Vacation Entitlement in Your First Job: How Many Days You Get

When you start your first job, one of the first questions is how many days of annual leave (Urlaub) you are entitled to and when you can take them. The answer starts with the Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz), which sets a statutory minimum. Employment contracts and collective agreements may provide more, but not less. This guide explains the minimum rule, the six-month waiting period and the calculation for starts during the year.

The Most Important Points at a Glance

• The statutory minimum is 24 working days (Werktage) of leave per year.
• With a five-day week, this equals 20 working days, provided you have no different arrangement.
• The full entitlement first arises after six months of employment.
• If you start during the year, partial leave accrues at one twelfth for each full month.
• Your contract and any collective agreement take precedence where they grant more leave.

How Many Days of Leave Are You Entitled To at Minimum?

Under section 3 subsection 1 of the Federal Leave Act, leave amounts to at least 24 working days per year. The law counts in working days. How many working days that represents depends on how many days you work each week. The source is the Bundesurlaubsgesetz, §§ 3 bis 5 (gesetze-im-internet.de, abgerufen im November 2026).

The table assumes that working days run from Monday to Saturday. With a five-day week, Saturday is not a working day for you, so the entitlement in working days shrinks accordingly. Check your contract, because it often states a concrete number of days.

When Do You Get the Full Leave?

The full leave entitlement first arises once the employment relationship has lasted six months. This waiting period (Wartezeit) is set out in section 4 of the Federal Leave Act. If you start on 1 March, you have the full entitlement from 1 September. In the first calendar year, the entitlement is partial, and in the following year it is full.

What Applies If You Start During the Year?

If employment begins during a year and the waiting period is not completed in that year, the partial leave rule in section 5 of the Federal Leave Act applies. You receive one twelfth of the annual leave for each full month of employment. The following worked example shows the steps.

Worked example (assumption: five-day week, start on 1 July, statutory minimum of 24 working days):

1. Set the annual entitlement in working days: 24.
2. Count the full months in the year: from 1 July to 31 December there are six full months.
3. Calculate the share: 24 divided by 12, multiplied by 6, gives 12 working days.
4. Convert into working days: 12 working days correspond to 10 working days with a five-day week.
5. Check fractions: a fraction of at least half a day is rounded up to a full day of leave, as section 5 subsection 2 provides.

The difference between entitlement and actual leave matters. Even if you only earn part of your leave in the first year, your contract remains the basis for anything that goes beyond the law.

Why Working Days and Business Days Are Not the Same

The law counts working days (Werktage), while your daily routine counts the days you actually work. This difference often causes confusion, especially when an employer talks about leave days and you count in working days. Before you plan your holiday, clarify whether the number in your contract means Werktage or the days you work.

A simple test helps: take the figure from your contract and ask whether it fits your actual working week. An entitlement of 24 days with a five-day week is a different entitlement from one with a six-day week. Such differences should be settled before you sign, not when you submit your first request.

What to Clarify With Your Employer

• The number of leave days appears in your contract, and you know whether it counts working days or Werktage.
• Your start date is stated in the contract, because it determines the calculation in the first year.
• You know whether a collective agreement applies and which leave rules it contains.
• You know the procedure for leave requests and the deadline for submitting them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I still get leave if I resign before the waiting period ends?

Yes. Under the Federal Leave Act, partial leave also arises if you leave before the waiting period is completed. You receive one twelfth of the annual leave for each full month of employment. The entitlement therefore does not depend only on whether you complete your probation.

What applies if my contract grants more leave?

Then the more favourable rule from the contract or an applicable collective agreement applies. The law sets a minimum entitlement, not a maximum. Check your contract and whether a collective agreement applies to you before you discuss leave with your employer.

Does unused leave expire?

Whether and when leave expires depends on the law, the collective agreement and your employment contract. A reliable answer requires the specific contract. If something is unclear, ask the works council (Betriebsrat) or an employment law adviser.

Can I take leave during probation?

The entitlement accrues gradually during the first year. Whether you can take leave you have already earned during probation should be agreed with your manager, ideally in writing.

Does the statutory minimum also apply part-time?

The minimum of 24 working days is stated in the law as an annual figure. How it is converted for a part-time position follows from the employment contract and any applicable collective agreement. If in doubt, ask the HR department or the works council before treating a number as confirmed.

What to Do Now

1. Check your employment contract and any applicable collective agreement for the leave rule.
2. Note your start date and count the full months in the first calendar year.
3. Convert the entitlement into working days based on your working week.
4. Agree your first leave with your employer early.

Related Articles

• Workers’ Rights at Career Start: What You Have From Day One
• Career Start After University: Your Guide to the First Job
• Health Insurance After Graduation: From Exams to Your First Job
• First Job Health Insurance: Statutory or Private?
• Applying for your first job: timeline from advert to contract

Sources: Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz), sections 3 to 5, gesetze-im-internet.de (German text, retrieved November 2026).

Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.