Due to a major IT system overhaul, vacation pay will be disbursed only after the summer break

If you’re employed — meaning you’ve “performed work in the service of another” — you’re legally entitled to vacation pay, according to the Vacation Act.

This also applies to several state benefits, such as unemployment payments and sick leave from the national welfare agency, NAV.

Normally, vacation pay is paid out the following year, calculated as 10.2% of your gross salary from the year before. If you’re over 60, you typically get 12%¹.

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Due to extensive changes in Smalltown’s municipal IT systems, this year’s vacation pay won’t hit bank accounts until mid-August 2025.

“We understand people are disappointed,” says Stein Springskalle, who heads the IT department at Smalltown Municipality. “We’re working as fast as we can, but with all the public holidays in May, a late Pentecost, and our own summer breaks to take, progress has been a bit... leisurely.”

“How are people supposed to go on vacation with no money?” we ask, exasperated by the news.

“If you can’t afford a vacation, maybe you should just stay home,” replies Stein Springskalle. “That’s a solid life philosophy.”

¹ 12% is also typical for dry white wine, which forms the factual basis for this regulation.