Germany’s 2027 work calendar on one page
Everything about the 2027 working year in Germany: which days are off, how much you work, what applies to Sunday and holiday work, and how much leave you get. Each section opens with a short answer, followed by details, calculators and the laws behind them. Public holidays are set by the federal states; unless stated otherwise, the numbers below count the nationwide holidays.
- Working days
- 256
- Weekends and holidays
- 109
- Holidays on weekdays
- 5
Nationwide public holidays in 2027
In short
Nine holidays apply in every state, five of them on weekdays. Four fall on a weekend: 1 May on a Saturday, German Unity Day on a Sunday, and Christmas Day and the Second Day of Christmas on Saturday and Sunday. No day off is given in their place.
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 JanuaryFri | Fri | New Year’s Day |
| 26 MarchFri | Fri | Good Friday |
| 29 MarchMon | Mon | Easter Monday |
| 1 MaySat | Sat | Labour Day · falls on a weekend |
| 6 MayThu | Thu | Ascension Day |
| 17 MayMon | Mon | Whit Monday |
| 3 OctoberSun | Sun | German Unity Day · falls on a weekend |
| 25 DecemberSat | Sat | Christmas Day · falls on a weekend |
| 26 DecemberSun | Sun | Second Day of Christmas · falls on a weekend |
- The states set public holidays in their holiday laws. Only German Unity Day on 3 October is federal law (Unification Treaty, art. 2)1.
- Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are not public holidays, not even in 2027, when both fall on a Friday2.
Public holidays by state
In short
Every state adds holidays of its own. In 2027 Epiphany, International Women’s Day, Corpus Christi, World Children’s Day, All Saints’ Day and the Day of Repentance and Prayer each cost a working day where they apply. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg have the fewest working days (253); Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein the most (256).
| Date | Day | Holiday | States |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 JanuaryWed | Wed | Epiphany | BW, BY, ST |
| 8 MarchMon | Mon | International Women’s Day | BE, MV |
| 28 MarchSun | Sun | Easter Sunday | BB |
| 16 MaySun | Sun | Whit Sunday | BB |
| 27 MayThu | Thu | Corpus Christi | BW, BY, HE, NW, RP, SL, SN (in part), TH (in part) |
| 15 AugustSun | Sun | Assumption Day | SL, BY (in part) |
| 20 SeptemberMon | Mon | World Children’s Day | TH |
| 31 OctoberSun | Sun | Reformation Day | BB, HB, HH, MV, NI, SN, ST, SH, TH |
| 1 NovemberMon | Mon | All Saints’ Day | BW, BY, NW, RP, SL |
| 17 NovemberWed | Wed | Day of Repentance and Prayer | SN |
| State | Working days | Extra holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg BWEpiphany, Corpus Christi, All Saints’ Day | 253 | Epiphany, Corpus Christi, All Saints’ Day |
| Bavaria BYEpiphany, Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints’ Day | 253 | Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints’ Day |
| Berlin BEInternational Women’s Day | 255 | International Women’s Day |
| Brandenburg BBEaster Sunday, Whit Sunday, Reformation Day | 256 | Easter Sunday, Whit Sunday, Reformation Day |
| Bremen HBReformation Day | 256 | Reformation Day |
| Hamburg HHReformation Day | 256 | Reformation Day |
| Hesse HECorpus Christi | 255 | Corpus Christi |
| Lower Saxony NIReformation Day | 256 | Reformation Day |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania MVInternational Women’s Day, Reformation Day | 255 | International Women’s Day, Reformation Day |
| North Rhine-Westphalia NWCorpus Christi, All Saints’ Day | 254 | Corpus Christi, All Saints’ Day |
| Rhineland-Palatinate RPCorpus Christi, All Saints’ Day | 254 | Corpus Christi, All Saints’ Day |
| Saarland SLCorpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints’ Day | 254 | Corpus Christi, Assumption Day, All Saints’ Day |
| Saxony SNReformation Day, Day of Repentance and Prayer | 255 | Reformation Day, Day of Repentance and Prayer |
| Saxony-Anhalt STEpiphany, Reformation Day | 255 | Epiphany, Reformation Day |
| Schleswig-Holstein SHReformation Day | 256 | Reformation Day |
| Thuringia THWorld Children’s Day, Reformation Day | 255 | World Children’s Day, Reformation Day |
| Nationwide holidays only | 256 |
- In Bavaria, Assumption Day is a holiday only in mostly Catholic municipalities, such as Munich; Augsburg also has its Peace Festival on 8 August2. In 2027 both fall on a Sunday.
- In Saxony and Thuringia, Corpus Christi applies in some municipalities only; the numbers above leave it out.
- Hesse adds Corpus Christi to the nationwide holidays3.
- What counts is the place of work, not where you live4.
Bridge days and long weekends
In short
Easter gives four days off in a row (26–29 March). With 4 days of leave (22–25 March) that becomes 10 days, with 8 days of leave up to 2 April even 16. After Ascension Day (Thursday, 6 May), 1 day of leave on the Friday gives 4 days off, and 4 days at Whitsun give 9.
