreover, the flexi-amendment to the labor code added new employer obligations to the leave policy in the Czech Republic. 

Get it wrong, and the cost may show up as back-pay claims, penalties, or lost employees. 

Payoneer Workforce Management operates in the Czech Republic as a temporary work agency, supporting employment contracts, payroll, leave administration, and statutory benefits.

Our unified platform helps engage full-time employees and independent contractors compliantly in 160+ countries. You can streamline employment agreements, payments, and compliance.

Book a demo today.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

As an employer, you owe a minimum of 20 working days of paid annual leave per year, plus 13 paid public holidays. Companies may offer additional days to stay competitive; this must be mentioned in the employment agreement.

You, the employer, pay sick wage compensation for the first 14 calendar days at 60% of reduced average earnings. From day 15 onward, the Czech social security administration (ČSSZ) pays sickness benefits directly to the employee, normally up to 380 days, with possible extensions in justified cases.

Czech law typically fixes public holidays to their calendar dates. If a holiday lands on a weekend, you may not owe a substitute working day off. Employees lose the observed holiday in the year it falls on Saturday or Sunday. This may be subject to local rule, so one must refer to government guidelines or seek expert support before drafting leave policies.

Czech law does not require a 13th-month salary or annual bonus. Any bonus depends on the employment contract or your company policy. Some employers offer one to stay competitive, but the obligation is purely contractual, not statutory.

Payoneer Workforce Management offers a unified platform that helps you manage annual leave tracking, sick pay calculations, and ČSSZ filings under our Czech temporary work agency. Our platform also helps handle onboarding, payroll, taxes, leave administration, and more across 160+ countries from a single dashboard.

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  • Expand internationally in 160+ countries
  • Run global payroll securely in a few clicks
  • Stay compliant with local employment laws
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