# How many days do you work in a year? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256 "2016-03-17T12:31:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/1 "2016-03-17T12:31:28Z")
Last year my work schedule changed from five 8-hour days to four 10-hour days. I was just calculating how many days I work in a year, and I discovered that, my total (4\*52=208) minus Federal holidays (10), 3 weeks combined vacation and sick days (12), and snow days and delayed openings (I estimate 3.5), I work exactly 50% of the year (182.5 days). How many days, on average, do you work in a year? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/2 "2016-03-17T13:06:54Z")
260 weekdays minus 6 holidays minus 35 days vacation = 219 days. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/3 "2016-03-17T13:07:13Z")
On average, zero. (I’m retired.) In my last full-time job, about 230 days per year. ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/4 "2016-03-17T13:24:58Z")
I get 25 work days (i.e. five weeks) of paid holiday, plus 12 public holidays. So 260 - 25 - 12 = 223 work days per year. Minus any sick days, of course; I can take up to ten paid sick days per year. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/5 "2016-03-17T13:25:03Z")
I’m starting a new job on Monday. It’ll be five 8-hour days, with 8 Fed holidays and (I think) 20 personal leave days. My math says 230 days. The current plan is to do this until the end of 2018, then retire again for reals, or maybe cut back to part-time as needed. We’ll see what happens when the time comes. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/6 "2016-03-17T13:34:28Z")
Depending on when Christmas and New Years falls, 180 to 182 days a year, if I take all my sick days, personal days, vacation days, and take advantage of the point system to its fullest. Looking at it that way, it really doesn’t seem all that bad that I only get 8 paid vacation days, 4 paid sick days, and 2 paid personal days. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/7 "2016-03-17T13:42:20Z")
Just figured out my fiancees; at most she works 156 days a year before vacation days, sick days, etc. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/8 "2016-03-17T13:54:33Z")
Define “work”. If I spend time on Sunday checking emails and doing a to-do list, is that work? If a client calls on Saturday and I spend 10 minutes on the phone… is that work? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/9 "2016-03-17T14:04:12Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Define “work”. If I spend time on Sunday checking emails and doing a to-do list, is that work? If a client calls on Saturday and I spend 10 minutes on the phone… is that work? That’s really up to you. Do you consider that “work”? How many emails do you need to look at or how many calls do you need to take to qualify as “a day at work”? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/10 "2016-03-17T14:05:18Z")
Contract is 182 days. But I also coach, which takes up another 35 days (on average). I try really hard not to take leave or sick days, so let’s take maybe 5 days/year from that total. So maybe 212 days. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/11 "2016-03-17T14:47:37Z")
Most years, 365. This year, 366. I’m a self-employed artist. No weekends, no vacations, no holidays, no sick days, no personal days. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/12 "2016-03-17T14:48:13Z")
Work year is 5 8-hr days, so 260 days - 10 Federal holidays gives me a base of 250 days. I get 26 days of leave to ‘use or lose’ each year, so that gets me to 224. Normally I have 2-3 sick days, so somewhere between 220-222 working days a year. Of course, I retire at the end of April, so I have only 30 work days left… ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/13 "2016-03-17T14:52:29Z")
187 contract days: maybe take 2 off. I work at least 20 Saturdays a year. In the summer, generally ten days at work, five days at other work, and five days training, so that’s 225. All that’s “work” where I am either in a school, at a training, or on a trip. I’m not counting any work at home. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/14 "2016-03-17T16:03:52Z")
00.00 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/15 "2016-03-17T16:05:01Z")
Starting with the 260 weekdays… 9 “office closed” days 15 vacation days (typically) 1 sick day …puts me at about 235 days per year. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/16 "2016-03-17T16:07:16Z")
Another retiree who works zero days. ---
**Author:** ![SUZ\_MAC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@SUZ\_MAC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SUZ_MAC)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/17 "2016-03-17T17:04:49Z")
229 if I use all of my vacation/personal/sick days. Looking forward to answering 0 days, but that’s not for another 8 years. Unless that lottery dream of mine comes true. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/18 "2016-03-17T17:26:24Z")
220-225 days, depending on which of 1 Jan, 6 Jan, 3 Oct, 1 Nov, 24/25/26/31 Dec are on weekdays, minus sick days (0-4 in most years, buth there have been years with 20-25). ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/19 "2016-03-17T17:56:18Z")
14 days of vacation, and 1 day off every week on average. I work 298 days a year. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256/20 "2016-03-17T18:07:31Z")
For the last two months, and hopefully for some foreseeable future, I work three 7-hour days a week. So, 156 or 137 days a year, depending on how you count. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-days-do-you-work-in-a-year/749256.md?page=2)