An estimate, assuming the leave year is the calendar year, and a dismissed employee had an open-ended contract. Based on Labour Law No. 17 of 2010 as available on 2 November 2026. General information, not legal advice. Diwan accepts no liability for reliance on it.
Annual leave under Syrian labour law
Article 155 of Labour Law No. 17 of 2010 sets paid annual leave by length of service:
| Service | Annual leave |
|---|---|
| Under one year | Pro rata |
| One to five years | 14 working days |
| Five to under ten years | 21 working days |
| Ten years or more, or employees over 50 | 30 working days |
- Arduous or hazardous work, or remote areas: seven extra working days (Article 156). The calculator adds them if you tick the option.
- Carrying leave over: unused leave can move to the next year on a written request with the employer’s consent. Otherwise the employee is owed cash in lieu (Article 161).
- At the end of service: the employee is paid for leave they have not taken (Article 163).
Notice period
To end an open-ended contract, either side gives the other two months’ written notice. The parties cannot agree to waive or shorten it, and whoever breaks it owes the other the wage for the missing period (Article 56). In a fixed-term contract, an employee who ends it early owes whatever notice or compensation the law sets, and the employer may end it by paying the wage for the rest of the term (Article 53). When the employer gives notice, the employee may take one paid day a week to look for work (Article 59).
Dismissal and compensation
- Dismissal without notice or compensation is allowed in listed cases, such as serious misconduct or unexcused absence, and the employer must prove them (Article 64).
- Unfair dismissal: if the employer cannot prove one of those grounds, the employee gets two months’ last wage per year of service, capped at 150 times the general minimum wage, on top of the notice period (Article 65). The minimum wage is now 12,560 new pounds under Decree 67 of 2026, so the cap is 1,884,000 new pounds.
- Dismissal on a prohibited ground, such as union activity, a complaint or discrimination: the court orders reinstatement, and if that is not possible, compensation of two months’ wage per year, capped at 200 times the minimum wage (Article 67).
The calculator shows the amount the law provides if the dismissal is found to be unfair. Whether it is unfair is for a court to decide.
Is there an end-of-service gratuity?
The Labour Law sets no general end-of-service gratuity that the employer pays every employee. An employee covered by social insurance receives their end-of-service benefits from the General Establishment for Social Insurance under its own law, as a pension or a lump sum depending on how long they contributed. An employee not covered by social insurance whose contract ends for an Article 62 reason, such as retirement age, death or disability, is owed one month’s last wage per year of service, including part years (Article 63). Registering employees with social insurance is mandatory for the employer.
The employer must pay wages and all entitlements within seven working days of the contract ending, or, after a resignation, within fifteen working days of the employee’s claim (Article 79).
How the calculator works
- Years of service = full years up to the last anniversary of the start date, plus the days since then ÷ the days in that anniversary year.
- Leave earned this year = annual entitlement × days of the year up to the end date ÷ days in the year, counted from the start date if it falls in the same year.
- Unused balance = leave earned this year + balance carried over − leave taken. If more was taken, the balance is negative and its value is shown as a deduction.
- Pay for unused leave = unused balance × (monthly wage ÷ 30). The law does not set the daily-wage divisor, so the calculator uses 30 by default, and you can choose 26 (working days). The contract or internal rules take precedence over this assumption.
- Unfair dismissal compensation = 2 × monthly wage × years of service, capped at 150 × 12,560.
Example: an employee on 35,000 new pounds started on 1 August 2019, left on 31 October 2026 and took 10 days of this year’s leave. That is 7.3 years of service, so 21 days of annual leave, of which 17.5 days were earned this year. That leaves 7.5 days, worth 8,750 pounds. If the dismissal were unfair, compensation would be about 507,644 pounds, plus 70,000 pounds in lieu of notice if notice was not given.
If you enter them, the calculator adds a balance carried over from last year and the extra days for arduous or hazardous work or a remote area. It does not include unpaid wages, or anything better that the contract or internal rules give the employee.
From the calculator to the employee file
Diwan keeps each employee’s leave balance and updates it with every leave request, and works out salary and the insurance share every month. To estimate net pay, try the net salary calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many days of annual leave do employees get in Syria?
Under Article 155 of Labour Law No. 17 of 2010: 14 working days for up to five years of service, 21 days for five to ten years, and 30 days from ten years of service or for employees over 50. Employees with under a year of service get leave pro rata. The law may require a full year of service before the full leave can be taken, but pay in lieu at the end of service is due in proportion to the period served.
Is unused leave paid when someone leaves?
Yes. At the end of service the employee is paid for the annual leave they have not taken, under Article 163 of the Labour Law.
How much is unfair dismissal compensation in Syria?
Two months’ last wage per year of service, capped at 150 times the general minimum wage, on top of the notice period, under Article 65. It applies when the employer cannot prove a lawful ground for the dismissal, and a court decides it.
Does an employee who resigns get an end-of-service gratuity?
The Labour Law sets no general gratuity that the employer pays on resignation. If the employee is covered by social insurance, their benefits come from the General Establishment for Social Insurance. In every case they are owed their wage up to the last working day and pay for unused leave.
General information only, not legal advice. The law may be amended after this date, so check the text in force. For your company’s own case, consult a lawyer or the competent authority.