How do I request holiday and preserve my leave balance?
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Detailed explanation, checklist and sources
Request holiday with proof and check balances by accrual year. Statutory and extra leave have different rules. An 'expired' system entry is not decisive: opportunity to take leave, sickness and the employer's information duties also matter.
On this page
1. What balance do I have?
Ask for yearly statutory/extra-hour balances. The statutory annual baseline is four times weekly working hours; variable/zero-hours workers also accrue paid leave. Obtain the collective/contract calculation and compare it with hours worked. Holiday allowance is separate from paid time off.
2. How do I request leave?
Request specific dates and hours in writing and retain receipt. Statutory leave normally needs approval; serious business interests or valid collective closure arrangements may matter. Written objection must arrive within two weeks of receipt. Annual statutory leave must remain available. Ask for reasons and alternatives; extra leave may follow different terms.
3. When does leave expire?
Statutory leave normally expires six months after its accrual year: 2026 leave on 1 July 2027. A longer written/collective period may apply. Extra leave normally has five years; inability to take statutory leave can change the period. Employer failure to enable/inform can also prevent five-year limitation. Ask about actual timely warnings, encouragement and opportunity; obtain advice on older balances rather than automatically writing them off.
Rijksoverheid — vakantie opnemen ↗
Hoge Raad — zorg-/informatieplicht en verjaring ECLI:NL:HR:2023:955 ↗
4. What if I am ill?
Request permission for holiday during sickness too. Actual holiday days attract full pay even if sick pay is then 70%. Check booked hours and payslip; request calculations and possible arrears. Being too ill to take holiday differs from being ill but able to enjoy leave.
5. Can leave be exchanged?
Sickness cannot simply consume statutory leave. Offsetting extra leave depends on written agreement or consent. Retrospective exchange for special leave needs consent and only extra days from the current/previous year. Separate holiday, sickness and emergency/care leave; do not sign an unexplained balance adjustment.
6. How do I challenge an error?
Send balances, requests, responses and missing warnings with a specific correction request. Keep proof: this draft sends nothing and does not automatically interrupt every limitation period. End-of-contract payment rules differ; statutory leave cannot be bought out during employment. At a new job, obtain a statement of remaining statutory hours for unpaid leave there, with unchanged expiry. Get timely advice about disputed older balances.
Rijksoverheid — vakantie opnemen ↗
Hoge Raad — zorg-/informatieplicht en verjaring ECLI:NL:HR:2023:955 ↗
Draft request: How do I request holiday and preserve my leave balance?
Complete the facts and check the applicable rules. This draft sends nothing and is not legal approval.
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Does a zero-hours contract provide holiday?
Yes. You accrue paid leave and normally at least 8% holiday allowance. Ask how variable hours are converted. An allowance entry does not prove your right to time off was handled.
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Rijksoverheid — vakantie opnemen ↗Rijksoverheid — ziekte/bijzonder verlof inruilen ↗Rijksoverheid — vakantie tijdens ziekte volledig loon ↗Rijksoverheid — nuluren en vakantie ↗Hoge Raad — zorg-/informatieplicht en verjaring ECLI:NL:HR:2023:955 ↗HvJ EU — C120/21 wettelijke vakantie en verjaring ↗Sources may be in Dutch. General information about Dutch law, not individual legal advice.