Leaves in Egypt and Holidays

Where employee benefits are important, it is important for both employers and employees to know the law of leaves in Egypt. Moreover, these laws govern how much paid and unpaid leave employees should have, towards ensuring a balanced working environment. In this blog, as per Egypt’s Paid Time Off (PTO) policy we will discuss holiday pay, and other types of leave benefits that employees.

Paid Time Off (PTO) in Egypt

Understanding Egypt's Paid Time Off (PTO) policy helps employers maintain compliance while ensuring employees receive their legally entitled leave benefits.

• Vacation Leave Quota

Full-time employees under the age of 50 are entitled to 21 days of paid annual leave after completing one year of continuous service. Employees who have worked for more than six months but less than one year are eligible for pro-rata leave based on the length of their service. Employees with more than 10 years of continuous service or those aged 50 years and above receive 30 days of paid annual leave each year. The higher leave entitlement applies as soon as either the service requirement or the age requirement is fulfilled, whichever comes first.

• Vacation Taking Rules

When going on vacation leaves in Egypt, the employee must formally apply and get permission from his or her employer. Further, vacation days that are not used cannot be roll over or paid for unless specifically authorized by the employer. In addition, the law mandates that a to take minimum of six days of vacation leave  continuously so that the employee can thoroughly disconnect from work.Overall these rules keeps an accountable data.

• Casual Leave

On top of vacation leave, employees can enjoy a maximum of six days of casual leaves in Egypt annually. Also, casual leave may be availed of without having to state the purpose, and this counts under the general vacation leave. Still, there’s a caveat: they can use not more than two consecutive days. Overall, this category of leave intends to cover unexpected personal affairs.

Sick Leave in Egypt

Egyptian employees subjects to a maximum of six months of leaves in Egypt in case of sickness, with the compensation based on the length of the leave:

• Up to 90 days: Workers get 75% of their normal salary.

• 91 to 180 days: Payment rises to 85% of the normal salary.

• More than 180 days: Employees get no pay after this point.

Further, employees have to submit an official medical certificate to substantiate their sick leave. Moreover of interest, employees have the option to utilize their available vacation days as sick leave, if necessary.

• Work-Related Injury Leave

In cases of work-related injuries, employees are entitled to 100% of their normal salary from the first day of their injury under Egypt's labor law. This provision ensures employees can focus on recovery without financial stress. Additionally, employee engagement software helps employers maintain clear communication, provide timely support, and keep injured employees informed throughout their recovery and return-to-work process.

Maternity and Paternity Leaves in Egypt

Egyptian labor law provides family-related leave benefits that support employees during important life events.

• Maternity Leaves in Egypt

Egyptian maternity leave is one of the better policies in the country. Employees gets 90 days of full pay maternity leave as per Article 91, if they have worked for a minimum of 10 months by the employer. Further, the leaves in Egypt takes effect 45 days prior to the expected delivery date, and employees gets to take at least 45 days off post-delivery.

Although the Egyptian social security system pays 75% of the salary for maternity leave, the employer cover remaining 25%. Nevertheless, it’s common practice for employers to pay 100% of the employee’s salary.

• Paternity Leaves in Egypt

Unlike maternity leave, paternity leave is not obligatory by lawing Egypt. So, employers might, however, grant paternity leave on a case-by-case basis.

• Parental Leaves in Egypt

Mothers are entitled to up to 24 months (2 years) of unpaid parental leave to care for their children. This benefit is available only to employees working in companies with 50 or more employees, and it can be taken up to two times during their employment. Using payroll software helps employers accurately manage unpaid leave records, payroll calculations, and compliance with Egypt's labor regulations.

Other Types of Leaves in Egypt

Beyond annual and medical leave, Egyptian labor law recognizes additional leave categories for specific personal and legal circumstances.

• Bereavement Leave

In the sad case of a family death, Egyptian staff can utilize their casual leave to take care of bereavement requirements. Further Egyptian employers decide whether or not to offer bereavement leave based on their discretion, as there is no legal definition of bereavement leave in Egypt.

• Jury Duty and Voting Leave

Egyptian law does not prescribe jury leave, nor do they provide voting leaves. Nonetheless, employees can take a leave of absence from work when vital for civic or personal obligations, subject to their employer’s approval.

• Military Leave

Military leave is mandatory under Egyptian labor law. Employees called for military service are entitled to leave for the entire duration of their service, and employers must reinstate them to their previous position upon their return. If a fixed-term employment contract expires during military service, employees may apply for reinstatement within 30 days after completing their service, subject to applicable regulations. Using HR software helps employers efficiently manage military leave records, ensure compliance with labor laws, and streamline employee reinstatement processes.

Egypt's Public Holidays

Egyptian public holidays are as per the Gregorian calendar and Islamic lunar calendar. Taking after is the list of official public holidays for 2025:

As in most nations, the government can choose to exchange public occasions that happen on weekends to another working day. Also they can devout holidays that are according to the lunar calendar, so their dates move yearly. Moreover, managers can make their employees work on public holidays but need to provide double compensation for the time worked.

Conclusion

Knowledge of leave law in Egypt is critical for both workers and managers to ensure their workplace rights. Thus, from debilitated and excursion take off to maternity and military leave, Egypt’s labor laws are there to balance the interface. This helps employers to manage an account with those of workers. Overall, it should moreover be famous that Egypt has provisions for public holidays and different types of leaves in Egypt. For this workers and managers should remain aware of their rights and responsibilities.

So, with all enactment relating to employment, these leave approaches are susceptible to change, and it is hence important to keep side by side of the latest law.