Payroll and Benefits Guide Kyrgyzstan

Annual Leave (vacation)

Employees are entitled to 28 calendar days of paid annual leave in any given year. Leave can be split into parts, but one part must be no less than 14 calendar days.

According to the Legislation, unused vacation days can be carried over into the next year or can be given as monetary compensation.

The annual leave accrual cycle starts from the beginning of employment, not according to the calendar year.

PTO carryover

In Kyrgyzstan, statutory annual leave is meant to be taken in the year it’s due, but carryover is allowed if the leave is postponed (e.g., by agreement or operational reasons). Accrued statutory leave cannot be forfeited by policy and must be taken later or paid out on termination; indefinite “use-it-or-lose-it” is not lawful.

Public Holidays

Public holidays falling on the weekend are usually lost.

Sick Days

Workers who are ill are entitled to time off work. Payment during this leave is based on the Temporary disability labour laws, which are calculated based on the employee’s average daily earnings for the three months preceding the period of incapacity for work. The average daily earnings are determined by dividing the total accrued salary for that period by the number of working days (excluding weekends and public holidays). The amount of benefit for the first 10 working days depends on the employee’s total work experience:

• up to 5 years — 60% of the average daily earnings
• from 5 to 8 years — 80% of the average daily earnings
• over 8 years — 100% of the average daily earnings

Starting from the 11th working day, the benefit is paid based on 100 calculation indicators per month.

Disability certificates are requested electronically. If electronic retrieval is not possible, they may be submitted in paper form.

Maternity Leave

Women are granted maternity leave of 126 days. This is usually split as 70 calendar days before childbirth (in cases of complicated childbirth or the birth of two or more children – 70) and 56 calendar days after childbirth.

The employer pays the total wages for the first 10 working days of leave; from the 11th day the State benefits cover payment during the remainder of the leave.

Paternity Leave

Father’s can take unpaid leave of up to 5 days following the birth of their child. This entitlement is offered under the leave prescribed in the Other Leave section (see below).

Parental Leave

Parents can request additional leave without pay to care for their child until the child reaches the age of 3 years old. By agreement, this leave may be granted at any time and for any duration.

Other Leave

Employees can take up to 5 days of unpaid leave per year per each special event, which includes birth of a child, marriage registration or the death of a close relative.