Leave entitlement in Germany: how many days you get
Pick your working days per week and months employed: the calculator shows your statutory minimum leave and how many days off it buys on bridges.
Statutory minimum leave
20 days
24 working days on a six-day week, converted to 5 days a week.
| Entitlement for a full year | 20 |
| Your entitlement this year | 20 |
| Days off in a row with it, North Rhine-Westphalia 2027 | 47 |
Your contract, a collective agreement or a severe disability (5 extra days) can give more, never less.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · state holiday acts checked on 28 October 2026
Under section 3 of the Federal Leave Act the statutory minimum is 24 working days a year. The act counts every day except Sundays and public holidays as a working day, so six a week. On the usual five-day week that converts to 20 days, four full weeks. Working four days a week gives 16 days, three days a week 12; in every case you get four weeks off. The full entitlement is only earned after six months with the employer (section 4). If you join or leave during the year, section 5 gives one twelfth for each full month; fractions of at least half a day are rounded up. Many contracts and collective agreements give more, often 25 to 30 days. People with a severe disability get five extra working days, and young workers more under the Youth Employment Protection Act. With the 20 minimum days you can reach up to 47 days off in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2027, and 55 in 2028.
Minimum leave by working week
The table converts the statutory minimum to the usual working weeks. It is based on section 3 of the Federal Leave Act: 24 working days on a six-day week.
| Working days per week | Minimum leave (days) | Weeks off |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 24 | 4 |
| 5 | 20 | 4 |
| 4 | 16 | 4 |
| 3 | 12 | 4 |
| 2 | 8 | 4 |
| 1 | 4 | 4 |
Partial leave, carry-over and lapse
Employees earn their full leave after a six-month waiting period. Until then, and if employment ends in the first half of the year, partial leave of one twelfth per full month applies. Anyone who leaves in the second half of the year after the waiting period keeps the full statutory annual leave.
Under section 7 leave must in principle be taken in the current year. It can be carried over until 31 March of the next year for pressing operational or personal reasons. According to the case law, though, leave can only lapse if the employer gave clear and timely notice. If leave can no longer be taken because employment ends, it is paid out.
What the minimum buys in bridges
Spread wisely over bridges, 20 leave days give 47 consecutive days off in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2027, and 55 in 2028. The calculator above shows the figure for your state. The exact plan with every date comes from the bridge-day planner; for 2028 it pays to plan especially early, see bridge days 2028.
Statutory minimum leave
Statutory minimum leave
20 days
| Entitlement for a full year | 20 |
| Your entitlement this year | 20 |
| Days off in a row with it, North Rhine-Westphalia 2027 | 47 |