Georgian Labor Code Articles 31-36Leave & time

Annual leave under Georgian Labor Code (Articles 31-36)

Also known as: Georgia annual leave, Georgia vacation days, Georgia paid leave entitlement

Under Article 31 of the Georgian Labor Code, every employee is entitled to at least 24 working days of paid leave and at least 15 calendar days of unpaid leave per year, plus 10 extra calendar days of paid leave for heavy, harmful or hazardous work. Articles 32-36 govern when leave can be requested (after 11 months of work), how it is scheduled and carried over, and how holiday pay is calculated — from the employee's average pay over the 3 months before the leave.

Annual leave is the most commonly misunderstood section of the Georgian Labor Code. Foreign employers operating in Georgia routinely default to the EU "20 working days" baseline; Georgia is more generous (24 working days statutory minimum). Domestic employers sometimes assume the 24 days are calendar rather than working days. Both errors create exposure. This article walks through what Articles 31-36 actually require, when each rule applies, and how leave compensation is calculated.

The 24 working days baseline (Article 31)

Article 31(1) sets the statutory minimum at 24 working days of paid leave per year — counted in working days, not calendar days. On a Monday-to-Friday schedule that is nearly five calendar weeks off per year. Article 31(2) adds a separate right to at least 15 calendar days of unpaid leave a year. The contract can offer more; under Article 31(4) it cannot set terms that worsen the employee's position, and under Article 31(6) a clause waiving the annual right to paid leave is void. The right to request leave arises after 11 months of work, or earlier by agreement (Article 32(1)). Time actually worked and forced downtime caused by the employer count towards that period; unexcused absence and unpaid leave longer than 7 working days do not (Article 34). The Code does not prescribe a monthly accrual formula — if you track leave pro rata (for example 2 days per month), treat that as your own policy choice, not a statutory rule.

The 10-day addition for heavy, harmful or hazardous work (Article 31(3))

Article 31(3)(a) adds 10 calendar days of paid leave a year for employees doing heavy, harmful or hazardous work. The list of such work is not in the Code itself — Article 45(8) leaves it to other Georgian legislation. Because the extra days are counted in calendar days while the base entitlement is counted in working days, the two do not simply add up to one working-day figure: a qualifying employee gets at least 24 working days plus 10 calendar days per year. Article 31(3) also grants one-off additional paid leave after taking part in martial-law or emergency measures (up to 15 calendar days) and after a peacekeeping rotation (30 calendar days). Misapplying the hazardous-work addition (claiming it when the work is not on the list, or omitting it when it applies) is an easy mistake to make.

How leave is requested, scheduled and paid (Articles 32-36)

The employee may request leave after 11 months of work, or earlier by agreement (Article 32(1)); from the second year, leave can be granted at any time of the working year by agreement (Article 32(2))
Unless the contract says otherwise, the employer may set the order in which employees take paid leave during the year (Article 32(5))
Leave can be split into parts by agreement (Article 32(3))
Temporary incapacity and pregnancy, childbirth, childcare or adoption leave are not counted as annual leave (Article 32(4))
Unpaid leave requires 2 weeks' notice to the employer, except where urgent medical needs or family circumstances make that impossible (Article 33)
Holiday pay is based on average pay for the 3 months before the leave; with less than 3 months worked, the average of the months worked; with fixed monthly pay, the last month's pay (Article 36)
Paid leave may be moved to the next year only with the employee's consent when granting it this year would disrupt normal work — never two years in a row, and never for minors (Article 35)

Public holidays during annual leave

Paid leave is counted in working days (Article 31(1)), and public holidays under Article 30 are non-working days, so a public holiday that falls within an employee's annual leave is generally treated as a day off rather than a leave day — the employee still gets their full 24 working days. The Code has no express rule on this point, so state your counting method in the leave policy. This is particularly relevant when planning leave around April (Orthodox Easter cluster — 4 consecutive public holidays from Good Friday through Easter Monday) or January (New Year + Christmas + Epiphany cluster). See our [Georgian public holidays 2026 reference] for the full calendar.

Carry-over and pay-out at termination

Article 35 treats carry-over as an exception: paid leave may be moved to the next year only with the employee's consent and only if granting it in the current year could disrupt the normal course of work. Carrying leave over two years in a row is prohibited, and a minor's leave may not be carried over at all. At termination, Article 31(5) requires the employer, when it is the employer that ends the contract, to pay for unused leave in proportion to the length of the employment relationship. The Code states this pay-out rule only for employer-initiated termination, so say in the contract or leave policy how unused leave is handled when the employee resigns.

Frequently asked questions

How many days of annual leave do employees get in Georgia?

At least 24 working days of paid leave per year under Article 31(1), plus at least 15 calendar days of unpaid leave (Article 31(2)). Employees doing heavy, harmful or hazardous work get an additional 10 calendar days of paid leave (Article 31(3)(a)). Contracts can specify more leave but not less.

Is 24 days counted as working days or calendar days?

Working days — Article 31(1) says 24 working days. On a Monday-to-Friday schedule that is nearly five calendar weeks off. Public holidays are non-working days, so a holiday inside the leave period is generally not counted against the 24; the Code has no express rule on this, so state it in your leave policy.

Can unused annual leave be carried over to next year?

Only by exception. Under Article 35, paid leave may be moved to the next year with the employee's consent if granting it this year could disrupt normal work — but never two years in a row, and a minor's leave cannot be carried over at all. The employment contract or company policy should spell out how this is applied.

Must unused leave be paid out at termination?

Yes, when the employer ends the contract: Article 31(5) requires the employer to pay for unused leave in proportion to the length of the employment relationship. The Code states this rule for employer-initiated termination only, so cover resignations in the contract or leave policy.

When must leave compensation be paid?

The Code does not set a separate deadline for holiday pay. Article 36 fixes how it is calculated (the 3-month average), and the general rule that pay is issued at least once a month applies (Article 41(3)). Paying it before or at the start of the leave is the safest practice; whichever timing you choose, write it into the contract or leave policy.

How are public holidays handled during annual leave?

Leave is counted in working days (Article 31(1)) and public holidays are non-working days, so holidays falling within an employee's annual leave generally do not count against the 24-working-day entitlement. The Code has no express rule on this, so state your counting method in the leave policy.