Leave in Uzbekistan: types, duration and pay

An employee is entitled to paid annual leave of at least 21 calendar days (art. 217 LC). The right also applies in secondary employment (art. 216 LC), and vacation pay must be paid by the last working day (art. 233 LC) before leave. The main rules, special time limits and changes in 2025–2026 are set out below with links to the current legislation.

In brief:

• Minimum annual leave is 21 calendar days (art. 217 LC).
• The first leave can usually be taken after 6 months of work (art. 227 LC), but it may be arranged earlier for certain employees or by agreement between the parties.
• An employee must receive 15 days’ notice (art. 228 LC) of scheduled leave, and vacation pay is due before leave begins (art. 233 LC).
• If leave is split, one part must be at least 14 days (art. 231 LC).
• Annual leave does not replace weekly rest days: it gives the employee a separate paid rest period while retaining the position (art. 215 LC).

Updated: 03 September 2026

What types of leave are available to employees

The Labor Code (LC) provides four types of leave (art. 213 LC): annual labor leave, social leave, partially paid leave and unpaid leave. Annual leave is intended for rest and recovery, is granted for a working year and preserves average pay. All employees (art. 216 LC), including those in secondary employment, are entitled to it.

The employer must grant statutory leave and comply with its minimum duration and procedure. A collective agreement, collective bargaining agreement, local instrument or employment contract may provide additional entitlements (art. 214 LC), but may not reduce the statutory minimum.

During any leave provided by the Code, the employee retains the position (art. 215 LC). Dismissal at the employer’s initiative is prohibited during that period except when the employer is liquidated; the prohibition does not cover grounds unrelated to the employer’s initiative. These rights apply in full during probation (art. 131 LC).

How many days annual leave lasts

The general minimum is 21 calendar days. Basic leave may be minimum or extended, and additional days are added to it. Grounds for additional leave (art. 219 LC) include unfavorable working conditions, unfavorable natural and climatic conditions, long service, or another ground established by legislation or contractual instruments.

For every 5 years of service (art. 220 LC) in one organization or sector, 2 calendar days are added, generally up to a total of 8 days. Special sector rules may grant more, and service with another employer counts if the employee was hired by invitation or an applicable instrument provides for it.

Statutory basic and additional leave is added together, but its total duration generally cannot exceed 56 calendar days (art. 222 LC). This ceiling does not apply to additional leave granted beyond statutory entitlements by a collective agreement, collective bargaining agreement, agreed local instrument or employment contract.

Example. With 21 days of basic leave and 4 additional days for long service, an employee receives 25 calendar days. If a collective bargaining agreement grants another leave entitlement beyond the statutory rights, it is assessed separately: the ceiling in the Code applies specifically to leave established by legislation.

How calendar days of leave are counted

Annual leave is measured in calendar days, so ordinary Saturdays and Sundays count toward its duration. The exception is non-working public holidays (art. 221 LC): if such a holiday falls during leave, it does not reduce the employee’s leave balance and the end date moves forward.

The non-working public holidays are New Year’s Day, Women’s Day, Navruz, Day of Remembrance and Honor, Independence Day, Teachers and Mentors Day, Constitution Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the first day of the religious holiday Ruza Hayit (Eid al-Fitr), and the first day of the religious holiday Kurban Hayit (Eid al-Adha). This is the complete list (art. 208 LC).

The 2026 work calendar also contains transferred and additional non-working days under UP-257 of 24 December 2025. They must be distinguished from the statutory list of non-working public holidays in the Code.

Pay is calculated differently from duration: Sunday is excluded (art. 233 LC) when vacation pay is calculated. The number of calendar days of leave may therefore differ from the number of paid days in the calculation.

When first and subsequent leave may be taken

A working year is 12 months (art. 225 LC) with one employer from the date work actually began. If the periods counted toward the working year amount to less than a full year, its end date moves by the missing period.

The first leave normally becomes available after six months of continuous work. The parties may agree to grant it earlier. Before that period expires, the employer must grant full leave at the request of:

• a woman before or after maternity leave;
• a single parent, widow, widower, divorced parent, wife of a conscript, or person replacing a parent, if they raise a child under 14 or a child with a disability under 16;
• an employee under 18;
• a former conscript hired no later than 3 months after being transferred to the reserve;
• a participant in the 1941–1945 war or a person treated as equivalent;
• an employee with a Group I or Group II disability;
• an employee studying without leaving work who aligns the leave with examinations, tests or prescribed academic work;
• another employee if a collective agreement, collective bargaining agreement or local instrument provides for it.

This list of exceptions (art. 227 LC) applies to the first working year. Teaching staff at organizations where leave coincides with students’ summer holidays receive full-duration leave in the first year, but it is paid in proportion to time worked.

