Information for School Leavers (pdf) - Citizens Information Board

current leave year or within six months after it ends. You cannot
be paid instead of annual leave unless you are leaving work.
How is my annual leave entitlement calculated
Under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 there are
minimum holiday entitlements. These may be calculated in
one of three ways depending on total hours worked:
• Four weeks (20 working days) if you work at least 1,365
hours in the leave year, or
• One-third of a working week for each month that you
work at least 117 hours, or
• 8% of the hours worked in the leave year
(up to a maximum of four working weeks)
You can use whichever method gives you the best entitlement.
The leave year runs from 1 April to 31 March but an employer
can use a different leave year, for example, January to
December, provided this is used consistently. Once you have
worked for eight months, you are entitled to an unbroken
period of two weeks of holidays.
Pensions
Your contract of employment may include an entitlement or
requirement to join a pension scheme. If there is no pension
scheme, your employer must provide you with access to
at least one standard Personal Retirement Savings Account
(PRSA), a flexible account designed to help you save for your
pension. This also applies if there is a pension scheme but you
are not eligible to join it within six months of starting work.
For further information contact the Pensions Board,
Lo-call: 1890 656 565, web: pensionsboard.ie.
20 / Lo-call: 1890 777 121