S/O: How much time is your main breadwinner granted per year

[Ravin]

2 weeks, but also it's a 8-5 M-F job with paid holidays (a few more than Federal).

[texasmama]

He owns his own business and is the only employee so he takes very little time off and works weekends.  He prefers this to middle management in corporate America.  Even on days off, he answers emails and phone calls.  We went to Montana last summer, and he was dealing with issues while we were gone.  When we went to the huge waterpark for two days, staying one night in a hotel, he was dealing with emails and phone calls when we went to the locker to put on more sunscreen.  There are really no guaranteed "off" days. 

[Tap]

DH has something like 2 weeks vacation, 8 holidays, and sick days aren't really counted. (first year w/ new company)

I have 20 days vacation, 2 floats, 10 sick days, 6 holidays off/ 2 worked but double time pay  (same company for 17 years)

 

 

Dh and I make about the same money per year.

[PeacefulChaos]

I chose both 3 and 4 weeks bc the way our workplace does it is PTO - anywhere from 10-15 hours per month is earned by full time workers, depending on length of time employed.

This PTO can be used however, but there are no separate sick days or personal days or anything. This PTO is it.

[fdrinca]

DH is in an academic position, so he has summers/winter break off. In theory.

 

The flexibility in his schedule is more of a curse than a blessing. I find myself asking too often for him to pop out of his office for appointments, etc. 

 

I think he scheduled extra office hours this year to keep this from happening :)

[Kari C in SC]

My dh works for the state and gets 3 weeks vacation and 3 weeks sick time per year. He also gets a decent amount of holidays. He uses most of the time. He takes sick time for his or the kids' medical appointments or illness and when it is ridiculously extreme heat in the summer. He took a gigantic pay cut to go work for the state because we needed health insurance. We view the time off as part of the package for making a lot less money, so he uses the time.

[PrincessMommy]

My dh gets around 6weeks. It includes sick leave.  He never takes it all.  Like DawnM, he'll often make it up by working late or weekends.  My dh has been at the same company longer than we've been married.  We'll celebrate 30yrs next month.

 

 

[Daria]

I get 8 federal holidays, 11 days of PTO and 16 days of school vacation as paid leave a year for a total of 7 weeks paid, plus 4 weeks in July unpaid.

[Camelfeet]

DH gets 24 business days off (almost 5 weeks I guess).  He also banks time off in lieu on weeks that he has to work through the weekend or on public holidays.  Vacation days are use it or lose it - we have to use all of them each year because there is no financial bonus to working them.  In Canada you could take money for unused vacation days at the end of the year, but not here.

 

Then we get national holidays (usually 8-9).  Many employers will also give off christmas and easter without actually having the employees take the time off.  In Ramadan there are reduced working hours, so everyone only has to be at work 6 hours a day, and any extra time at work can be put towards additional vacation days. 

 

Sick days, I don't know how many we are allowed by law since I do not think my DH has ever taken one.  I think the law here is 15 calendar days of sick leave at full wage.  He doesn't view sick leave as vacation.  I'm surprised how many people use sick days and vacation days interchangeably.    

[Prairie~Phlox]

If my husband used his sick time and all of the paid vacation, it would be 37 days total.  However, he gets 14 paid holidays and so those are spread out over the year and then 10 paid vacation days (after 5 years, it will be 15)  that he can take and 1 sick day/month that he can accumulate.  He can also earn comp time in the winter when there is snow removal to be done.  So maybe about a week of that when all is said and done.

[LarlaB]

Both DH & I are self-employed and can take off as much time as need- of course none of it is paid. :) 

[Amy in NH]

He has worked there 13 years, and gets two paid weeks of vacation per year. He also gets six holidays paid, but depending on where some of them fall he may be required to take an unpaid day off or use a vacation day to be paid for another day in a holiday week. He also gets his birthday off which he can use as a floater.

[mellifera33]

Dh has worked for his company for more than 15 years. He gets 2 weeks of vacation, but the company culture is such that he only takes a day off here and there and cashes out the rest. So he takes maybe 4 days off per year. 5 or 6 f we have a new baby. No sick leave--he can use vacation time or not get paid. Oh, and he's salaried, so he works 10-12 hour days, plus many weekends, with no overtime pay.  

