Sabbatical leave

What is Sabbatical leave?

Sabbatical leave is an extended, agreed period away from work, typically weeks or months, granted after a set number of years of service and usually unpaid or partly paid.

It differs from a normal holiday in both length and purpose - a sabbatical is about a genuine break or personal project, not a two-week trip, and it is rarely a statutory right. Eligibility, often tied to tenure, and pay are set entirely by company policy, not by law.

Because it is long and infrequent, the practical HR question is less about tracking a balance and more about planning: who covers the role, and what the return date is. It sits closer to unpaid leave than to the annual-leave balance most systems track day to day.

Related terms

• Unpaid leave
• Types of leave
• Garden leave