Dieses Tool auf Deutsch: Urlaubsanspruch berechnen
The statutory minimum in Germany is 24 Werktage per year, which equals 20 vacation days on a 5-day week, and most contracts add days on top. This calculator shows your exact entitlement under the Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz) in 30 seconds: part-time schedules, mid-year starts and exits, and the July rule that HR departments regularly get wrong.
The July rule: the mistake that costs people real vacation days
If you leave in the second half of the year and have passed the 6-month waiting period, you do not get prorated vacation. You get the full statutory annual entitlement, even leaving on July 31. Section 5 only prorates exits in the first half. HR departments get this wrong constantly, and the error always runs in the company's favor.
Contractual extra days (anything above the statutory minimum) depend on your contract: with a pro-rata clause they can be reduced proportionally, without one they cannot. The calculator shows both values.
How the math works
The Federal Leave Act guarantees 24 Werktage per year (section 3). A Werktag is any day except Sundays and public holidays, which means the law counts a 6-day week. Converted, that is 4 days per weekly workday: 20 days on a 5-day week, 12 on a 3-day week. Part-time contracts convert by workdays per week, and you always get the higher of contract and statute.
Incomplete years count in twelfths (section 5): one twelfth of the annual entitlement per full month of employment. Fractions of half a day or more round up; smaller fractions survive as fractions. Rounding down is not permitted. The calculator counts months as full when you start on the 1st or leave at month end.
Reference values: part-time with a 28-day contract (5-day basis)
| Your workdays/week | Your entitlement | Statutory minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 5 days | 28 | 20 |
| 4 days | 22.4 | 16 |
| 3 days | 16.8 | 12 |
| 2 days | 11.2 | 8 |
| 1 day | 5.6 | 4 |
The conversion is exact and unrounded: pure part-time conversion is never rounded (Federal Labour Court, 9 AZR 200/17). Rounding only applies to twelfths under section 5: fractions of 0.5 and up become full days, smaller ones survive.
Computed with exactly this calculator's logic; fractions of 0.5+ rounded up, smaller ones kept.
A 4-day week and other weekly models: reference values at 30 contract days
The same conversion with the widespread 30-day contract value (5-day basis). A 4-day week comes out at 24 vacation days; the number of free weeks stays the same in every model: 6.
| Your workdays/week | Your entitlement | Statutory minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 6 days | 36 | 24 |
| 5 days | 30 | 20 |
| 4 days | 24 | 16 |
| 3 days | 18 | 12 |
| 2 days | 12 | 8 |
| 1 day | 6 | 4 |
Starting mid-year: your prorated entitlement as a table
Joining during a running year, again at 30 contract days and a 5-day week. Up to a July 1 start the July rule above applies; from August the twelfths take over:
| Start on the 1st of | Your entitlement this year |
|---|---|
| January 1 | 30 |
| February 1 | 30 |
| March 1 | 30 |
| April 1 | 30 |
| May 1 | 30 |
| June 1 | 30 |
| July 1 | 30 |
| August 1 | 13 |
| September 1 | 10 |
| October 1 | 8 |
| November 1 | 5 |
| December 1 | 3 |
Both tables are computed with exactly this calculator's logic; for other contract values or a start mid-month, just enter your numbers above.
Two real-world cases
Ana leaves on March 31. Contract: 28 days, 5-day week. Three full months make 3/12 of 28, so 7 days. Here the prorated HR math is correct.
Tom leaves on August 31 after two years with the company. HR offers 8/12 of 28, so 18.7 days. Wrong: the 20 statutory days are his in full. With the usual contract clause he gets 25.3 days, without one the full 28. The difference is up to 9.3 paid days.
Three things worth money
First: unused vacation does not simply expire. Your employer must demonstrably ask you to take it and warn you about forfeiture, otherwise it carries over. Second: on leaving, open vacation days must be paid out (section 7(4)). Third: sick days with a doctor's note do not count as vacation, even mid-trip (section 9).
Frequently asked questions
How many vacation days is the legal minimum in Germany?
24 Werktage under section 3, counted on the law's 6-day week. On a 5-day week that equals 20 working days, on 4 days it is 16, on 3 days 12. Contracts may give more, never less. The formula: 24 divided by 6, times your workdays per week.
How is vacation calculated for part-time work?
By workdays per week, not hours. Working 3 of 5 days gives you 3/5 of the full-time entitlement: with a 28-day contract that is 16.8 days, and the fraction survives. Rounding only applies to twelfths under section 5, never to the conversion itself (Federal Labour Court, 9 AZR 200/17). Working shorter hours across all 5 days keeps the full 28.
What happens if I quit in the second half of the year?
After the 6-month waiting period: the full statutory annual entitlement, regardless of your exit month. Only contractual extra days can be prorated, and only if your contract contains a pro-rata clause.
What is the waiting period (Wartezeit)?
The first six months of employment (section 4). Before it completes you accrue one twelfth per full month; once it completes, the full annual claim exists. Starting by July 1 means completing it within the same calendar year.
Do half days get rounded?
Only for partial entitlement under section 5, meaning the twelfths: fractions of at least half a day round up, smaller ones survive. 2/12 of 28 is 4.67, rounded up to 5; 1/12 of 28 is 2.33, so 2.3. Pure part-time conversion is never rounded: 16.8 stays 16.8 (Federal Labour Court, 9 AZR 200/17). Rounding down is never allowed.
Does unused vacation expire on December 31?
Only if your employer told you, demonstrably and in time, to take it and warned you it would lapse. Without that notice it carries over. With a valid carryover it must be taken by March 31 of the following year.
Source
Retrieved August 24, 2026. Bundesurlaubsgesetz (BUrlG), sections 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9, full text at gesetze-im-internet.de. Rounding and the second-half rule follow the settled case law of the Federal Labour Court, including BAG, judgment of January 23, 2018, 9 AZR 200/17.
Changelog
Version 1.1.0, August 24, 2026: rounding refined per Federal Labour Court 9 AZR 200/17; section 5(2) only applies to twelfths, part-time conversion stays unrounded. Version 1.0.0, same day: first release, statute text retrieved and archived. Verification runs documented in the verification record.
Published August 24, 2026 · Last updated September 10, 2026 · Wild Garden Editorial Team · Last verified September 10, 2026 · Tested against an independent reference implementation (79,056 cases, exhaustive input grid, 0 mismatches). Our editorial standards · Spotted an error? redaktion@wildgarden.io
This tool explains the statutory system and is not legal advice. Collective agreements and contracts can differ, but never below the statutory minimum.
More from the garden
All calculators live under Tools. Once your days are counted, the Sleep Calculator helps the time off start restfully, and the Net Worth Percentile shows where you stand in your new home country.