[SKL]

I voted zero.  I am a partner in the business and I am expected to carry my laptop and be available to clients almost 24/7/365.  It is a rare day (including weekends) that I am not expected to work.  Usually I can get my birthday off if it's on the weekend - but only if there isn't an urgent client matter.  There are days when I don't get much work done, mainly because my productivity comes in spurts; but I wouldn't get away with "taking a day off" just to rest.

 

In my previous job, I theoretically had 6 weeks (to include all sick and personal days).  However, taking time off was frowned on.  When I went on maternity leave, my mentor/partner advised me that I'd better keep working during my leave if I wanted to be taken seriously after that.

[Guest]

I chose both "other," and "two weeks." DH is self-employed, so there is no one to say he can't take off, but there is also no one to say he can. In reality, if I don't specifically plan a vacation, he will never take time off (except for a serious injury or death of a family member). He will only take a vacation if I tell him to.

[HRAAB]

None. No vacation, sick leave, or holiday pay. Before being laid off, 27 years with the same company, I think he had 5 weeks paid leave and holiday pay (7 to 8??) plus one personal floater. My memory is fuzzy but that sounds about right.

[Misha]

I voted "longer". Besides's DH's vacation time, which is 2 weeks, he also has personal days (5), paid holidays (10 per year), and he also has unlimited paid sick time if any of us are sick. 

After living through numerous layoffs, and supporting our family while DH went back to school for a second degree, I don't take any of that time for granted.  

[Tsuga]

We both get 2.5 days a month, which works out to about 4 weeks per year, a bit more.

 

I do not include paid sick time in that! But we never use sick time unless we are really sick, or no sitter is available. Like it has to be a real illness and sitter will not work to watch the kids. We can cash out vacation, so they want us to use that, but abuse of sick time is not looked kindly upon.

[Danestress]

He pretty much makes his schedule and can take time off as he pleases, but the reality is that his job requires a lot if time and attention. He works from home sometimes, takes lots of short vacations, and never has to explain a day off for health, family obligations, or travel.

 

But he always pays a price in terms of getting things done before or after time off. The needs of his clients are important and time sensitive, so he would probably be stressed by a long vacation. I work there too in a different capacity, and it stresses me to take a lot of time off. I prefer a day or two at a time.

[Bluegoat]

Dh gets 5 weeks vacation, plus some other days, sick time and I think a few days of family leave.  That's after 17 years - new employees start at 3 weeks vacation.  There is some flexibility in his time, he can sometimes work from home or he can go earlier and leave earlier, that kind of thing.

 

ETA - there are also special leaves like parental, which are federally mandated.  Dh took 8 months after our second daughter was born, because I didn't need any.  EI pays just over 50% during that time and his employer tops that off to 93%.  But when our ds was born, he worked in a position that was three months on and off a remote site, and he took very little, because it would have been difficult for the person he shared the position with.

[BrookValley.]

I get 4 weeks paid time off plus federal holidays and some (4?) "floating" holidays I can use whenever I want. I think I bump up to 5 or 6 weeks next year? I don't remember.

 

DH gets 3 weeks plus the same deal with holidays.

 

I work from home and have a lot of flexibility, so I don't use leave often (on the other hand, I go through periods of time when I'm working 12-18-hour days, so it's a mutually beneficial arrangement that way). Usually if I'm using leave it's because we are traveling and then, yes, I am probably taking a week at a time.

[vonfirmath]

At my job, I get two weeks paid vacation, use it or lose it every week. And sick time -- I don't know if this is capped or not. If your sick time use gets unreasonable, you will be talked to. If you need more time (like I did when DD was born), then they are willing to work with you. It is a 100-ish people company that is owned by a father-son team. (Except father now has dementia so mostly son)  I don't really stress over it. The hard part in taking vacation is the work that is on your desk to 'catch up on" when you get back.

 

So far, I have not taken more than 1 week off at a time. I like to have time to take off a day here and there for things throughout the year as well.