# 25 days at home, four weeks in Italy: how Italian holiday really adds up

> Nordic employees get 25 days of holiday by law. Italian law says four weeks, but collective agreements add hours off. What Nordic HR should plan for.

A Swedish employee has 25 days of holiday a year under the Annual Leave Act ([Svensk Handel](https://svenskhandel.se/arbetsgivarguiden/information-in-english/vacation/the-right-to-vacation)). Norway also has 25 working days, counting Saturdays, which makes four weeks and one day ([Arbeidstilsynet](https://arbeidstilsynet.no/en/working-conditions/holiday)). Denmark has 25 days earned at 2.08 days a month ([IDA](https://ida.dk/en/career-and-legal-advice/holiday-and-time-off/use-your-holidays)). Finland accrues two days a month, rising to 2.5 after a full year ([SAK](https://www.sak.fi/en/working-life/ground-rules-working/holidays-and-holiday-pay)).

Then someone tells you that Italian law gives four weeks. It sounds like a step down. In practice the gap is smaller than the statute suggests, and the structure is different enough that your Nordic holiday policy will not fit as it is.

## The Italian building blocks

Italy does not have one holiday bank. The law and the national collective agreement (CCNL) create separate entitlements:

- **Annual holiday (ferie).** At least four weeks a year by law. Part of it must be taken in the year it accrues, and that part cannot be replaced by cash while employment continues. The CCNL may give more.
- **Paid hours off (ROL and ex-holiday permits).** Many CCNLs add a block of paid hours each year, tracked separately. Employees use them for half days, appointments or bridges between holidays.
- **Public holidays.** Twelve national holidays plus the local patron saint's day. They do not count against holiday.
- **Sick leave.** A separate category with its own rules, never drawn from holiday.
- **Family leave.** Maternity, paternity and parental leave are protected by statute.

Put the first two together and many Italian employees end up with time off close to the Nordic norm. How close depends on the CCNL and on seniority.

## Where Nordic habits collide

**Holiday pay works differently.** Nordic systems compute holiday pay or a holiday supplement as a percentage of earnings. In Italy, the employee simply keeps receiving normal pay while on holiday. There is no separate holiday supplement by law. Do not build one into an Italian offer by habit, or your cost model will double count.

**Saving days.** Nordic employees are used to rules on carrying days forward. Italian rules on what must be used in the year and what can be carried are set by law and the CCNL. Unused leave is a liability that grows, and it is paid out at exit.

**Unlimited holiday.** Some Nordic scale-ups offer "take what you need". In Italy this does not work: without tracking you cannot show that the legal minimum was taken.

**Approval.** In Italy, as at home, the employer has a say on when holiday is taken, within the rules on notice and timing. It does not decide whether. Treat holiday as planned capacity, not a favour.

## Summer: July at home, August in Italy

Nordic companies slow down in July. Many Italian companies, and their customers and suppliers, slow down in August, with a peak around 15 August. If your Italian sales lead or field engineer serves Italian accounts, plan for their holiday to fall in August, not July. That gives you useful coverage: Italians working while Stockholm is on holiday, and the reverse a month later.

## Budget and records

The cost of an Italian employee includes paid time not worked: holiday, hours off, public holidays. A model that only uses salary per working day will understate the cost per hour. That is normal and predictable once it is in the plan.

Keep three things in place:

1. A record of holiday and hours off accrued and taken, per employee.
2. A shared calendar that shows Italian and Nordic public holidays side by side.
3. Offer letters and handbooks that describe Italian entitlements in Italian terms, not by copying the Swedish policy.

## How we handle it

As Employer of Record (EOR) we apply the CCNL entitlements, track the balances and treat each category correctly in payroll. You approve the planning. Every month you see the balances in the payroll summary.

## Questions we hear from Nordic companies

**Can we give Italian staff 25 days to match the Nordic office?**
Yes. The law and the CCNL are floors. Many Nordic companies harmonise holiday across countries. Write it into the contract, and remember that CCNL hours off still apply on top unless the contract says how they combine.

**Can unused holiday be paid out instead of taken?**
Not for the statutory part during employment. It must be taken. Unused leave is paid out only at the end of employment.

For the full set of differences, see [Italy vs Sweden](/italy-vs-sweden.html). For the cost of paid time off in a specific role, try the [cost calculator](/calculator.html).

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Source: https://italyteams.com/articles/holiday-25-days-vs-italian-statutory-leave.html · 2026-10-08