Question 1

How do I calculate my working time?

Accepted Answer

Subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract the break. Example: 8:00 to 17:00 is 9 hours of attendance; minus a 45-minute break leaves 8 hours 15 minutes of work, or 8.25 hours as a decimal. For the week, add up the days. The calculator above does this for up to seven days at once and also handles night shifts past midnight.

Question 2

What is decimal time ("industrial minutes")?

Accepted Answer

Decimal time divides an hour into 100 instead of 60 units. That makes working hours easier to add up and to multiply by an hourly wage. You calculate minutes ÷ 60: 15 minutes are 0.25 hours, 30 minutes 0.5 and 45 minutes 0.75. So 7 hours 45 minutes becomes 7.75 hours. To convert back, multiply the decimal part by 60: 0.4 hours are 24 minutes.

Question 3

How much break am I entitled to?

Accepted Answer

Under Section 4 of the German Working Hours Act you need at least 30 minutes of break for more than 6 and up to 9 hours of work, and at least 45 minutes for more than 9 hours. The break may be split into blocks of at least 15 minutes. You may not work more than 6 hours in a row without a break. If you work exactly 6 hours, no break is legally required.

Question 4

Does the break count as working time?

Accepted Answer

No. Statutory rest breaks are not working time and are usually unpaid. It is different if you have to stay reachable or remain at your workstation during the break: legally that is not a real break but working time. Some collective agreements pay for breaks anyway, for example in shift work.

Question 5

How many hours may I work per day?

Accepted Answer

In principle 8 hours per working day (Section 3 ArbZG). Working days are Monday to Saturday. You may extend to up to 10 hours if you average 8 hours per working day again within 6 months or 24 weeks. That gives an average of 48 and a maximum of 60 hours per week. Breaks do not count.

Question 6

Will a weekly maximum replace the 8-hour day?

Accepted Answer

It is planned but not in force. The coalition agreement provides for a weekly instead of a daily maximum working time. The Labour Ministry's draft bill of June 2026 would only allow this where a collective agreement or a works agreement based on one provides for it, and electronic time recording would become mandatory. There is no cabinet decision yet (as of September 2026). Until a new law applies, the limit stays at 8, or at most 10, hours per day.

Question 7

How long must the rest period between two shifts be?

Accepted Answer

At least 11 consecutive hours after the end of the daily working time (Section 5 ArbZG). If you finish at 10 pm, you may start again at 9 am the next day at the earliest. In hospitals, care, hospitality, transport, broadcasting, agriculture and animal husbandry, rest may be cut to 10 hours if it is balanced out within a month or four weeks.

Question 8

How do I calculate overtime and undertime?

Accepted Answer

Compare your actual net working time with your contracted hours. If you work 42 hours against 40 contracted hours, that is 2 hours of overtime; at 37.5 hours it is 2.5 hours of undertime. Enter your contracted weekly hours above. The overtime calculator shows what your overtime is worth after tax.

Guide: Working Hours Calculator

German Working Hours Act 2026: Breaks, Maximum Hours and Rest Periods Explained

Converting Minutes to Decimal Hours and Back

Negative Hours: When You Have to Make Up Time and When You Don't

Recording Working Time: What Germany's Time-Recording Obligation Means in 2026

What Counts as Working Time? Commute, Business Trips, Changing and On-Call Duty

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