How the leave schedule works

From the second working year, the date is determined by a schedule binding on both employee and employer. The employer approves the schedule before the calendar year begins, in agreement with the trade union committee, and must notify the employee of the start of leave no later than 15 days in advance.

At their chosen time, leave must be granted on request to:

• a woman before or after maternity leave;
• an employee before or after childcare leave;
• the single parents and wives of conscripts described above;
• employees with Group I or Group II disabilities;
• participants in the 1941–1945 war and persons treated as equivalent;
• employees under 18;
• employees studying without leaving work for the prescribed educational activities;
• holders of the badge “Honorary Donor of the Republic of Uzbekistan”;
• other categories named in a collective agreement, collective bargaining agreement or local instrument.

An employed man may take leave while his wife is on maternity leave. The parties may change a scheduled date by agreement. All these rules and preferential categories (art. 228 LC) must be considered when the schedule is prepared or amended.

How days are calculated for an incomplete working year

A proportional calculation is required when the duration of leave changes during the working year, for certain employees in their first year, and when compensation or a deduction is determined on dismissal. These calculation cases (art. 223 LC) do not mean that ordinary first-year leave is always limited to the months already worked.

The formula is as follows: divide the full leave entitlement by 12 and multiply it by the number of full months. A remainder of at least 15 calendar days is rounded up to a full month; a smaller remainder is disregarded. A final fraction of 0.5 day or more is rounded to a whole day, and a smaller fraction is disregarded. The day-rounding rules (art. 224 LC) are applied in that order.

Example. An employee is entitled to 21 days and worked 7 full months plus another 16 calendar days in the final working year. The remainder is rounded to a month, so the calculation period is 8 months: 21 / 12 × 8 = 14 days.

Service for annual leave includes time actually worked, annual leave, weekly rest and public holidays, other periods when the position is retained, enforced absence followed by reinstatement, and up to two weeks of unpaid leave in a working year. Unexcused absences, most periods of suspension and childcare leave are excluded. Contractual instruments may add other counted periods (art. 226 LC).

Working part time does not shorten basic leave and does not restrict service (art. 186 LC).

How vacation pay is calculated

Vacation pay is based on average pay. The calculation period is the 12 months preceding the month of accrual, or the period actually worked if the employee has worked for the employer for less time. The calculation includes employment income accrued and actually paid by the employer that is subject to tax.

The period and the amounts accrued for it are excluded when average pay was preserved, temporary incapacity or maternity benefits were paid, a stoppage occurred for reasons beyond the parties’ control, paid care days were granted, or another release from work was provided with full, partial or no pay. Average monthly pay equals one twelfth of the income counted, and average daily pay is the monthly average divided by 25.3 (art. 257 LC).

For incomplete months, the Code provides a separate denominator: 25.3 is multiplied by the number of full months and the calculated working days in incomplete months are added. If the employee had no accruals, the rules based on days actually worked in the month or the established tariff rate apply. Average monthly pay for an employee who completed the work norm cannot be below 1.360.000 soums and must be recalculated if the tariff changes.

Example. Let average monthly pay be S. Average daily pay is S / 25.3. If 21 calendar days begin on a Monday and include three Sundays, 18 days remain payable: vacation pay is S / 25.3 × 18. A public holiday within the period is first excluded from the duration of leave.

The payment date is set by the collective bargaining agreement, local instrument or employment contract, but the money must be paid by the last working day (art. 233 LC) before leave begins. If this deadline is missed, the employee may request that the leave be transferred.

How leave may be split, transferred or interrupted

Leave may be split by agreement with the employer. At least one part must be no shorter than 14 calendar days; the parties may distribute the remaining days differently. Neither the employee nor the employer may impose a split unilaterally.

Leave is extended or transferred in the event of:

• temporary incapacity for work;
• the start of maternity leave;
• an overlap with study leave;
• performance of state or public duties with release from work;
• other cases provided by a collective agreement or collective bargaining agreement.

The employee must notify the employer of such a circumstance in writing. If it arises during leave, the leave is extended by the corresponding number of days or the unused part is transferred by agreement. Late notice of the start date or failure to pay vacation pay before leave also entitles the employee to request a transfer of leave (art. 229 LC).

Leave must be used within its working year. In an individual production-related case and with the employee’s consent, only the part exceeding 14 calendar days (art. 230 LC) may be carried into the next working year, and it must then be used in that year. A minor, an employee with a disability, or an employee entitled to additional leave for harmful or climatic conditions cannot be left without leave.

An employee may be recalled only with their consent (art. 232 LC). Recall is prohibited for pregnant employees, minors and employees working in particularly harmful or particularly arduous conditions. The unused balance is granted in the current or next working year in accordance with the rules on transfer and splitting.

Example. By agreement, 21 days of leave may be split into 14 and 7 days. A split into 10, 6 and 5 days does not meet the requirement because no part reaches the mandatory 14 days.

