12 Days of Annual Leave and a 30-Day Long Rest After 5 Years: How to Track Both

Indonesia's Law Number 27 of 2026 on Labour Protection, in force since 28 October 2026, sets annual leave at a minimum of 12 working days for workers who have completed 12 months of continuous service. According to a summary published by Fortune Indonesia on 9 November 2026, the law also grants a long rest of 30 calendar days after five years of continuous service.

Year end is when "how many days do I have left?" comes up most often. If your leave records are scattered across a notebook, a group chat and memory, now is a good time to put them in order.

What has been reported

From Fortune Indonesia, 9 November 2026:

• After 12 months of continuous work, a worker gets at least 12 working days of annual leave.
• After five years of continuous work, a worker gets a long rest of 30 calendar days.

From Katadata, 16 September 2026, reporting the Manpower Minister's explanation when the joint ministerial decree on 2027 holidays was issued:

• Joint leave (cuti bersama, the government-declared bridge days around public holidays) is optional and counts as part of annual leave. An employee who takes it has that day deducted from the annual balance.
• An employee who works on a joint leave day keeps the annual leave entitlement intact and is paid as on a normal working day.

Note the two different units. Annual leave is counted in working days, while the long rest is counted in calendar days.

What the sources do not explain

We have deliberately not filled these gaps with guesses:

• Whether the long rest applies to every type and size of business.
• How pay works during the long rest.
• What happens to leave not taken by year end, including whether it lapses or is paid out.

For all three, check the text of the law on the State Secretariat's legal documentation site (JDIH) and wait for the implementing regulations. Until things are clear, avoid internal rules that reduce what employees are entitled to, such as declaring that unused leave lapses automatically, unless you are sure of the basis.

Building a leave balance record per person

This section and the ones after it are our practical advice.

Under the Indonesia annual leave rules as reported, a good record only has to answer three questions per employee: when they started, what they are entitled to this year, and how much they have used. The minimum columns we suggest:

A few habits make the record trustworthy:

• One door for requests. Decide on a single way to request leave, whether a form, a message to one named person, or an app. Verbal permission in the middle of a busy shift is the main source of mismatched records.
• Record on the day of approval. Not at month end. Rebuilding the numbers from chat history always produces a figure someone disputes.
• Separate the types of absence. Sick days, permitted absence and annual leave should not share a column, because only annual leave reduces this balance.
• Show employees their balance. Send each person their balance monthly, or at least quarterly. A gap is easier to settle while it is still one or two days.

Joint leave: decide and announce

Because joint leave is optional and comes out of the balance, your business needs to decide for each joint leave date whether you close or stay open. Then announce it well ahead.

• If you close on a joint leave day and staff take the day off, record it as annual leave used. Say so clearly beforehand so nobody is surprised by their balance.
• If you stay open and staff come in, then according to the Minister's explanation they are paid as on a normal working day and their balance is untouched.
• Watch for employees whose balance is already used up or who have not yet completed 12 months. The sources do not cover that case, so agree the treatment in writing and apply it consistently to everyone.

A year-end rule for unused leave

Because the fate of unused leave is not explained in the sources, a careful approach for the end of 2026 is:

1. Send each employee their leave balance by the end of November.
2. Ask them to schedule what remains, taking the busy December weeks into account.
3. Set a cut-off for December leave requests, for example two weeks ahead, so the roster can still be built.
4. Write down what applies to days left unused, and review that note when the implementing regulations appear.

Spot employees approaching five years

A long rest of 30 calendar days means one person is away for a full month. For a team of five to twenty, that needs to be planned like a project.

• Sort your staff list by start date. Mark who has already passed five years and who will reach it within the next 12 months.
• Talk to them early about timing that works, while you wait for the details in the implementing regulations.
• Start preparing cover: who can do their tasks, which documents or access must be handed over, and which customers they usually handle.

If attendance, leave and payroll are recorded in one place such as Polynusa, start dates and leave balances do not have to be rebuilt from chat every year end.

Note: this article summarises news reports and is not legal advice. Confirm your own case with an employment consultant or the local manpower office.

Sources

• Fortune Indonesia, 9 November 2026: UU Nomor 27 Tahun 2026 Resmi Berlaku
• Katadata, 16 September 2026: SKB Libur dan Cuti Bersama 2027 Terbit, Menaker Beberkan Hak Pekerja

FAQ

How many days of annual leave does Indonesian law give?

According to Fortune Indonesia's summary of Law 27/2026, at least 12 working days after 12 months of continuous service.

When does an employee qualify for the long rest?

After five years of continuous service, a worker gets a long rest of 30 calendar days. The sources do not yet explain how it is carried out.

Does joint leave reduce annual leave in Indonesia?

Yes. As reported by Katadata, the Manpower Minister said joint leave is optional and counts as part of annual leave, so taking it reduces the balance.