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Leave in Argentina
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Argentina
Adoption leave in Argentina
Other leave in Argentina
Public holidays in Argentina
Protect your employees and your business
Leave and time off in Argentina
Employees in Argentina are entitled to time off work in a variety of different circumstances. For example, all employees are entitled to at least a certain amount of annual leave each year to use for holidays or relaxation. An employee’s specific legal annual leave in Argentina depends on their length of service. It’s important for employers in Argentina to fully understand these entitlements so they can ensure their employees get the leave they’re entitled to.
In this section, we’ll cover various types of employee leave in Argentina, including annual leave, sick leave, maternity and paternity leave, and more. We’ll also cover public holidays, of which there are at least 15 per year in Argentina. In short, this guide will take you through everything you need to know about employee leave as an employer in Argentina.
Leave in Argentina
Employees in Argentina are entitled to paid leave for various reasons. Here are the basic types of leave you need to be aware of as you put together your leave policy in Argentina.
Annual leave in Argentina
Annual leave in Argentina is granted according to each employee’s years of service. New employees are entitled to one day of leave for every 20 days worked. Once an employee has worked for an employer for six months, they are entitled to 14 days of leave.
After this point, annual leave entitlements are as follows:
- 5–10 years: 21 calendar days of leave.
- 10–20 years: 28 calendar days of leave.
- 20+ years: 35 calendar days of leave.
Annual leave is paid in full by the employer including any benefits and bonuses the employee would have earned if they were at work.
Sick leave in Argentina
Employees in Argentina are also entitled to paid sick leave if they are too ill to work. The amount of paid leave they can get depends on their length of service. Employees who have worked for their employer for up to five years are entitled to three months of paid sick leave per year, while those who have worked for more than five years are entitled to six months of sick leave.
In either case, an employee’s sick leave entitlement is doubled if they have any dependents. Sick leave in Argentina is paid at 100% by the employer. However, this is covered by mandatory labour risk insurance, which also covers treatments and rehabilitation for work-related injuries or diseases. Employees can also get unpaid sick leave for an additional 12 months.
Public holidays in Argentina
There are 18 national holidays per year in Argentina. Employers can choose to count these as part of their employees’ annual leave entitlement or to grant them as additional days off. Moveable holidays are moved to the previous or following Monday depending on the day of the week they fall on.
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in Argentina
Employees in Argentina are entitled to time off work when they or their partner gives birth. Read on for details about Argentina’s maternity and paternity leave policy.
Maternity leave in Argentina
Maternity leave laws in Argentina grant female employees 90 calendar days of maternity leave when they have a baby. Employees must take at least 30 days of leave before the birth of their child but can choose to start their leave up to 45 days in advance.
Maternity leave is paid in full by the social security system as a family allowance. Employees can choose to request additional unpaid leave of 3–6 months after their paid maternity leave is over. Once they return to work, employees are entitled to up to two half-hour breastfeeding breaks per day for up to a year.
Paternity leave in Argentina
Paternity leave in Argentina is quite limited compared to maternity leave. Fathers are entitled to two days of paid leave following the birth of a child, which must be taken immediately after the birth. This is paid at 100% of their normal remuneration rate by the employer. In some sectors, collective bargaining agreements may provide for additional leave. Some employees may also choose to use their earned annual leave to extend their paternity leave.
Parental leave in Argentina
There are no provisions for paid or unpaid parental leave in Argentine labour law. Of course, employers can choose to offer additional leave to parents as an employee benefit.
Adoption leave in Argentina
There are no specific provisions in Argentine labour law for adoption leave. Since maternity leave is only available to the birthing parents, adopting parents are only entitled to two days’ leave for the birth of the child they are adopting (paternity leave).
Other leave in Argentina
Employees in Argentina are also entitled to paid and unpaid leave for various reasons. Here are some of the main types of leave you might come across if you hire workers in Argentina.
Bereavement leave in Argentina
Employees can take three days of leave for the death of a parent, child, or spouse, and one day of leave for the death of a sibling.
Marriage leave in Argentina
Employees are entitled to 10 days of leave when they get married. This is paid at 100% of normal wages by the employer.
School exam leave in Argentina
Employees who are enrolled in high school or university are entitled to leave to study for exams. They can take up to three days of leave at a time, up to an annual maximum of 10 days.
Voting leave in Argentina
Employees are entitled to two hours’ leave to vote on election days.
