In Chinese employment law, medical leave is a period of time an employee can claim to recover from illness or injury sustained off the job. Medical leave entitlements can range from 3 to 24 months based on how long the worker has been at the company and the nature of the illness or injury.

New workers are entitled to 3 months; the entitlement increases up to 24 months for senior workers. At the end of the medical leave period, an employee who is not able to return to work can be terminated, but the employer must pay one monthly salary as financial compensation for each year they have been at the company, with a minimum of six months’ salary equivalent as a medical supplement/

Additional compensation is owed for serious illness in the amount of an additional 50%, and for terminal illness an additional 100%.

Learn more about China’s medical leave law here.