Q&A: Leaving with Leave: What are the rules?
Published on: 11/08/2026
Article Authors The main content of this article was provided by the following authors.
Madison Bowyer Associate in the Employment Law Group of Arthur Cox NI
Madison Bowyer Associate in the Employment Law Group of Arthur Cox NI
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Madison has experience dealing with both contentious and non-contentious employment law matters. Madison advises a range of employers across various sectors on all aspects of employment law. Madison’s practice area includes advisory work and corporate transactions.

Stay ahead of the curve with our exclusive Q&A series, brought to you by leading law firm, Arthur Cox, LLP, designed to answer your most pressing legal questions. These expert insights provide clear guidance to ensure your HR practices remain compliant and protect your organisation.

This month's question:

"An employee was on a fixed term contract and had 16 hours of annual leave left when they resigned. Does the employer have to pay the employee for the untaken leave or can they be asked to take leave instead?"

In Northern Ireland, if an employee leaves employment with accrued but untaken annual leave, they are generally entitled to payment in lieu of that accrued leave on termination. This applies whether they

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Disclaimer The information in this article is provided as part of Legal Island's Employment Law Hub. We regret we are not able to respond to requests for specific legal or HR queries and recommend that professional advice is obtained before relying on information supplied anywhere within this article. This article is correct at 11/08/2026