Fewer days, fewer holiday days, but the same amount of rest
People going part-time often wonder whether they now have less holiday. The answer does not depend on your hours but only on how many days a week you work. This article shows the formula, works through typical cases and explains what happens to leftover leave when you switch during the year.
The formula
Part-time holiday days = full-time holiday days × working days per week ÷ 5.
The five stands for the usual five-day week that most employment contracts refer to. The German Federal Holidays Act itself counts working days on a six-day basis: the statutory minimum is 24 working days (Section 3 BUrlG). Converted to a five-day week, that is 20 working days, or four weeks.
Examples
Your contract gives you 30 holiday days and you will work three days a week: 30 × 3 ÷ 5 = 18 holiday days.
You work four days: 30 × 4 ÷ 5 = 24 holiday days.
You reduce from 40 to 30 hours but still work five days of six hours each: you keep 30 holiday days.
In all cases you have six weeks of holiday. If you work three days, you only need three holiday days for a full week off. The part-time calculator does exactly this calculation when you enter your working days.
Fractions
With 28 holiday days and three working days you get 16.8 days. The employer may not simply round down. The rounding rule in Section 5(2) BUrlG only applies to partial leave when joining or leaving, but many employment and collective agreements round up to half or full days. Otherwise the fraction remains and can be granted in hours, for example.
Irregular working patterns
If you do not work the same number of days every week, for example in shift work, use the annual average: holiday days × your working days per year ÷ a full-timer's working days per year (usually 260). With 156 working days a year and 30 full-time holiday days, that gives 18 days.
Switching from full time to part-time during the year
This deserves attention. According to case law of the European Court of Justice (2013) and the German Federal Labour Court (2015), leave earned during the full-time period but not yet taken may not be reduced afterwards just because you now work fewer days. Such remaining days used to be converted with the new formula. That is no longer permitted.
An example: you have 30 days of annual leave, switch from five to three days on 1 July and have not taken any leave in the first half of the year. For the first half you are entitled to 15 days based on the five-day week, for the second half 9 days based on the three-day week. The 15 days from the full-time period remain 15 days, even if you take them after the switch. Because each day now covers one of your three working days, they amount to five weeks off.
Tip: take leftover leave before the switch if possible, or have the number of remaining days confirmed in writing. For joining or leaving during the year, severe disability or young workers, use the holiday entitlement calculator.
Holiday pay
During your holiday you continue to receive your normal part-time salary. Additional holiday pay is voluntary or set by collective agreement and is due to part-time employees at least pro rata. How part-time pay is made up overall is explained in the guide calculating part-time pay.