Guide

Leave entitlements

What leave you're entitled to as an intern or doctor, separating the statutory minimums from the internship programme's own rules, with a note on what's recently changed.

Last updated 25 June 2026Parental-leave law is changing and internship-specific entitlements vary, so confirm against the BCEA, DPSA directives and the current HPCSA handbook.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and individual circumstances vary, so confirm with SAMA’s labour team, JUDASA, or a labour-law professional before you act. See our methodology.

Leave for interns sits in two layers, and mixing them up causes most of the arguments. The statutory floor comes from the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and applies to everyone. On top of that, the internship programme and your public-service contract often give you more. The programme figures aren’t always written down in one place, though, and some commonly quoted numbers are out of date. Treat the figures below as a guide, and confirm your own entitlement against your contract and the current HPCSA handbook.

The statutory floor (BCEA)

Annual leave is 21 consecutive days per 12-month cycle, which works out to 15 working days on a five-day week.
Sick leave is 30 days over a 36-month cycle, with a qualifying period when you start.
Family-responsibility leave is three days a year, after four months’ employment.
Maternity leave is up to four consecutive months.
Parental leave has been reformed since 2020 (see the note below).

What internship typically gives you

The programme usually improves on the floor. Figures vary, so confirm yours:

Annual leave is usually around 22 working days a year, often split 11 and 11 across the two semesters and taken inside rotations.
Sick leave is about 12 days a year on full pay, with a certificate generally needed after more than two consecutive days, or a second spell within eight weeks.
Maternity leave runs up to about four months, and it extends your internship by roughly the time taken.
Special leave is often up to about seven days a year for approved courses and skills training, with caps per rotation.

These internship figures come from handbook material that varies between editions, so confirm them against the current HPCSA internship handbook, DPSA directives and your contract before relying on them.

Parental leave has changed

If you’ve seen “three days’ paternity leave,” that figure is out of date. From 2020, paternity leave was replaced by 10 days of parental leave, and a 2025 Constitutional Court ruling moved toward letting parents share around four months of parental leave between them. The detail is still being put into practice, so confirm the current rules, and how your employer is applying them, before you plan around a new baby.

Leave ties into your rights at work. If leave is being refused unfairly, see our legal rights guide for the escalation path.

Frequently asked questions

How much annual leave do interns get?

The internship programme usually allows around 22 working days a year, often split across the two semesters and taken inside rotations. That’s above the BCEA floor of 15 working days a year for a five-day week. Confirm your exact entitlement against the current HPCSA handbook and your contract.

How much sick leave is there, and when do I need a certificate?

Interns are commonly allowed about 12 days a year on full pay. You generally need a medical certificate after more than two consecutive days off, or if you’re sick more than once in an eight-week period. The BCEA statutory scheme works differently (30 days over a three-year cycle), so check which applies to you.

What about parental and paternity leave?

This has changed. The old three-day paternity leave was replaced from 2020 by 10 days of parental leave, and a 2025 Constitutional Court ruling has pushed toward parents being able to share around four months of parental leave. It’s still being put into practice, so confirm the current position before you plan.

Does maternity leave extend my internship?

Yes. Maternity leave (up to about four months) extends your internship by roughly the time taken, because internship is competency- and time-based. Plan rotations around it where you can.

What is family-responsibility leave?

Under the BCEA it’s three days a year (after four months of employment), for events such as the birth or illness of a child, or a death in the immediate family. There’s no statutory split into three days for some events and five for others, so treat any such figure as programme-specific and confirm it.

Where do these rules come from?

The statutory floor is the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, with public-service detail from DPSA directives. The internship-specific entitlements come from the HPCSA internship handbook and your contract, which is why the two don’t always match.

Related guides

Sources: Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 · Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) · HPCSA Medical & Dental Board: internship · Accessed 25 June 2026. Always confirm the current details with the primary source.

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