Public holidays in Argentina
There are between 16 and 19 paid public holidays each year in Argentina, including several “bridge holidays” that create long weekends. Certain holidays are considered “moving holidays,” meaning they do not fall on the same date every year and may be rescheduled depending on the calendar to encourage tourism and economic activity. If a moving holiday falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, it may be transferred to the preceding Monday; if it falls on a Thursday, Friday, or weekend, it may be moved to the following Monday.
Public holidays in Argentina in 2026
Here are the public holidays observed in Argentina in 2026:
1 January
New Year’s Day
16 February
Carnival (Monday)
16 February
Carnival (Tuesday)
24 March
Truth and Justice Day
2 April
Malvinas Day
17 April
Maundy Thursday
3 April
Good Friday
1 May
Labour Day
25 May
Revolution Day
20 June
Flag Day
9 July
Independence Day
17 August
Death of San Martín (Memorial Day).
12 October
Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity.
23 November
National Sovereignty Day (observed Monday).
8 December
Immaculate Conception
25 December
Christmas Day
Protect your employees and your business
As an employer in Argentina, you need to understand your employees’ rights and entitlements. But keeping up with them can be a lot of work.
When you hire workers with CXC, we’ll ensure your engagements are in line with all local, national and international employment regulations. That way, your workers will get their benefits they’re entitled to, and your business will be protected from risk.
FAQ's
What paid leave are employees entitled to in Argentina?
Employees are entitled to paid annual vacation, calculated by seniority, and paid sick leave for non-work-related illness or injury. The law also grants “licencias especiales,” short paid leaves for marriage, the birth of a child, bereavement, and exams. Maternity leave runs to ninety days, split before and after birth.
Paternity leave is delivered through the same special-leave article rather than its own statute and currently runs to two paid days. Public holidays sit outside vacation entitlement and are paid non-working days in their own right. Employees also receive the SAC, a statutory thirteenth-month bonus paid twice a year, though this is a bonus rather than a leave type. Together these entitlements form the baseline every employer in Argentina must meet, regardless of sector or company size.
How many vacation days are employees entitled to in Argentina?
Employees in Argentina are entitled to 14 to 35 calendar days of paid annual vacation, based on their length of service:
- Up to 5 years: 14 calendar days.
- More than 5 and up to 10 years: 21 calendar days.
- More than 10 and up to 20 years: 28 calendar days.
- More than 20 years: 35 calendar days.
Seniority is calculated based on the employee’s length of service as of 31 December of the relevant year. Employees who have not worked at least half of the working days in the year generally receive one day of vacation for every 20 days actually worked.
Under the rules updated in 2026, vacation is generally granted between 1 October and 30 April, with at least 30 days’ written notice. Employers and employees can also agree to split the vacation period, provided each period is at least seven days. The 2026 reform also expressly provides that an illness reported during annual vacation interrupts the leave. The unused balance must then be rescheduled by agreement between the employer and employee.
What types of statutory leave exist in Argentina?
Employees in Argentina have statutory leave for annual vacation, sickness, maternity, birth of a child, marriage, bereavement and examinations.
The main statutory leave entitlements include:
- Annual vacation: 14 to 35 calendar days based on seniority.
- Sick leave: 3 to 12 months of paid leave based on seniority and family circumstances.
- Maternity leave: 90 days.
- Birth of a child: 2 paid days.
- Marriage: 10 consecutive days.
- Bereavement: 3 days for the death of a spouse, partner, child or parent, and 1 day for a sibling.
- Examinations: 2 consecutive days per exam, up to 10 days per calendar year.
Employees are also entitled to statutory public holidays. Some collective bargaining agreements may provide additional leave or better entitlements than the statutory minimum.
How does sick leave work in Argentina?
Employees in Argentina can take paid sick leave when they are unable to work because of an illness or injury that is not work-related.
The employee must notify their employer of the illness and where they are staying on the first day, they are unable to work. The employer has the right to arrange a medical examination to confirm the employee’s condition. Following the 2026 reform, supporting medical certificates must identify the diagnosis, treatment and required period of absence. They must be issued by an authorised healthcare professional and digitally signed through the systems permitted by law.
Paid sick leave lasts between 3 and 12 months, based on the employee’s length of service and family circumstances. If the employee is still unable to return after their paid sick leave entitlement ends, the employer must generally keep their position available for up to 12 additional months, although this period is unpaid.
Work-related accidents and occupational illnesses are handled separately under Argentina’s workers’ compensation system (ART) rather than the ordinary sick leave provisions of the Labour Contract Law.
