Hungary has a number of state holidays when shops and offices are closed, and employees are usually not required to work. These are the following: 1st of January, 15th of March, Good Friday and Easter Monday (end of March or beginning of April), 1st of May, Whit Monday (in May), 20th of August, 23rd of October, 1st of November and the 25th and 26th of December (see full list here). If employees are required to work on these days, they are entitled to extra pay and extra time off – see our brochure on wage supplements.
In addition, Hungarian Labor Law states that all employees are entitled to a minimum of 20 days of paid vacation per year. Starting at the age of 25, the number of annual vacation days is raised by 1 day every 3 years during their twenties, and every 2 years during their thirties and forties, so that an employee over 25 receives 21 days, an employee over 28 receives 22 days, up until 29 days for employees over 43, and, finally, 30 days for employees 45 and older.
An additional five days a year of paid vacation must be granted in certain cases, for instance, for fathers after the birth of their child or employees with disabilities. Those with children under the age of 16 receive an extra two, four or seven days depending on the number of children.
If an employee does not work for a full calendar year, their paid vacation days are calculated in proportion to how long they were employed. Sick leave, maternity leave and military service are considered part of the employment time, so they also count when calculating holidays. Part-time employees are also entitled to the same number of paid vacation days.
The employees have the right to take a minimum of 7 days of their paid vacation when they would like to. The rest is allocated by the employer, after discussion with the employee in question. At the same time, the employee is entitled to spend 14 consecutive days on vacation (with the rest days included, in most cases taking 10 days off work at one time) – unless he or she renounces this right, or it is agreed otherwise in the labor contract. This rule does not apply during the first three months of employment.
You as the employer must also ensure that employees take their paid vacation days by the end of the calendar year. Only extra holidays based on the employee’s age can be carried over to the next calendar year. Those who start working in October or later can take their holidays until next March.
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