Payroll and Benefits Guide Dominica

Annual Leave (vacation)

Minimum statutory vacation leave after each completed calendar year:

• Under 5 years’ service: 2 weeks

• 5 years and over: 3 weeks.

PTO carryover

Dominica’s Labour Standards Act grants employees statutory annual vacation leave after a year of service (typically 2–3 weeks). The law does not include an explicit statutory rule on carrying unused annual leave into the next year, nor does it say that unused leave automatically expires at year-end. Employers must ensure annual leave is granted within ten months after the year it was earned and must pay out any unused leave upon termination. Because the statute is silent on carryover, a blanket “use-it-or-lose-it” policy is not advisable without clear agreement, and unused leave should generally be scheduled or paid out, not forfeited.

Public Holidays

Public holidays falling on the weekend are usually lost.

Sick Days

Cash benefit via DSS: up to 60% of average earnings (short-term sickness benefit), normally up to 26 weeks while medically certified incapable of work. Employers often top-up per policy/contract.

Maternity Leave

• Leave entitlement (Labour Standards Act): 12 weeks total — typically ≥3 weeks pre-natal and up to 9 weeks post-natal. At least 4 weeks of the leave period is paid at no less than 50% of wages (statutory floor).

• DSS maternity benefit: 60% of average weekly earnings, generally for up to 12 weeks (timing rules apply).

Paternity Leave

No specific statutory paternity leave provision in current law/guides.