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How many earned leaves do you get in a year? A federal government employee earns 48 days a year, and there is no limit on how many days you can accumulate. But leave is not a right: it is granted at the discretion of the competent authority, subject to the needs of the service.
This guide explains the Revised Leave Rules 1980, the rules that govern leave for federal government employees: how earned leave is calculated, every type of leave, and how leave is encashed at retirement.
Earned Leave at a Glance#
| Fact | Rule |
|---|---|
| Earned per year | 48 days (4 days for every calendar month of duty) |
| Accumulation limit | None. Earned leave does not lapse |
| Maximum at one time | 120 days without a medical certificate; 180 days with one |
| Casual leave | 20 days a year (federal); lapses at year end |
| Encashment at retirement | Up to 180 days’ leave pay |
How Earned Leave Is Calculated in Pakistan#
A civil servant earns leave on full pay at the rate of four days for every calendar month of duty rendered. That is Rule 3 of the Revised Leave Rules 1980, made under section 25 of the Civil Servants Act 1973. The leave is credited to the leave account as “Leave on Full Pay”.
How many earned leaves in a year? 48 days. Four days a month for twelve months is 48 days a year. After five years of service you have earned 240 days, and after ten years 480 days, minus the leave you have taken.
A month counts only if you worked more than 15 days in it. A duty period of 15 days or less in a calendar month is ignored, and a duty period of more than 15 days is treated as a full calendar month. If you go on leave in one month and return in another, and the duty in each month is more than 15 days, the credit is restricted to one full calendar month.
There is no maximum limit on accumulation. Earned leave does not lapse. It stays in your leave account until you take it or encash it. Leave is not earned during the period of leave itself.
Employees in vacation departments earn differently. A civil servant in a vacation department who avails himself of the full vacation earns one day for every calendar month of duty. If he is prevented from availing the full vacation, he is treated as a non-vacation employee and earns four days a month. If he avails only part of the vacation, he earns one day a month plus such proportion of 30 days as the vacation not taken bears to the full vacation.
Every Type of Leave#
Leave on full pay is the main leave. The maximum period that may be granted at one time is 120 days without a medical certificate, and 180 days with a medical certificate, plus 365 days on a medical certificate from the leave account in the entire service.
Leave on half pay is a conversion, not a separate entitlement. Leave on full pay may, at the civil servant’s option, be converted into leave on half pay. The debit to the leave account is one day of full pay for every two days of half pay, so 100 days of full pay becomes 200 days of half pay.
Leave not due is leave borrowed from the future. It may be granted on full pay, to be offset against leave to be earned in future, for a maximum of 365 days in the entire service. During the first five years of service it shall not exceed 90 days in all.
Casual leave is the short leave. A federal civil servant gets 20 days of casual leave in a calendar year, ordinarily not more than 10 days at a time. It is not treated as absence from duty, pay is not interrupted, and it cannot be combined with any other type of leave or joining time. Unlike earned leave, casual leave lapses at the end of the year. Some provincial rules allow up to 25 days.
Extraordinary leave is leave without pay. It may be granted on any ground for up to five years at a time, subject to ten years’ continuous service.
Recreation leave is 15 days in a calendar year. It is granted for rest and recreation, separately from earned leave.
Disability leave covers injury on duty. A civil servant disabled by injury, ailment or disease contracted in the course of duty gets up to 24 months of disability leave, not debitable to the leave account, on full pay for 180 days and half pay for the remaining period, on a Medical Board certificate.
Study leave is for higher study. It may be granted for up to four years, not debitable to the leave account, on half pay plus a study allowance.
Quarantine leave is 21 to 30 days. It is granted when absence is necessitated by an order not to attend office because of an infectious disease in the family, and it is treated as duty.
Maternity leave follows its own law. Our maternity leave guide explains the Maternity and Paternity Leave Act 2023: 180 days on the first birth, 120 on the second, and 90 on the third for federal employees.
Can Earned Leave Be Encashed?#
Yes. A civil servant may encash his leave preparatory to retirement, up to 180 days’ leave pay on full pay. The encashment is admissible on retirement on superannuation or on completion of 30 years’ qualifying service, if the civil servant opts for it in writing 15 months before the date of retirement and undertakes to perform duty in lieu of the leave.
A BPS-17 employee at the minimum basic pay of Rs 54,140 who encashes the full 180 days gets six months’ leave pay, about Rs 324,840. The amount is the leave pay for the period encashed, at the rate of pay drawn on full pay.
Leave refused in public interest is encashed separately. Where leave applied for in sufficient time is refused because of public-service requirements, the civil servant gets lump-sum leave pay in lieu of the refused leave, up to 365 days on full pay, on superannuation, on qualifying service, on death or on incapacitation.
Leave preparatory to retirement itself is up to 365 days. It is granted from the leave account, on full pay or partly on full pay and partly on half pay at the civil servant’s discretion. LPR cannot be combined with any other kind of leave.
How to Apply for Earned Leave in Pakistan#
Apply in writing to the authority competent to sanction leave, before the leave begins. For non-gazetted officials, that is the authority empowered to fill the post. For gazetted officers, it is the head of department or the principal accounting officer. Do not leave your place of duty without waiting for the sanction of leave.
The leave application format guide has 10 ready samples for sick, casual, urgent and half-day leave, for office, school and government jobs.
Leave is not a right. A civil servant is allowed leave in accordance with the leave rules, but leave depends on the exigencies of service and is granted at the discretion of the competent authority. Leave on medical certificate cannot be refused, though the sanctioning authority may secure a second medical opinion from the civil surgeon or a Medical Board.
Keep your leave account updated. Your leave is recorded in the leave account, and the balance is maintained in your service book. Our probation period guide explains that probation is one year, extendable by up to one more year. Leave taken during probation is governed by the same rules, and leave is not earned during the period of leave.
The official rules are the Revised Leave Rules 1980, available from the Establishment Division.
Frequently Asked Questions#
How many earned leaves in a year?
48 days. A federal civil servant earns leave on full pay at the rate of four days for every calendar month of duty rendered. A month counts only if you worked more than 15 days in it. Employees in vacation departments who take the full vacation earn one day a month instead.
Can earned leave be encashed?
Yes, at retirement. A civil servant may encash his leave preparatory to retirement, up to 180 days’ leave pay on full pay, on superannuation or on completion of 30 years’ qualifying service, by opting in writing 15 months before retirement. Leave refused in public interest is encashed separately, up to 365 days.
Does earned leave lapse if I do not take it?
No. There is no maximum limit on the accumulation of earned leave. It stays in your leave account until you take it or encash it. Only casual leave lapses, at the end of the calendar year.
How much casual leave does a government employee get?
A federal civil servant gets 20 days of casual leave in a calendar year, ordinarily not more than 10 days at a time. It is not treated as absence from duty, pay is not interrupted, and it cannot be combined with any other type of leave. Some provincial rules allow up to 25 days.
Can I take leave during probation?
Yes, under the same Revised Leave Rules. Leave is not a right; it is granted at the discretion of the competent authority, subject to the exigencies of service. Leave is not earned during the period of leave itself, so long leave in your first year reduces the leave you earn.
