# How military and civil service leave works

**For:** Manager | Admin
**You'll need:** Nothing to read this. Owner or Admin role to change the policy.

{{ app_name }} seeds a **military service** leave policy for every country it supports, so the leave type is requestable from day one. What that policy pays — and for how long — depends on your country's law, because the two models in Europe are opposites. This article explains what you get out of the box and when to change it.

## The two models

**Switzerland continues your wage.** Compulsory army service, Zivilschutz, and Zivildienst are paid absence. On top of the federal loss-of-earnings benefit, an employer whose employment relationship has lasted more than three months tops the employee up to **80 % of their pre-service wage** for a limited time.

**Everywhere else suspends the contract.** In Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and the UK, the job is protected but the private employer owes **no wage** — the state compensates instead. The United States works the same way under **USERRA**: unpaid leave with a right to reinstatement.

## What's seeded per country

| Country | Tracking mode | Pay | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | Spell, on the **Berner scale** | 80 % | Art. 324a / 324b CO with EO |
| Germany | Unlimited | Unpaid | ArbPlSchG |
| Austria | Unlimited | Unpaid | APSG |
| France | Unlimited | Unpaid | Réserve opérationnelle |
| Italy | Unlimited | Unpaid | Voluntary reserve |
| United Kingdom | Unlimited | Unpaid | Reserve Forces mobilisation |
| United States | Unlimited | Unpaid | USERRA |

**Unlimited** means the absence is recorded and the job protected, but nothing is counted down — see {doc}`tracking-modes`. **Spell** means each period of service draws on a ceiling that grows with service years, exactly like the sick-leave ladder — see {doc}`manage-tiers`.

```{note}
For Switzerland, the length of the spell comes from court practice (the Berner scale is the most common), not from statute, and a collective agreement or contract may improve it. The seeded ladder is the legal minimum, not a ceiling on what you may pay.
```

```{warning}
Swiss law grants **one** continuation entitlement per service year shared across all no-fault absences — an employee who used it up through illness gets only the federal benefit for service in the same year. {{ app_name }} counts military and sick ladders **separately** by default, which pays at or above the legal minimum. Don't change that without legal advice for your own arrangement.
```

## Change the policy

Military service is a leave policy like any other. Open it under **Company → Leave policies**, pick the **'Military'** policy, and edit it — see {doc}`manage-leave-policies`. Which employment types it applies to is set under **Company → Employment types**. The two fields that matter most are the tracking mode and the payment percentage.

## Verify it worked

Open an employee's leave request form. **'Military'** appears in the leave-type list and can be requested. Approve one and check the {doc}`/manage-leave/leave-transactions/view-the-leave-ledger`: an unlimited policy records the absence without a balance movement; the Swiss spell policy counts the days against the ladder.

## Related

- {doc}`tracking-modes`
- {doc}`manage-tiers`
- {doc}`manage-leave-policies`
- {doc}`/manage-leave/leave-requests/approve-a-leave-request`