Study leave in Uruguay: paid days to sit your exams

Working and studying at once is hard, and the law recognizes it: study leave gives you paid days to sit exams without spending your annual leave. Here's how many days you get, the conditions, and how to request it.

How many days

The number depends on your weekly hours. Law 18.345 sets the minimum:

Per Law 18.345:

«Para hasta 36 (treinta y seis) horas semanales, 6 (seis) días anuales como mínimo.»

In English: For up to 36 weekly hours, 6 days a year as a minimum.

And for longer hours:

«Para más de 36 (treinta y seis) y menos de 48 (cuarenta y ocho) horas semanales, 9 (nueve) días anuales como mínimo.»

In English: For more than 36 and fewer than 48 weekly hours, 9 days a year as a minimum.

Requirements

It isn't automatic from day one: you need some seniority at the company.

On seniority:

«los trabajadores deberán tener más de 6 (seis) meses de antigüedad en la empresa.»

In English: workers must have more than 6 months of seniority at the company.

How to request and justify it

You must give the employer prior notice (generally some business days ahead) and then justify it with a certificate from the institution proving you sat the exam. If you don't present proof, you can lose the right for a while and the days may be deducted as unexcused absence. The detail is in Law 18.345:

At a glance

In short: study leave gives you 6 or 9 paid days a year to sit exams, with 6+ months seniority, notifying beforehand and justifying afterwards. It's separate from your annual leave.