In China employment law, an employee may request taking leave for a variety of purely personal leave, for example to take care of important personal matters or to address a family emergency, for a reason not covered by a statutory paid leave benefit. The employee will be required to follow an unpaid personal leave request policy in compliance with all requirements, the failure of which can lead to their lawful termination without compensation. In general, an employee is not paid for taking a personal leave, however, some companies do provide paid compassionate leave for personal reasons.

Companies in China have widely varying policies limiting maximum unpaid personal leave per year, but 10 days per year is a widely cited maximum allowance given by companies. Taking an unpaid personal leave beyond the maximum allowed by the company may be deemed absenteeism.