How much paid sick leave are employees entitled to in Argentina?
Employees in Argentina are entitled to between 3 and 12 months of paid sick leave, based on their length of service and whether they have family dependants.
- Less than 5 years of service, without dependants: 3 months.
- 5 years or more of service, without dependants: 6 months.
- Less than 5 years of service, with dependants: 6 months.
- 5 years or more of service, with dependants: 12 months.
This entitlement applies to illnesses or injuries that are not related to work. Work-related accidents and occupational illnesses are covered separately through ART.
During the paid sick leave period, the employee continues to receive their remuneration. Where pay includes variable components, such as commissions, the amount must also account for the employee’s variable earnings in accordance with the applicable rules.
An applicable collective bargaining agreement may provide additional benefits or more favourable sick leave terms.
What maternity and parental leave are employees entitled to in Argentina?
Employees in Argentina are entitled to 90 calendar days of maternity leave, while paternity leave is two consecutive paid days.
Maternity leave is generally taken as 45 days before the expected birth date and 45 days after birth. The employee can choose to take as little as 10 days before the birth and use the remaining days afterwards.
If the baby is born before the expected date, the unused portion of pre-birth leave is added to the post-birth period, preserving the full maternity leave entitlement.
Collective bargaining agreements may provide longer maternity, paternity or parental leave than the statutory minimum. Employers should therefore check whether an applicable agreement provides additional entitlement.
What other types of leave exist in Argentina?
In addition to annual vacation, sick leave and maternity leave, employees in Argentina can receive statutory leave for marriage, the birth of a child, bereavement and examinations.
The statutory entitlements are:
- Marriage: 10 consecutive paid days.
- Birth of a child: 2 consecutive paid days.
- Death of a spouse or partner, child or parent: 3 consecutive paid days.
- Death of a sibling: 1 paid day.
- Examinations: 2 consecutive paid days per exam, up to 10 days per calendar year.
These are the minimum entitlements under Argentina’s Labour Contract Law (LCT). An applicable collective bargaining agreement can provide employees with additional leave or longer periods than the statutory minimum.
Are public holidays counted as part of annual leave in Argentina?
Yes. If a public holiday falls during an employee’s annual vacation in Argentina, it generally forms part of the vacation period and does not give the employee an additional vacation day.
For example, if an employee takes 14 calendar days of annual vacation and a public holiday fall within those 14 days, the holiday does not extend the vacation to 15 days.
This is because Argentina’s statutory annual vacation entitlement is calculated in calendar days rather than working days. Weekends and public holidays that fall within the scheduled vacation period are therefore included when counting the employee’s vacation days.
Public holidays that fall outside an employee’s vacation period are treated separately under Argentina’s public holiday rules.
Employers should also check any applicable collective bargaining agreement, as it may provide more favourable vacation or holiday arrangements.
What collective bargaining agreement (CBA) exceptions apply to leave entitlements in Argentina?
Collective bargaining agreements can extend Argentina’s statutory leave policy well beyond the Ley de Contrato de Trabajo’s minimums, and this is most visible in maternity and paternity leave. The national public administration’s agreement grants one hundred days to the gestating parent and fifteen consecutive days to the non-gestating parent,, while provincial public-sector arrangements may also provide more generous entitlements.
To take effect, a CBA must first be registered, or approved by , the competent national labour authority, as applicable.. Some multinational employers go further still, offering enhanced maternity or paternity leave as a company benefit even where no CBA requires it.
Vacation is extended less often through bargaining than parental leave. Employers should always check the applicable CBA and any company policy before assuming the statutory minimums are the full picture.
How can companies avoid leave compliance issues in Argentina with CXC?
CXC helps companies manage leave compliance in Argentina by tracking employee entitlements, calculating leave correctly and managing the local requirements for vacation, sick leave, maternity leave and other statutory leave.
Through our Employer of Record service, we track vacation entitlement based on each employee’s seniority and manage the required documentation and notice periods. We also handle sick leave records, maternity and other statutory leave, and any additional entitlements under an applicable collective bargaining agreement.
Leave is also connected to payroll. Our team makes sure paid absences are recorded correctly and reflected in the employee’s pay and employment records.
We also monitor changes to Argentina’s leave requirements and update the relevant processes when local rules change. Your HR team does not have to manage every Argentine leave requirement, calculation or local update themselves.
Speak to our team to learn more about managing employee leave in Argentina with CXC.
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