The 2027 Vacation Calendar: Months That Maximize Your Pay

When a salaried employee takes annual leave, the paycheck for that month can shrink — but not because of any penalty. The loss occurs because vacation days are paid at a fixed average rate, while each working day the employee misses would have been paid at that particular month's daily rate. So choosing a month with many working days (when the daily rate is relatively low) means missing out on lower earnings per day, while a month with fewer working days means skipping a more expensive workday. As a result, the months with the highest number of working days are the most financially attractive for taking leave.

Based on the draft production calendar for 2027 — which projects 247 working days — Alexander Yuzhalin, head of legal practice at Russian job platform SuperJob, has pinpointed the five most advantageous months for a five-day workweek with a fixed salary: March, July, August, September and December, each with 22 working days. By contrast, January (15 days), February and May are the riskiest for your wallet, because the daily cost of working in those months is sharply higher, making it more expensive to be absent.

The expert stressed that the final calendar will depend on a government decree on weekend transfers, which has not yet been signed. However, the draft indicates the 2027 working year will contain 247 workdays and 118 days off, making the arithmetic clear enough for advance planning.

Why Some Months Cost You More When You Take Leave

How the ‘Daily Rate’ Trap Works

For Russian workers paid a fixed monthly salary, the amount paid for vacation days is calculated from average daily earnings over the previous 12 months. The untouched salary for the remaining working days is then paid at the month’s own daily rate, which is total monthly salary divided by the number of working days in that month. So if you take a week off in a month with only 15 working days, each day you skip 'costs' you a larger chunk of your salary than in a month with 22 working days. Because your vacation pay is based on a lower, averaged-out daily sum, the shortfall compared to staying at work is greatest in months with few working days.

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Calendar Uncertainty: One Decree Could Shift the Best Months

The calculation neatly explains why January, with its extended New Year holidays and just 15 working days, is the worst month for leave — you forfeit the most valuable workdays of the year. Conversely, the five months with 22 days offer the smallest gap between your vacation allowance and what you’d have earned by working, essentially letting you enjoy time off with minimal financial impact.

The picture isn’t final, however. The Russian government’s annual resolution on public holiday transfers can shift working days between weeks, altering the effective count for certain months. While the 2027 draft points to 247 workdays, any last-minute changes — for example, a Monday public holiday creating a three-day weekend — could trim a working day from an otherwise busy month. Employees would do well to check the final production calendar before locking in leave dates, especially if they aim for March or September, where even one lost workday could slightly alter the math.

Smart Leave Scheduling for Russian Workers

  • If you work a five-day week on a fixed salary, schedule your main 2027 leave in March, July, August, September or December to minimize the difference between your vacation pay and what you would have earned. A two-week holiday in December could leave you with a nearly full salary.
  • Avoid planning extended leave in January, February or May, unless work obligations or family reasons make it unavoidable. In those months, each missed workday costs you significantly more.
  • Check the final 2027 production calendar (usually published in the autumn) before submitting leave requests. Even minor weekend transfer changes can affect the effective daily rate in the months you’re considering.
  • Remember that this logic applies only to salaried employees on a standard five-day schedule. Hourly workers, shift-based employees, or those with performance-based pay will have different considerations.