DESign inStart for free
Employment law and deadlines

Germany vacation entitlement calculator

API The vacation entitlement calculator runs through the REST API, with proration and rounding under § 5 BUrlG in JSON.

Under German law in 2026, the statutory minimum vacation is 24 working days (Werktage) based on a six-day week (§ 3 BUrlG), so 20 working days with a five-day week. For part-time work, you calculate 24 times your working days per week divided by 6. In the year you join or leave, you may only get partial vacation (Teilurlaub), one twelfth for each full month (§ 5 BUrlG).

Last checked against the sources on September 23, 2026. Next expected change: only if the law changes.

REST /v1/hr/urlaubsanspruchMCP hr_urlaubsanspruchCLI qk urlaubsanspruch

Calculates the statutory minimum vacation (Mindesturlaub) under the Federal Vacation Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz, BUrlG) for any number of working days per week. With a start or end date, the calculator returns the partial vacation (Teilurlaub) under § 5 BUrlG, including rounding.

Source
§§ 3 to 5 Federal Vacation Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz)
License
Calculation under the cited provisions. Use under the Quellenkontor terms of use.
Updates
when the law changes
Coverage
Germany, current law

A value doesn't match the official source? Report an error. We check against the primary source and document every correction in the changelog.

Related solutions: For HR softwareFor AI agents and HR chatbotsFor global payroll and EOR providers

api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/urlaubsanspruch?arbeitstage_pro_woche=3
Zur API-Doku →
curl "https://api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/urlaubsanspruch?arbeitstage_pro_woche=3" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QK_KEY"
Antwort200 OK · JSON
{
  "datensatz": "urlaubsanspruch",
  "arbeitstage_pro_woche": 3,
  "anspruch_tage_jahr": 12,
  "formel": "24 Werktage × 3 ÷ 6 = 12 Arbeitstage",
  "rechtsgrundlage": "§ 3 BUrlG",
  "hinweise": [
    "Mindesturlaub nach dem Bundesurlaubsgesetz. Vertraglicher oder tariflicher Mehrurlaub ist nicht berücksichtigt."
  ],
  "quelle": {
    "titel": "§ 3 BUrlG (Dauer des Urlaubs)",
    "url": "https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/burlg/__3.html"
  },
  "stand": "2026-09-23",
  "lizenz": "Berechnung nach den genannten Normen. Nutzung nach den Nutzungsbedingungen von Quellenkontor.",
  "zitat": "Mindesturlaub nach § 3 BUrlG bei 3 Arbeitstagen pro Woche: 12 Arbeitstage im Jahr. Ohne vertraglichen Mehrurlaub; für Jugendliche und schwerbehinderte Menschen gilt mehr. Rechtsgrundlage: § 3 BUrlG. Quelle: § 3 BUrlG (Dauer des Urlaubs), https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/burlg/__3.html. Daten: Quellenkontor (quellenkontor.dev).",
  "datenstand": "2026-09-23.1"
}

Response shortened. All parameters and response fields are in the Vacation entitlement reference.

Run this call with your own key. 500 requests a month for free, no credit card.

Start for free →Read the reference

Statutory minimum vacation by working days

Legal citations stay in German, exactly as they appear in the official sources.

Working days per weekMinimum vacation per year
14 working days
28 working days
312 working days
416 working days
520 working days
624 working days

Partial vacation when starting in 2027 (five-day week)

If you start by July 1, you complete the six-month waiting period in the same year and get the full entitlement. If you start later, you get one twelfth per full month (§ 5 Abs. 1 Buchstabe a BUrlG); fractions of at least half a day are rounded up (§ 5 Abs. 2 BUrlG).

Start dateFull months in the yearEntitlement for the year
January 1, 2027waiting period met20 working days
February 1, 2027waiting period met20 working days
March 1, 2027waiting period met20 working days
April 1, 2027waiting period met20 working days
May 1, 2027waiting period met20 working days
June 1, 2027waiting period met20 working days
July 1, 2027waiting period met20 working days
August 1, 202758.33 working days
September 1, 202747 working days
October 1, 202735 working days
November 1, 202723.33 working days
December 1, 202712 working days

Parameters

ParametersTypeMeaning
arbeitstage_pro_wocherequirednumbernumberWorking days per week, 0.5 to 6
jahryearyearCalendar year for the partial vacation calculation. Defaults to the year of leaving or joining.
eintrittdatedateStart of employment (optional)
austrittdatedateEnd of employment (optional)

All response fields with types, allowed values, defaults and error cases are in the Vacation entitlement reference.

Questions about this dataset

How much vacation do you get with four working days a week?

16 working days a year as the statutory minimum vacation (§ 3 BUrlG).

How much vacation do you get if you start on August 1, 2027?

With a five-day week, 8.33 working days for 2027: one twelfth of the yearly vacation for each full month, because you can no longer complete the six-month waiting period in the year you start (§ 5 Abs. 1 Buchstabe a BUrlG). If you start on July 1, you complete it on December 31 and get 20 days.

Does this also cover extra vacation under the employment contract?

No. The calculator returns the statutory minimum vacation. Extra vacation under a contract or collective agreement follows its own rules.

How often is the dataset updated?

When the law changes. We check the data against the official sources every week, and every change is logged in the changelog. On the Pro plan, a webhook notifies your server.

More on Vacation entitlement

Related datasets

Notice period calculator

Statutory notice period and end date under § 622 BGB from start date and date of receipt.

APIMCPwhen the law changes

Working days calculator

Working days between two dates by state, without weekends and public holidays.

APIMCPwhen the law changes

Maternity protection calculator

Start and end of the maternity protection periods from the expected due date.

APIMCPwhen the law changes

Care minimum wage

Minimum wages in long-term care (Pflegemindestlohn) by qualification, plus extra vacation, since 2015.

APIMCPwith each new ordinance, usually on July 1