Vacation time is close to the door: employees need to know!

Erfahren Sie alles über Urlaubsansprüche, -geld und -rechte für Arbeitnehmer in Deutschland im Jahr 2025.
Find out everything about vacation claims, money and rights for employees in Germany in 2025. (Symbolbild/ER)

Vacation time is close to the door: employees need to know!

Many employees in Germany will be facing well -deserved vacation time in the coming weeks. With the start of the summer vacation, interest in the legal framework around the vacation increases. As a rule, employees are not obliged to be accessible during the vacation, unless the employment contract explicitly provides for this. This is an important information for everyone who is looking forward to a break and are worried about operational obligations.

Another hint affects the vacation allowance. There is no general entitlement to vacation pay in Germany; This payment is a voluntary service of the employer. There is only entitlement to vacation pay for appropriate regulations in employment contracts, company agreements or collective agreements. However, if employers pay vacation pay for at least three years, an operational exercise can establish themselves that obliges them to continue these payments.

rights and obligations during the vacation

Special attention also deserves the case of the disease during the vacation. When employees get sick on vacation, the corresponding vacation days are credited, provided you can present a medical certificate. However, it should be noted that not every disease automatically leads to incapacity to work; It is crucial whether the disease actually prevents the work.

Annual vacation is entitled to employees once a year. If the employer is changed, only non -taken vacation days can be asserted by the new employer. In this case, the old employer is obliged to issue a vacation certificate that documents how much vacation has already been taken. Mini -jobbers are also entitled to paid vacation; The statutory minimum leave is four weeks annually.

Minimum vacation entitlement and specific regulations

The legal framework for vacation in Germany is defined in the Federal Vacation Act (BURLG). This law aims at the protection of employees and has been in force since 1963. According to § 1 BURLG, employees are entitled to paid relaxation vacation. The minimum vacation is 20 days with a 5-day week and 24 days on a 6-day week. A minimum labor law may not be undercut.

Here are some examples of calculating the vacation entitlement:

  • 5-day week: 20 working days
  • 4-day week: 16 working days
  • 3-day week: 12 working days

For young people under the age of 18, special regulations apply that ensure more vacation days. Severely disabled employees who have a disability of at least 50 % receive an additional five vacation days. It is also interesting that the full vacation entitlement only exists after six months of service. However, a proportionate vacation entitlement can be acquired in the waiting time.

Vacation applications must be made in writing and approved vacations can only be revoked in special cases. Employers have the right to reject vacation applications for urgent operational reasons. It is important that the vacation should include at least 12 consecutive working days. If the statutory vacation entitlement expires at the end of the year, it can be transferred by March 31 of the following year. Another important point is that employees do not have to be available during their vacation.

In summary, it can be said that the holiday right in Germany is thoroughly regulated to protect employees and to ensure their need for recovery. For comprehensive information on these topics, the websites of the Baden Latest news and Karrebibel Foundation.

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