How much vacation for a 3-day week?

With a 3-day week, you receive proportionally fewer Vacation days compared to a full-time job with a 5-day week. The Federal Vacation Act (BUrlG) stipulates a minimum Vacation of 24 working days for a full-time job. Since this regulation refers to a 6-day week, it usually corresponds to four weeks of Vacation per year.

If you only work three days a week, the Vacation entitlement is correspondingly reduced. Assuming you work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, you can calculate your annual Vacation entitlement by the ratio of your working days to full-time work. This means that the formula used to calculate Vacation days looks like this: (24 working days / 6 working days per week) * 3 actual working days per week.

This results in a minimum Vacation entitlement of 12 days per year. However, it is important to note that this legal minimum entitlement is only the basis. Your employment contract or a possible collective agreement could grant you a larger Vacation entitlement.

When applying for vacation, the number of working days, not calendar weeks, is important. So if you take a week's vacation, that means three Vacation days in your 3-day week. Even if public holidays fall on your working days, they do not directly affect your Vacation entitlement since you do not work on those days anyway. However, it might be advisable to clarify this with your employer, especially during times like the Christmas holidays.

In any case, it is advisable to check the specific regulations and provisions in your employment contract or collective agreement to clarify your final Vacation entitlement and avoid possible misunderstandings.