Question 1

What is the statutory minimum number of holiday days?

Accepted Answer

§ 3 (1) BUrlG names 24 working days per year. Working days are all calendar days except Sundays and public holidays, so Saturdays count too — the law assumes a six-day week. Anyone working five days a week is therefore entitled to 20 working days of leave (24 ÷ 6 × 5). On a four-day week that is 16 days, on a three-day week 12. Under § 13 BUrlG this minimum cannot be waived: a contract may grant more leave, never less.

Question 2

How do I convert my holiday entitlement for part-time work?

Accepted Answer

What matters is solely the number of weekdays on which you work, not the weekly hours. The formula is: leave days = contractual leave × your working days ÷ 5. Someone with 30 days in the contract who reduces to three days a week ends up with 18 days (30 × 3 ÷ 5). Someone who reduces hours but still works five days keeps all 30 days — just with shorter days. The calculator on this page does exactly this conversion for you.

Question 3

What does the six-month qualifying period mean?

Accepted Answer

Under § 4 BUrlG the full entitlement arises for the first time once the employment has lasted six months. Before that you do not have zero leave but partial leave of one twelfth per full month of employment. The consequence for your first year matters: anyone starting by 1 July completes the qualifying period within the same calendar year and is then entitled to the full annual leave, not merely a time-proportional share. Anyone starting in August or later receives twelfths for that year.

Question 4

How exactly does the twelfths rule work?

Accepted Answer

§ 5 (1) BUrlG grants one twelfth of the annual leave for each full month of employment in three cases: when the qualifying period can no longer be completed in the calendar year, when you leave before completing it, and when you leave in the first half of the year after completing it. Example: 30 contractual days, starting on 1 September — that is four full months, so 30 × 4 ÷ 12 = 10 days. If instead you leave in July or later, the full annual entitlement stands.

Question 5

Are fractions of holiday days rounded up or down?

Accepted Answer

§ 5 (2) BUrlG is unambiguous: fractions of holiday days amounting to at least half a day must be rounded up to full days. The law provides no rounding down. If the calculation gives 12.5 days, that becomes 13. If it gives 12.3 days, it stays 12.3 — the fraction is not forfeited but can be requested as a part day or paid out at the end. This rule covers the statutory minimum; different rounding may be agreed for contractual extra leave.

Question 6

When does my remaining leave expire?

Accepted Answer

Leave must in principle be taken within the calendar year. Under § 7 (3) BUrlG a carry-over is only permitted for urgent operational or personal reasons — and the leave must then be taken by 31 March. Decisive, however, is the case law of the European Court of Justice, which the German courts have followed: leave only expires if the employer gave you clear and timely notice of the outstanding days and of the looming forfeiture. Without that notice the days accumulate.

Question 7

How much is the holiday pay-out on termination?

Accepted Answer

If leave can no longer be taken because the employment ends, § 7 (4) BUrlG requires it to be paid out. The daily rate follows the holiday pay rule in § 11 (1) BUrlG: average earnings over the last 13 weeks, divided by 13 weeks and your working days per week. On 3,600 euros gross per month and a five-day week that gives (3,600 × 3) ÷ 13 ÷ 5 = roughly 166 euros per day. Ten outstanding days are therefore worth around 1,660 euros. Overtime pay is expressly excluded from this calculation.

Question 8

Which additional entitlements exist beyond the minimum?

Accepted Answer

Two statutory add-ons matter most. Employees with a recognised severe disability receive five additional paid working days per year under § 208 (1) SGB IX, based on a five-day week and converted proportionally for other patterns. For young workers § 19 (2) JArbSchG applies a scale based on age at the start of the calendar year: at least 30 working days below 16, 27 below 17 and 25 below 18. The calculator on this page includes both on request.

Guide: Holiday Entitlement Calculator

Calculating Holiday Entitlement: Statutory, Contractual, Pro-Rata

Converting Holiday Entitlement for Part-Time Work

Remaining Leave: When It Expires and When It Does Not

Holiday on Termination: Twelfths and Pay-Out

Falling Ill on Holiday: Reclaiming Your Days

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