Who receives extended or additional leave

The duration depends on age, disability, position, working conditions and place of work. The table presents the main groups and ranges; the lists of teaching positions, classes of harmful conditions and climatic areas are partial, so a specific entitlement must be checked against the cited instrument and the workplace assessment results.

The Code itself also grants 30 days of extended leave to minors and employees with disabilities, and 27 days to employees of state authorities and administration unless a special law grants more. Contractual instruments may increase these extended leave periods (art. 218 LC).

The Code entitles teaching staff to extended leave, while the Cabinet of Ministers determines the specific periods. The list includes positions with 27, 42 and 56 days; there is no single period for all teaching staff (art. 501 LC). Certain medical professionals are also entitled to additional leave, whose duration is set by the Cabinet of Ministers for the relevant medical positions (art. 502 LC).

For harmful conditions, the specific work, positions and days are determined from the workplace assessment and applicable instruments. The Code establishes the entitlement itself (art. 481 LC), while the Cabinet of Ministers’ scale ranges from 3 days for class 3.1 to 19–24 days for hazardous class 4. For climatic conditions, the entitlement arises in areas with a regional coefficient, and contractual instruments may add rights beyond the mandatory list (art. 483 LC).

An employee in secondary employment takes basic and additional leave at the same time as leave from the main job. If leave in the secondary job is shorter, the employer must grant unpaid days for the difference at the employee’s request. If service in secondary employment is less than six months, first-year leave is paid proportionally; the ordinary rules (art. 439 LC) apply thereafter. A rotational worker receives leave after inter-shift rest days (art. 471 LC).

Unpaid leave

Ordinary unpaid leave is granted on a written application and by agreement between the parties. Its total duration may not exceed 3 months in 12 months (art. 241 LC). During quarantine, a state of emergency or other circumstances threatening normal living conditions, the limit may be increased to 6 months unless legislation provides otherwise.

At the employee’s request, the employer must grant unpaid leave to:

• a participant in the 1941–1945 war or a person treated as equivalent — up to 14 calendar days annually;
• an employee with a Group I or Group II disability — up to 14 calendar days annually;
• a parent, guardian, grandmother, grandfather or another relative who actually cares for a child aged 2 to 3;
• one parent of two or more children under 12 or a child with a disability under 16 — up to 14 calendar days annually;
• another employee in cases provided by legislation, a labor-law instrument or the employment contract.

This is the complete Code list (art. 242 LC). A parent of two children or a child with a disability may add this leave to annual leave or use it separately or in parts, but only in the current working year: carry-over is prohibited (art. 402 LC).

Partially paid leave exists only when it is provided by a collective agreement, collective bargaining agreement, another labor-law instrument or, in their absence, the employment contract. The parties agree on it following the employee’s written application. The retained amount cannot be below 1.360.000 soums (art. 240 LC), and the applicable contractual instrument determines whether the period counts toward service for annual leave.

Social leave

Social leave is granted for maternity, childcare, education and creative work. Entitlement to the statutory forms does not depend on length of service, place or nature of work, or the employer’s legal form. Study and creative leave are paid at average pay; maternity and childcare leave up to age two carry an allowance. These payment rules (art. 237 LC) differ by type of leave.

Educational entitlements generally apply when the employee obtains the relevant level of education for the first time. An employee studying at two institutions at once chooses one; the employer may extend the entitlements to repeat education when it sent the employee to study. Study leave counts toward service (art. 386 LC).

Childcare leave until age two or three may be used in full or in parts by the father, grandmother, grandfather, another relative who actually provides care, or a guardian. Part-time or home-based work is permitted while the allowance is retained. The period counts toward general employment service up to a total of six years, but generally does not count toward service for the next annual leave.

Social leave is granted in addition to annual leave when the relevant circumstances arise. It may not be carried over, accumulated or replaced with money. These restrictions on use (art. 239 LC) do not prevent collective instruments from creating other social leave, for example when an employee marries, becomes a father or loses a close relative. Such contractual entitlements and their pay are set separately (art. 238 LC).

Compensation for unused leave on dismissal

When an employment contract ends, the employer pays compensation for all unused basic and additional annual leave. During employment, at the employee’s request, only the part exceeding the minimum 21 days may be replaced with money. Social leave, extended leave for minors and employees with disabilities, and additional leave for harmful and climatic conditions cannot be replaced. Sunday is excluded from compensation (art. 234 LC).

Compensation for an incomplete current working year is calculated in proportion to time worked. If leave has already been taken in advance, the final payment on dismissal may be reduced for unearned days. The Code contains a list of exceptions (art. 269 LC), including certain grounds for dismissal without employee fault and resignation by the employee for a valid reason.

