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Malta Vacation Leave Calculator 2026

Work out your statutory vacation (annual) leave entitlement in Malta for 2026. This calculator counts your leave in hours on a 40-hour week, 8-hour day basis, applies the 192-hour DIER base plus the 24-hour bonus for the three 2026 public holidays that fall on a weekend, and pro-rates everything for part-time hours and a partial year of service. Free, instant and based on the rules published by the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER).

Your 2026 vacation leave in Malta

  • Remaining leave (hours)216 h
  • Remaining leave (days)27 days
  • Annual entitlement (hours)216 h
  • Annual entitlement (days)27 days
  • Leave already taken (hours)0 h
  • Full-time 2026 entitlement216 h (27 days)
  • Incl. weekend-holiday bonus (2026)24 h

How is vacation leave in Malta calculated in 2026?

In Malta, statutory annual leave — commonly called vacation leave — is calculated in HOURS, not days, on the basis of a 40-hour week and an 8-hour day. The base entitlement set by the Department for Industrial and Employment Relations (DIER) is "four weeks and 32 hours", which works out to 192 hours, or 24 working days, per year. Since 1 January 2021 a top-up rule applies: for every national or public holiday that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or the employee's weekly day of rest, the worker earns one extra day (8 hours) of vacation leave in that same calendar year. Malta has 14 public holidays in 2026 — 11 land on weekdays and 3 land on a weekend — so 3 × 8 = 24 extra hours are added. That gives a full-time 2026 entitlement of 192 + 24 = 216 hours, equal to 27 working days. Because this bonus depends on the calendar, the total changes from year to year and is recomputed annually rather than fixed. Two pro-rata factors then adjust the figure: for reduced or part-time hours the entitlement is multiplied by weeklyHours ÷ 40, and for a partial year of service it is multiplied by monthsWorked ÷ 12; both factors are applied together. Finally, any leave you have already taken is subtracted to show your remaining balance. Note that the 160-hour (four-week) core of your leave cannot be paid out in lieu of time off except when employment is terminated. Worked example — full-time, the default case: weeklyHours = 40, monthsWorked = 12, leaveTakenHours = 0. Base = 24 days × 8h = 192 hours; 2026 weekend-holiday bonus = 3 × 8 = 24 hours; full-time entitlement = 192 + 24 = 216 hours = 27 days. Hours pro-rata = 40 ÷ 40 = 1.00 and year pro-rata = 12 ÷ 12 = 1.00, so the pro-rated entitlement = 216 × 1.00 × 1.00 = 216 hours (27 days), and remaining = 216 − 0 = 216 hours (27 days). For a part-time worker on 20 hours a week who has already taken 40 hours, the hours pro-rata is 20 ÷ 40 = 0.50, giving 216 × 0.50 = 108 hours (13.5 days) of entitlement and 108 − 40 = 68 hours (8.5 days) remaining. A full-time new starter who works only 6 of the 12 months would get 216 × (6 ÷ 12) = 108 hours (13.5 days). This calculator gives the statutory minimum; an individual contract or collective agreement may grant more.

Official source: DIER Malta · Data updated: 2026-06-02

Frequently asked questions

How many hours of vacation leave do I get in Malta in 2026?

A full-time employee on a 40-hour week is entitled to 216 hours of paid vacation leave in 2026 — that is 27 working days. The figure is the 192-hour statutory base (4 weeks and 32 hours, or 24 days) plus 24 hours in lieu of the 3 public holidays that fall on a weekend in 2026.

Why is leave counted in hours and not days?

DIER expresses statutory annual leave in hours so it can be pro-rated fairly for part-time and reduced-hours staff. The conversion is fixed at 8 hours = 1 working day on a 40-hour week. So 216 hours simply equals 27 days, and 192 hours equals 24 days. Counting in hours also makes it easy to deduct individual hours of leave as you take them.

What is the weekend public-holiday bonus?

Since 1 January 2021, whenever a national or public holiday falls on a Saturday, Sunday or your weekly day of rest, you earn one extra day (8 hours) of vacation leave that year. In 2026, 3 of Malta's 14 public holidays fall on a weekend, so 3 × 8 = 24 hours are added to the 192-hour base, giving 216 hours. Because the calendar shifts each year, this bonus is recomputed annually.

How is my leave pro-rated if I work part-time or only part of the year?

Two factors are multiplied together. For hours, the entitlement is scaled by your weekly hours ÷ 40 — so 20 hours a week gives 0.50, halving the entitlement to 108 hours. For a partial year, it is scaled by months worked ÷ 12 — so 6 months gives 0.50. A part-time starter who works 20 hours a week for 6 months would get 216 × 0.50 × 0.50 = 54 hours (6.75 days).

Can I be paid instead of taking my leave?

Not for the core of it. The first four weeks — 160 hours — of your annual leave cannot be replaced by a payment in lieu except when your employment ends. Any entitlement above that minimum may, by agreement, be paid out or carried forward subject to the rules and your employer's policy. This calculator shows the statutory entitlement, not your contractual cash-out terms.

Does this calculator replace my contract or DIER advice?

No. It applies the statutory minimum set by DIER for 2026. Your individual contract of employment or a collective agreement may grant more leave, and special rules can apply to shift workers, those with irregular hours, or staff whose weekly day of rest is not the weekend. For a binding position, check the official DIER guidance or contact the Department directly.

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