Holidays in Spain: how many days you get and how they are paid
Paid holidays are a right of every worker in Spain: they cannot be exchanged for money while you remain with the company, and they are always paid like a normal working month.
How many days you are entitled to
The Workers' Statute sets a minimum of 30 calendar days a year. Many collective agreements express this as 22 working days, which amounts to the same, and some improve on it.
- They are counted per calendar year (January to December), unless the agreement says otherwise.
- If you work part-time, you get the same number of days; what changes is the pay you receive during them.
- Public holidays that fall within your holiday are not deducted if your days are counted as working days.
If you have worked less than a year
You are entitled to the proportional part: 2.5 calendar days per month worked. For example, if you start on 1 July, by 31 December you accrue 6 × 2.5 = 15 days.
How they are paid
During your holidays you receive your normal salary, including supplements you usually receive, such as night work or shift allowances. Your employer cannot pay you only the base salary.
Holidays do not appear as a separate item on the payslip: you simply receive the full month, with the usual IRPF withholding and Social Security.
When they are taken
- Dates are agreed between employer and employee, according to the collective agreement.
- You must know your dates at least two months in advance.
- They generally expire at the end of the year, unless the agreement allows them to be carried over.
What if I am on sick leave?
If sick leave coincides with your holidays, you do not lose them: you can take them when you recover, even after the year has ended, as long as no more than 18 months have passed since the end of the year in which they accrued.
If you leave the company
This is the only case in which holidays are paid in money: accrued and untaken days are included in your final settlement. If you had already taken more days than you were entitled to, the employer can deduct the difference.