German annual leave is governed by the Bundesurlaubsgesetz, which guarantees a four-week minimum and scales it to how many days a week you work. This calculator applies that minimum, lets you add contractual days, and pro-rates the entitlement for anyone who starts part-way through the leave year.
How it works
The statutory minimum is defined in weeks and converted to days using the working pattern, then pro-rated for mid-year starters:
full-year days = weeks of holiday × working days per week
statutory min = 4 weeks × days/week (e.g. 4 × 5 = 20, or 4 × 6 = 24)
pro-rated = full-year days × (full months worked / 12)
rounding = if waiting period met and fraction >= 0.5, round up (BUrlG §5(2))Because the minimum is a number of weeks, part-time staff keep the same four weeks of rest; only the day count falls in proportion to days worked.
Example and notes
An employee on a three-day week with a contract granting five weeks of holiday is entitled to five times three, so fifteen days, for a full year. If they start on 1 July they have worked six full months, giving six twelfths, so 7.5 days, rounded up to eight once the six-month waiting period is complete. Note that German public holidays are regional and entirely separate from this allowance — they never reduce your vacation days.