Statutory leave under Pakistan law
Pakistani labour law mandates several leave types for permanent workers. The principal statute is the West Pakistan Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Ordinance 1968, supplemented by provincial acts in Punjab, Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan.
Annual Leave (Earned Leave / Privilege Leave)
Minimum 14 days per year after completing 12 months of continuous service. Accrued at 1 day per 20 days worked. Must be taken in the year earned or carried forward with employer consent.
Sick Leave (Medical Leave)
Minimum 10 days per year (8 days in some provinces). Full pay for up to 6 weeks after medical certificate is produced; half pay for next 6 weeks. No accrual — granted annually.
Casual Leave
Minimum 10 days per year (varies by province). Used for unplanned, short absences. Generally cannot be combined with annual leave. Cannot be carried forward — lapses at year end.
Maternity Leave
12 weeks (84 days) for the first 3 pregnancies under the Maternity Benefit Ordinance 1958. Full pay. Federal employees get 180 days under the Leave Rules 1981. Some provincial governments have extended entitlement further.
Eid/Religious Leave (Public Holidays)
Gazetted public holidays are not technically a "leave type" in Pakistan law — they are paid rest days. Octal HR manages these through the Holiday Calendar, not the leave module. Working on a public holiday triggers overtime at double rate.
Provincial variation: Minimum entitlements vary by province. Sindh's Sindh Factories Act 2015 and Punjab's Punjab Industrial Relations Act 2010 have slightly different thresholds. Always verify against the applicable provincial act for your offices outside Islamabad.
Common company-added leave types
Beyond statutory minimums, most Pakistani companies add:
| Leave Type | Typical Days | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paternity Leave | 3–7 days | Not mandated by most provincial laws but commonly offered; Federal Government grants 30 days |
| Bereavement / Condolence Leave | 3–5 days | For death of immediate family member |
| Study / Exam Leave | Up to 14 days/year | For employees pursuing professional qualifications |
| Marriage Leave | 3–5 days | Once in service for own marriage |
| Hajj Leave | Up to 40 days | Once in career; partially paid or unpaid depending on company policy |
| Work from Home (WFH) | Unlimited or capped | Managed via attendance; not typically a leave balance type |
| Compensatory Off (Comp-Off) | Earned | Granted when an employee works on a weekly off or holiday, per company policy. |
| Unpaid Leave (Leave Without Pay) | As approved | Full deduction from salary; no balance tracking needed but must be recorded |
Creating a leave type
You define the leave types your company uses under Leave → Leave Types. Each leave type has a small, fixed set of fields:
Leave type fields
A leave type in Octal HR is intentionally simple — it stores just these fields:
| Field | Value | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Text (unique) | The label shown to employees and on reports |
| Days Allowed Per Year | Whole number of days | The annual entitlement used as the basis for the balance |
| Carry Forward | Yes / No | A flag marking whether this type is allowed to carry forward |
| Status | Active / Inactive | Whether the type is available for new leave applications |
Whether a type is paid or unpaid, half-days, medical-certificate rules, advance notice, and similar policy details are handled through your written company policy and day-to-day HR review — they are not per-type toggles in the leave type record.