Annual leave

You are entitled to 2–3 days of annual leave for each month in which you have accumulated enough working days (full-time employees) or working hours (part-time employees). For more detailed information on earning and taking annual leave: Earning and taking annual leave I Aalto University

You can check your used annual leave days in Workday in your employee profile: click Absences under the profile picture on the left side of the page. You can check your available holiday balance in the top left corner of the Workday home page, click Menu > Apps > Absences > select the Annual leave tab and wait for the vacation table to load. 

Please note that in Workday, leave accumulations are shown in advance for the entire leave year (1 April – 31 March) or for the duration of a fixed-term employment period, even if they have not been fully accrued yet. In addition, long or unpaid absences affect the final annual leave accumulation.

Example 1: An employee with a permanent employment contract checks their annual leave balance in May 2026, at which point Workday also displays the balance for the upcoming holiday year 2027, even though this leave is not yet earned or available.

Example 2: An employee in a fixed-term employment relationship from 1 June to 31 December 2026 checks annual leave balance at the beginning of July 2026, at which time Workday shows the annual leave accumulation for the entire employment period for the current holiday year, even though only one month’s (June 2026) leave is earned and available.

Previous work history at Aalto, another Finnish university, in government service, and, where applicable, with other employers affects your annual leave entitlement. Further information and instructions on how to have your previous employment history credited: Credit for previous work history | Aalto University

During the holiday season (1.6. - 30.9.) you should take at least two consecutive weeks of annual leave if you have accumulated enough days (10 days) by then, so that each employee rests from work at least one longer period during the year. It is recommended to take even more than two weeks of continuous holiday in the summer.

If your employment contract is valid until further notice, you can start using so-called new or current holiday year leave (the leave typically taken in the summer) starting from January of the same year. Each holiday year's leave should be taken by the end of May of the following calendar year.

Example: The leave for holiday year 2026 is earned between 1.4.2025 - 31.3.2026. The year 2026 leave is typically used in summer 2026, but it can be used starting from 1.1.2026 to the extent the leave has been earned. The holiday year 2026 leave should be used by 31.5.2027 unless part of the leave has been agreed to be carried over as Holiday Credit Leave.

In a fixed-term employment relationship, annual leave can be taken as it is earned.

Example: The employee's employment contract is for the period 1.9.2025 - 31.3.2026. The employee could take 6 days off in December 2025, which have been earned from September to November 2025.

Always agree on holiday and annual leave days in advance with your supervisor. Your supervisor will confirm your leave or make changes to them, if necessary, to ensure smooth running of the unit and any necessary substitute arrangements. Once you have agreed on annual leave days with your supervisor, it is your responsibility to make the requests in Workday, even during a possible long absence (such as parental leave). HR will provide support if necessary. 

1. Check your annual leave balance in Workday.
2. Agree on annual leave period with your supervisor. Mark the leave period in Workday and select the correct reason code depending on the type of leave you wish to use (annual leave, holiday bonus leave, holiday credit leave). Weekends and public holidays do not consume your annual leave balance. Technical instructions for entering annual leave: Instructions for recording absences and annual leave | Aalto University
3. Your supervisor or the department's HR will approve the annual leave period in Workday before it begins.

Part-time employees who work at least 35 hours per month (the working time percentage is at least 22.9%) accrue annual leave in the same way as full-time employees, but part-time status is taken into account when taking the annual leave. More information about annual leave in part-time employment: Annual leave in part-time employment | Aalto University

If a part-time employee's working hours are less than 35 hours per month (i.e., the working time percentage is less than 22.9%), annual leave is not accrued and leave days cannot be reported in Workday. However, the employee can agree on taking time off with their supervisor. The time off is taken in such a way that it does not reduce the agreed working hours, and these periods are not recorded in Workday.

In part-time employment relationships of undergraduate students (e.g., research assistants, teaching assistants, trainees), the accrued annual leave is paid directly as holiday compensation according to Aalto's policy. At the employee's request, annual leave can be used during the employment relationship. This is agreed with the supervisor and communicated to your local HR at the beginning of the employment.

An employee who does not accrue annual leave is paid annual leave compensation in the summer or at the end of the employment relationship amounting to 9% (employment relationship lasting less than one year) or 11.5% (employment relationship lasting one year or more) of their monthly salary. The annual leave compensation is paid for all months in which the working time is less than 22.9%.

If you fall ill during your annual leave, you can, under certain conditions, transfer the days during your illness to be taken at a later date. For more information on the conditions for transfer and instructions on how to proceed, see: Postponing annual leave due to an illness | Aalto University

Long absences affect the accrual and taking of annual leave. Before taking a long period of leave, it is important to discuss annual leave matters with your supervisor and, if necessary, with HR, to ensure that annual leave days do not expire during the long absence.

More information about annual leave in connection with family leave: Annual leave and family leave | Aalto University

Study leave is unpaid and does not accrue employment-related benefits. However, annual leave is accrued for 30 days of study leave.

Employees working regular hours can annually, between 1 April and 31 May, exchange holiday bonus, or part of it, to holiday bonus leave under certain conditions. Employees in total working hour system cannot exchange holiday bonus to leave. The exchange of holiday bonus to leave must be agreed in advance with the supervisor; the employee cannot decide on the exchange of holiday bonus alone. More information on holiday bonus and holiday bonus leave: Holiday bonus | Aalto University

A part of the annual leave can be saved, i.e. used later, if this does not cause any inconvenience to the university or your own unit. Saving annual leave must always be agreed in advance with your supervisor. It is recommended to take all earned annual leave by the end of May of the following calendar year, but in some situations it may be justified to save up part of your annual leave (e.g. during long absences). When considering saving annual leave, it is always worth looking at the overall annual leave and work situation. 

• Annual leave can only be saved from the current holiday leave balance for the part exceeding 20 days. Please note that so-called old balance (previous year annual leave balance) can no longer be saved as holiday credit leave.
• Saving annual leave can only be agreed in Workday between April 1 and May 31 each year; saving is not possible at other time. The Workday reason code is: Transfer Annual leave to Holiday credit leave.
• Saved annual leave days will only appear in Workday (as holiday credit leave) at the beginning of the following year, as they can only be used from the beginning of the following year at the earliest.
• Saved annual leave days must be taken within the next five years.

Example: An employee's holiday entitlement for the holiday year 2026 is 30 days. They can agree with their supervisor to save 5 days from the 2026 holiday year balance. The saving is agreed in Workday between April 1 and May 31, 2026, when summer vacations are anyway planned . The employee will therefore have 25 days of annual leave available in the summer and fall of 2026. The saved annual leave days can only be used the year after they are saved, i.e., no earlier than January 1, 2027. The saved 5 days must be used by December 31, 2031, at the latest.

Before your employment ends, agree with your supervisor on the use of annual leave days, any holiday bonus leave, saved leave, and ensure that all agreed days, both already taken and to be taken before your employment ends, are promptly recorded in Workday. Any earned but untaken annual leave will be paid as holiday compensation. Further information on holiday matters at the end of employment: Annual leave at the end of employment I Aalto University