- 1 – 3 January 3 daysNew Year’s Day
- 26 – 29 March 4 daysGood Friday, Easter Monday
- 15 – 17 May 3 daysWhit Monday
The best stretches with the nationwide holidays:
- Take 22 – 25 March off 10 days off4 days of leave, off 20 – 29 March
- Take 3 – 5 May, 7 May off 9 days off4 days of leave, off 1 – 9 May
- Take 7 May off 4 days off1 day of leave, off 6 – 9 May
- Take 18 – 21 May off 9 days off4 days of leave, off 15 – 23 May
Choose your state: the planner counts only working days as leave and shows how long your break lasts.
Working days and hours
In short
256 working days with the nationwide holidays, 253 to 256 depending on the state. At 40 hours a week that is up to 2,048 hours. May has the fewest working days (19), December the most (23).
| Month | Working days | Days off | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20 | 11 | 160 |
| February | 20 | 8 | 160 |
| March | 21 | 10 | 168 |
| April | 22 | 8 | 176 |
| May | 19 | 12 | 152 |
| June | 22 | 8 | 176 |
| July | 22 | 9 | 176 |
| August | 22 | 9 | 176 |
| September | 22 | 8 | 176 |
| October | 21 | 10 | 168 |
| November | 22 | 8 | 176 |
| December | 23 | 8 | 184 |
| Year | 256 | 109 | 2048 |
- Working time must not exceed eight hours per working day. Up to ten hours are allowed if eight hours per working day are not exceeded on average over six months or 24 weeks (ArbZG § 3)5.
- Breaks: at least 30 minutes for more than six and up to nine hours of work, 45 minutes for more than nine hours (§ 4). Between two working days you get at least eleven hours of rest (§ 5)5.
Working days and hours for any period and any state:
Work on Sundays and public holidays
In short
Not allowed in principle, from midnight to midnight (ArbZG § 9). Exceptions include hospitals, restaurants, transport, energy supply and the media (§ 10). Sunday work earns a substitute day off within two weeks, work on a holiday that falls on a weekday within eight weeks, and at least 15 Sundays a year stay free (§ 11)5.
- Saturday is an ordinary working day: working days are all calendar days except Sundays and public holidays6. The Working Hours Act does not forbid Saturday work.
- For night work the law requires compensation: a reasonable number of paid days off or a reasonable supplement, unless a collective agreement provides for it (§ 6 (5))5.
Supplements and tax
In short
No law entitles you to Sunday or holiday supplements — they come from collective agreements, works agreements or your contract. Supplements that are paid stay tax-free up to 50% of the base wage on Sundays, 125% on public holidays and 150% at Christmas and on 1 May (EStG § 3b)4.
| Work | Tax-free up to |
|---|---|
| Night, 8 pm to 6 am | 25% |
| Night, midnight to 4 am, when work started before midnight | 40% |
| Sunday | 50% |
| Public holiday and 31 December from 2 pm | 125% |
| 24 December from 2 pm, 25 and 26 December, 1 May | 150% |
- The base wage counts up to €50 an hour4. The federal government plans to raise the limit for Sunday and holiday work to €75 from 1 January 2027, keeping €50 for night work. So far this is a bill7.
- Only a supplement paid on top of the base wage for work actually done is tax-free4.
Pay on public holidays
In short
When work is off because of a public holiday, your employer pays what you would have earned (EntgFG § 2). If you miss work without excuse on the last working day before or the first working day after the holiday, you lose that pay8.
- This applies only to public holidays at your place of work. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve need a day of leave or a rule in your contract or collective agreement.
Annual leave
In short
At least 24 working days a year on a six-day week by law — 20 days on a five-day week (BUrlG § 3). The full entitlement starts after six months in the job. Leave is taken in the calendar year and carries over only for urgent reasons, until 31 March6.
- If you do not complete the six-month wait in a year, you get a twelfth of the annual leave for each full month; half a day or more rounds up (§§ 4, 5)6.
- Leave is given in one piece. If it has to be split, one part covers at least twelve working days in a row where the entitlement is larger (§ 7 (2))6.
- Not even a collective agreement may go below the statutory minimum (§ 13)6. Many contracts and collective agreements give more.
Sources
- Unification Treaty, art. 2 — German Unity Day (in German) ↩
- Bavarian Public Holidays Act, art. 1 (in German) ↩ ↩
- Hesse Ministry of the Interior — Public holidays (in German) ↩
- Income Tax Act, § 3b (in German) ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- Working Hours Act, ArbZG (in German) ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- Federal Leave Act, BUrlG (in German) ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩
- German Bundestag, printed paper 21/8235: Income Tax Reform Act 2027, government bill (in German) ↩
- Continued Remuneration Act, § 2 (in German) ↩
This guide sums up the rules in official documents. For decisions with legal consequences, check the text of the law and your employment contract.
Found a mistake or outdated information?