Coming from a country with stingy holiday allowances, your first German vacation entitlement can feel almost suspicious in its generosity: not only do you get a solid block of paid leave, but the public holidays do not eat into it, sickness during a trip gives the days back, and you cannot simply lose your unused days on a technicality. Germany treats rest as a right, not a perk, and the law backs it up. The catch, such as it is, lies in the details: carryover deadlines, the difference between the legal floor and what your contract actually gives, and the rules around taking the leave you are owed.
This guide covers German vacation (Urlaub): how much you get, how public holidays stack on top, carryover and payout rules, and what happens if you fall sick on holiday. Know your entitlement, and actually use it.
How much you actually get
The numbers, starting from the legal floor:
- The legal minimum is 20 paid days a year based on a five-day week (24 on a six-day week)
- But most employers offer more, commonly 25 to 30 days
So while the statutory floor is 20, the typical German full-time employee gets considerably more, your actual entitlement is set by your contract or collective agreement, which usually beats the minimum. Many roles give 28-30 days, which by international standards is generous paid leave.
Check your contract for your specific number, it will be at least 20 (the legal floor) and probably more. Do not assume the minimum; German employers commonly offer well above it as standard, and a collective agreement (Tarifvertrag) may push it higher still.
The headline for newcomers from low-holiday cultures: German paid leave is substantial and legally protected, you are entitled to real rest, and most employers give more than the law requires.
Public holidays are on top
A crucial and pleasant detail: public holidays do not count as vacation. They are separate from your annual Urlaub and come on top of it.
So:
- You do not use vacation days for public holidays
- Your total paid time off = your Urlaub days + your state's public holidays
And because the number of public holidays varies by federal state (Bavaria has the most, around 13; some states fewer), your total time off depends partly on where you live. A Bavarian with 30 Urlaub days and 13 public holidays has a lot of paid time off.
This stacking is generous: your contractual leave is purely for your own holidays, while public holidays are extra free days the whole country takes. So when comparing your German package to a home-country one, count Urlaub plus public holidays, the real total is higher than the vacation number alone. (Parental leave, by the way, is separate again, not part of your annual Urlaub.)
Carryover and unused days
What happens to leave you do not use? The rules are more protective than in many countries:
Carryover: vacation is generally meant to be taken within the calendar year, but carryover into the early next year (commonly until the end of March) is frequently allowed, especially if there was a good reason you could not take it. Importantly, employers have a duty to enable you to take your leave, they cannot just let it silently expire; recent case law requires them to actively ensure you can use it. Check your contract for the specific carryover rule.
Leaving a job: unused, still-valid vacation days are typically paid out when you leave (Urlaubsabgeltung), you receive compensation for the days you were entitled to but did not take. So accrued leave is not simply lost on departure; it converts to a payment for the untaken days you were owed.
So unused leave is not casually forfeited: there is carryover (often to end of March), an employer duty to let you take it, and a payout if you leave with days remaining. This protects your entitlement, though the best practice is still to take your leave (rest is the point, not a payout). If you are near year-end with unused days, plan to take them or confirm the carryover rule.
Sickness and your right to take leave
Two more protections worth knowing:
Sick during vacation: if you fall ill during your annual leave and get a doctor's sick note (Krankschreibung) for the sick days, those days are not counted as vacation, they are treated as sick leave instead, and the vacation days are restored to your entitlement. So a holiday ruined by illness is not a holiday wasted: with a sick note, you get those days back to take another time. Keep the sick note as proof.
Your right to actually take leave: German law and case law are clear that you have a right to take your vacation, and employers must enable it (the duty mentioned above). While the employer can have a say in timing (balancing operational needs and other staff's requests), they cannot simply deny you your leave or let it expire unused. So if you are struggling to get leave approved, know that the entitlement is strong and the employer has obligations to let you use it, the works council can help where one exists.
The broader point: Germany genuinely protects rest. Your leave is substantial, stacked on top of public holidays, restored if you fall sick on it, carried over or paid out if unused, and backed by a legal right to actually take it. Use it well, it is one of the real quality-of-life advantages of working in Germany. (And if you work overtime, that can sometimes convert to extra time off too, separate from your Urlaub.)
What to do this week
- Check your contract for your actual vacation entitlement, the legal floor is 20 days but most employers give 25-30, plus your state's public holidays on top.
- Plan to take your leave within the year (or confirm the carryover deadline, often end of March), since employers must enable it and unused valid days are paid out only when you leave.
- If you fall sick during a holiday, get a Krankschreibung so those days are restored as sick days rather than lost vacation, and keep the note.
