employmentstate

Twenty-One Days of Paid Military Leave for Public Employees, On Top of Vacation and Sick Leave

A Guard or reserve member working for the state, a county, a city or any political subdivision gets 21 paid days of military leave each year running 1 October to 30 September, at normal pay, in addition to any vacation or sick leave and with no loss of job rating or privileges.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: 21 paid days a year at normal pay, in addition to vacation and sick leave

The statutory year runs 1 October to 30 September, not the calendar year and not the employer’s leave year.
Pay during the leave is the employee’s normal pay from the employer.
The leave is expressly in addition to any vacation or sick leave, and carries no loss of job ratings, privileges or compensation.
Leave is charged only for days the employee was scheduled to work. Where a shift spans more than one calendar day, the charge applies to all days except the final day of the shift.

Who is entitled to it

You are a member of the Washington National Guard or of the armed forces reserves.
You work for the state, a county, a city or another political subdivision.
The leave belongs to the serving employee.
Your home is in Washington.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: When orders or a drill schedule are issued

1Count the year the way the statute does: 1 October to 30 September. Days used in September and days used in October belong to different allowances.
2Give your employer the orders or the drill schedule. The leave attaches to required military duty, training or drills.
3Do not let this be charged against vacation or sick leave. The statute says the 21 days are in addition to both.
4Check that you are being charged only for scheduled work days. A drill on a day you were not scheduled to work should not consume the allowance.
5If you work shifts that cross midnight, ask how the charge is applied: leave is charged for all days of the shift except the final day.
6Watch your job rating and privileges across the absence. The statute protects them along with compensation.

Form: Your employer’s military leave request, with your orders
File with: Your agency, county or city human resources office
Annual: Claimed once a year.

CorrectionThe year is not the calendar year. It runs 1 October to 30 September, which is the commonest way this allowance gets miscounted at the turn of a year.

Worth knowingThe charging rule for multi-day shifts matters most to firefighters, medics and corrections staff. Twenty-one days against a 24-hour shift pattern is a much larger allowance than against an eight-hour one.

Known gapPrivate-sector employment is not covered by this section. Federal reemployment law is the route there, and it was not read this session.

Sources

authority · statuteRCW 38.40.060 — military leave for public employees (every officer and employee of the state, county, city or other political subdivision who is a member of the Washington national guard or of the armed forces reserves of the United States shall be entitled to and shall be granted military leave of absence not to exceed twenty-one days during each year beginning October 1st and ending the following September 30th; the employee receives his or her normal pay; such leave is in addition to any vacation or sick leave, with no loss of job ratings, privileges or compensation; leave is charged only for days the employee is scheduled to work, and for shifts spanning multiple calendar days the charge applies to all days except the final day of the shift)

Why only one source type: The statute states the entitlement, the pay treatment and the charging rules in full; no agency restatement adds a term, and none was read this session.

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.