Vacation days in Germany: rules on leave, pay, and carryover

In German, Urlaub means leave, Urlaubsanspruch is your entitlement, and Urlaubstage are your leave days. Last checked against federal law and published court guidance on 25 September 2026, this general guide explains how leave entitlement, unused days, pay, and payout work.

Key takeaways

• Germany’s statutory minimum is 24 working days on a 6-day week, which usually equals 20 paid vacation days on a 5-day week.
• Many employers offer more than the legal floor. In practice, 25 to 30 days is common, and Destatis says full-time workers in most sectors averaged at least 28 days.
• You earn full statutory entitlement after 6 months with the same employer, but partial leave can apply sooner or when you join or leave mid-year.
• Vacation should usually be used in the current calendar year, though some days can carry over into the first 3 months of the next year.
• If you get sick during approved vacation and have a medical certificate, those certified sick days are usually not counted as vacation days.

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How many vacation days do employees get in Germany?

Germany’s Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz – BUrlG) sets a minimum of 24 paid leave days a year based on a six-day working week. For someone who works five days a week, that is equivalent to 20 days. Statutory public holidays do not count against this entitlement.

Statutory minimum versus common employer practice

The statutory minimum amounts to four working weeks of paid leave, regardless of whether you normally work five or six days a week. Under the Act, “working days” include Saturdays but exclude Sundays and statutory public holidays.

Many employers offer more than the minimum. As a historical benchmark, Destatis reports that full-time workers in most sectors were entitled to at least 28 days on average in 2018. An average is useful context, but your entitlement depends on the law and your employment terms.

Public holidays are separate from vacation days

A statutory public holiday does not use up a vacation day. If it falls on a day you would otherwise work, you generally get that day off with pay. Public holidays vary by German state (Land), so employees with the same annual leave entitlement may have different numbers of public holidays during their usual working week.

Holidays & Celebrations

Public holidays in Germany in 2026

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How vacation days accrue and who gets them

Employees in Germany, including part-time and mini-job workers, are entitled to paid annual leave. For a regular schedule, the number of days worked per week determines the leave-day entitlement; the number of hours worked on each day does not.

Part-time, mini-job, and irregular schedule rules

Part-time and mini-job work does not reduce leave unfairly. The statutory formula still gives you four working weeks off each year, just expressed in the number of days you actually work.

The statutory minimum gives employees four working weeks of leave each year. For a regular weekly schedule, calculate it as 24 ÷ 6 × working days per week: someone who works three days a week gets at least 12 leave days.

If you change from five working days a week to four, a full year on the new schedule would mean 16 rather than 20 statutory leave days, still equivalent to four weeks off.

A change partway through the year needs a separate calculation, particularly for leave already earned. If your working days vary from week to week, calculate entitlement using your working pattern over a longer period.

The 6-month waiting period and mid-year job changes

Under BUrlG §4, you first qualify for the full statutory annual entitlement after six months of employment. BUrlG §5 provides partial entitlement in specified cases, calculated at one-twelfth of annual leave for each full month of employment. This generally applies if you leave before completing the waiting period, cannot complete it during that calendar year, or leave in the first half of the year after completing it.

For example, if you were employed before the start of the year and leave on 31 March, your statutory entitlement for that year is generally three-twelfths of the annual amount. If you leave on or after 1 July having completed the waiting period, you generally qualify for the full statutory annual amount. On a regular three-day schedule, four full months of employment during the waiting period would generally give you four days: 12 × 4/12.

If your employment ends on 31 August after you have completed the waiting period, the starting point on a five-day schedule is therefore 20 statutory days for that year, less leave already taken. When you change jobs, leave already granted by a previous employer in the same calendar year counts against a duplicate claim; the previous employer must give you a certificate of leave granted or paid out. Additional contractual leave may follow different rules, so check your contract or collective agreement.

Labor Law

German labor law and employment rights

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How do you request and use vacation days?

Request your preferred dates through your employer’s leave process and wait for confirmation before treating them as fixed. It is sensible to hold off on nonrefundable bookings until your leave is approved.

Employer approval, busy periods, and notice

Employers must consider your vacation wishes. They may decline particular dates if urgent operational needs prevent leave then, or if another employee’s competing request takes priority on social grounds. School-holiday childcare needs may be relevant, but priority depends on the circumstances.

Brückentage and state holiday planning

A Brückentag (“bridge day”) is a working day between a public holiday and a weekend. For example, if a public holiday falls on a Thursday and you normally work Monday to Friday, taking Friday as leave can give you four consecutive days off while using one vacation day. Check the public holidays in your Land and your employer’s closure arrangements before making plans.

What happens to unused vacation days?

Vacation should generally be taken in the year it arises. Carryover, illness, and the employer’s duty to inform you about your leave can affect when unused statutory days expire.

Carryover, March 31, and employer notice duties

Under BUrlG §7, unused statutory leave can usually carry over into the next year when urgent operational reasons or reasons personal to the employee justify it. Leave carried over under this rule must generally be taken within the first three months of the next year, by 31 March.

That deadline does not mean statutory leave automatically disappears. Employers must give employees a real opportunity to take it, including clearly and promptly telling them what leave they have and that it may expire if unused. If you did not receive that information, check the position before assuming your days are lost. Rules for additional contractual leave may differ.

Before year-end, check your leave balance, any reminder from your employer, which days are statutory or additional contractual leave, and whether illness prevented you from taking them.

Sickness during vacation and long-term illness

If you become unable to work during approved vacation, days of incapacity certified by a doctor are considered sick leave rather than vacation days under BUrlG §9.

Employment Basics

Sick leave in Germany

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Long-term illness has different expiry rules. Statutory leave may remain available beyond 31 March, but can expire 15 months after the end of the leave year in some cases. Whether the illness began before or during that year, and whether the employer had an opportunity to meet its notice duties, can change the result.

How vacation pay and payout work

Pay during vacation and a payout for unused leave are different. You receive vacation pay when you take leave; a cash payout applies when leave owed to you cannot be taken because your employment is ending.

Holiday pay, termination, and payment in lieu

Under BUrlG §11, vacation pay (Urlaubsentgelt) is generally calculated from average earnings in the 13 weeks before leave starts, excluding additional earnings for overtime. This differs from Urlaubsgeld, an extra holiday bonus that may be provided under an employment contract or collective agreement.

Statutory leave is normally taken as paid time off during employment. If employment ends and leave owed can no longer be taken, BUrlG §7(4) requires payment in lieu.

For example, if your job ends on 30 September and you have six leave days still owed that cannot be taken before then, those days must be paid out. If you change jobs during the year, keep a record of leave already taken or paid out: your previous employer must give you a certificate with those details, which helps the new employer avoid granting duplicate statutory leave for the same year.

Labor Law

Parental leave in Germany

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Planning vacation abroad as an expat

Once your leave is approved, you may be able to make a longer break by combining vacation days with public holidays in your German state. A Brückentag (“bridge day”) is a working day taken off between a public holiday and a weekend. Travel during school holidays, Christmas, Easter, and long weekends can be expensive, so compare dates before booking.

If approval is pending, or you are unsure whether carried-over days remain available, confirm your balance and dates before making nonrefundable bookings.

Use this quick checklist before you book:

• your state holiday calendar and office closure dates
• your approved balance, including any carried-over days
• flight and hotel prices around school breaks
• how you will pay abroad and move money if you need another currency

If you need another currency, compare the amount you will receive after fees and currency conversion. Check the terms of your bank or Sparkasse alongside alternatives such as Wise, which offers international transfers, a multicurrency account, and a payment card. Fees and exchange rates vary by provider and transaction.