All amounts due must be paid on the termination date. If the employee did not work that day, payment must be made no later than 3 days (art. 254 LC) after the employee’s demand. In a dispute, courts check payment of compensation for all basic and additional leave and interest for delay, as separately explained by the Supreme Court Plenum.

Instead of compensation, contractual instruments or an agreement between the parties may provide for leave followed by dismissal on the employee’s written application. This is unavailable when dismissal is for culpable conduct. The final day of leave is treated as the termination date; an employee may withdraw a resignation notice before leave begins (art. 235 LC).

This article does not cover the full procedure for terminating an employment contract and issuing documents. The article on employee dismissal explains the general grounds, documentation and final payment. It is useful when leave or compensation is connected with the end of employment.

What the employer must do

The employer must grant leave of the prescribed duration, approve the schedule before the calendar year begins, notify the employee 15 days in advance and pay vacation pay before the rest period starts. Written applications are expressly required for unpaid leave, consent to partially paid leave, leave followed by dismissal, and notice of circumstances requiring a transfer.

From 2026, the employer must also register every type of employee leave in the interdepartmental hardware and software system “Unified National Labor System” (UNLS). Violation of labor legislation by an official carries a fine of 5–10 BRV (art. 49 CAL), where BRV means the base calculation unit; a repeat violation carries 10–15 BRV, and a violation involving a minor carries 10–20 BRV.

What changed in 2025–2026

The changes affected leave records and state social insurance:

• UP-206 of 3 November 2025 introduced payment by the Fund of maternity benefits from 1 January 2026 and temporary incapacity benefits from 1 July 2026; benefits are assigned proactively.
• Resolution No. 796 of 17.12.2025 introduced registration of every type of employee leave in UNLS from 1 January 2026. The same Cabinet resolution entitles an insured employee, on request, to up to 2 working days of additional unpaid leave per calendar year.
• UP-257 of 24 December 2025 established the additional non-working days and transfers in the 2026 calendar listed above.
• Resolution No. 440 of 13.08.2026 clarified the six-month continuous insurance-service condition for maternity benefits: lawful months without employment income while the employment relationship continues, and periods of temporary incapacity, do not interrupt that period.

How employees can check compliance with leave rights

First compare your working year, remaining days, schedule, notice and payment date. If your leave depends on age, disability, position, workplace assessment or location, check the special instrument and the employer’s records: the general 21-day period may be less than the entitlement for your category.

An employee may request work-related documents and copies in writing. The employer must provide them free of charge no later than 3 working days (art. 117 LC). This allows the employee to record the schedule, notice, order or calculation data if they relate to the particular leave.

Violation of labor legislation carries administrative liability (art. 49 CAL), and such cases are heard by state labor inspectors (art. 255 CAL). The employer’s duty to comply with leave rights remains regardless of its internal HR procedures.

This article does not cover the complete procedure for an individual labor dispute. The article on labor disputes explains the available remedies, time limits and related procedures. It is useful if a written request to the employer does not remedy the violation.

Frequently asked questions

Can leave be taken before six months of work?

Yes. The employee and employer may agree to grant leave earlier. Employer consent is not required for the categories listed in the Code: when a qualifying ground exists, full leave must be granted at the employee’s request. They include women before or after maternity leave, minors, employees with Group I or Group II disabilities, certain parents, recent conscripts, war participants and employees studying for prescribed educational activities. The ground and complete list (art. 227 LC) are established by the Code.

Do Saturdays and Sundays count as leave days?

Yes. Annual leave is generally measured in calendar days, so ordinary weekly rest days count toward its duration. Only statutory non-working public holidays are excluded. A separate rule applies to pay: Sunday is not paid. The calendar duration and number of payable days for the same leave may therefore differ, as follows from the counting rules (art. 221 LC) and the payment rule.

Can one day of annual leave be taken?

Yes, if the employer agrees to split the leave and another part amounts to at least 14 calendar days. The Code does not set a minimum duration for each remaining part, but requires one continuous part of the prescribed duration. One day may therefore be agreed from the balance after the 14-day minimum (art. 231 LC) is met. An employee cannot designate such a day unilaterally.

Can all leave be replaced with cash compensation?

Not during employment. Cash compensation is possible only for the portion of annual leave exceeding 21 calendar days. Social leave, extended leave for minors and employees with Group I or Group II disabilities, and additional leave for harmful or climatic conditions must be taken in kind. A different rule applies on dismissal: compensation is paid for all unused leave (art. 234 LC).

Does unused leave expire at year-end?

No. The employer cannot simply write off the balance. Annual leave must be granted before the relevant working year ends. Only in an individual production-related case and with the employee’s consent may the portion exceeding 14 calendar days be carried over, and it must be used in the next working year. Failure to grant leave to minors, employees with disabilities and employees entitled to additional leave for harmful or climatic conditions is prohibited (art. 230 LC).