How to turn 20 days of annual leave into 49

More and more Aussies are sacrificing summer holidays and working through January - and there’s a savvy reward for those that do so.

• Daily Telegraph School Holidays Guide

More and more Aussies are sacrificing summer holidays and working through January - and there’s a savvy reward for those that do so.

By playing their cards right, employees can extend their minimum 20 days’ annual leave to as much as 49 days just by booking time-off around public holidays.

Angus Kidman, Travel Expert at Finder.Com.Au, said there were a number of clever hacks you can use to maximise your holiday time per year.

There are a number of clever hacks you can use to maximise your holiday time per year.

“Though the legal minimum for annual leave is 20 days for full-time employees, it’s possible to extend this to as much as 49 days if you plan your leave well in advance,” he said.

“Booking around public holidays like Good Friday and Easter Monday can extend the number of days you get away from work without cutting into your annual leave.”

Finder gave one example of how to turn 7 days off into a 16 day holiday over Easter between Saturday April 13 and Sunday April 28.

‘Take the week of Good Friday off, and the week of Easter Monday/ANZAC Day off, and for 7 days annual leave, you get 16 days off in a row - that’s almost 2.5 weeks off,” the site reveals.

The survey found forty per cent of Aussies lack the funds for a summer getaway.

The survey also found one in three Aussies (33%) worked in December and January without time off.

Of those staying back, 40% lack the funds for a summer getaway, while 32% have a trip planned for a different time of year.

A further 28% simply don’t want to pay the summer tax for a holiday.

“It’s no secret that prices often skyrocket during the holiday season, but keep an eye out for January specials,” Kidman said.

“Many airline companies opt to start the new year with a bang and will produce a handful of last-minute deals.”