HR named the best months for vacation in terms of income

By the end of 2026, October and December will be the most profitable months for annual leave in terms of saving income. November, on the contrary, may lead to a more noticeable decrease in payments due to fewer working days. Valentina Romanova, HR Director of the Level Group, told Izvestia about this on September 8.

According to the expert, the amount of income during the vacation depends on the ratio of the cost of a working day and the average daily earnings, according to which vacation pay is calculated.

"With a fixed salary, the cost of one working day changes monthly: the salary is divided by the number of days actually worked according to the production calendar. The fewer working days in a month due to holidays, the more expensive each missed one is. According to Article 139 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, vacation pay is calculated for calendar days based on average earnings over the past 12 months. Therefore, it is financially more reasonable to go on vacation in the months with the maximum number of working days," Romanova explained.

In October and December 2026, 22 working days are planned. Due to this, the cost of one working day will be closer to the average daily earnings, therefore, when going on vacation, the total monthly income will not decrease so significantly.

There will be 20 working days in November due to the holiday holiday on November 4 — National Unity Day. As a result, each working day will cost more, and its replacement with a vacation day may lead to a greater loss in wages, the expert explained.

Romanova gave an example of a calculation for an employee with a salary of 70 thousand rubles. With a fully completed billing period, excluding bonuses and sick leave, the average daily salary for calculating vacation pay will be about 2,389 rubles. At the same time, the cost of a working day in October and December will be about 3,182 rubles, and in November — 3,500 rubles. If you take five working days off from Monday to Friday, the income reduction in November will be about 5,555 rubles, while in October it will be about 3,964 rubles.

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Weekends can also be taken into account when planning a vacation. If you take a vacation for seven calendar days from Monday to Sunday, Saturday and Sunday will also be paid according to the average daily earnings.

"If you take a vacation for seven calendar days (from Monday to Sunday), Saturday and Sunday will also be paid at the average daily rate. With a salary of 70 thousand rubles, the payment for two days off will add over 4.7 thousand rubles of vacation pay, which will fully cover the difference in the cost of working days," Romanova said.

This option allows you to increase the total amount of payments per month, but it also has a downside — the days of annual leave are spent faster. Therefore, it is more profitable for employees who want to save more days for extended vacations or trips not to include weekends during the vacation period. At the same time, one of the parts of the annual leave must be at least 14 calendar days.

According to Romanova, the choice of vacation dates depends on the priorities of the employee himself. If the main task is to maintain the usual income level or receive the maximum possible monthly payment, it is worth choosing months with a large number of working days and considering the possibility of including weekends during the rest period.

On August 24, the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation reported that non-working holidays that fall during the period of annual paid leave are not counted among its calendar days. The department also recalled that annual leave is allowed to be divided into several parts if the employee and the employer have reached an agreement. At least one of the rest periods should last at least 14 calendar days.