Resources

Leave glossary

Short definitions of 31 leave and working-time terms with references to the law, each linking to a detailed guide or tool.

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Administrative leave (bridge day): Leave given to public-sector employees on working days before or after a holiday. It does not bind the private sector; an employer may grant paid leave or arrange make-up work (Labour Law, Art. 64). Details
Advance leave: Annual leave taken before the employee has earned it. The law does not regulate it separately; the clearest basis is Art. 10 of the Annual Paid Leave Regulation, which says collective leave may include employees not yet entitled. Details
Annual paid leave: The right to paid rest of 14, 20 or 26 days depending on seniority for every employee with at least one year of service; at least 20 days for employees aged 18 or under or 50 and over. It cannot be waived (Labour Law, Art. 53). Details

Carried-over leave: Unused annual leave days left from earlier service years. Annual leave does not expire; it can be used while employment continues and is paid when the contract ends (Art. 59). Details
Collective leave: When the employer has all or some employees take annual leave in the same period, between the beginning of April and the end of October (Annual Paid Leave Regulation, Art. 10). Details

Entitlement date: The date on which an employee completes a year of service and earns annual leave; the first is one year after the start date. Absences not listed in the law (such as unpaid leave) push it back by the same number of days (Art. 54/2). Details
Eve (half-day holiday): The day before the Ramadan Feast and the Feast of Sacrifice, and 28 October, are holidays from 13:00; the morning is worked (Law No. 2429, Arts. 1, 2). Taking the morning off uses half a day of annual leave. Details
Excused leave: Paid leave of 3 days for marriage, adoption and the death of a parent, spouse, sibling or child, 10 days for a spouse's birth, and up to 10 days a year for the treatment of a disabled or chronically ill child (Labour Law, Additional Art. 2). Details
Extended hours: Where the contract sets fewer than 45 hours a week, work between those hours and 45 hours; it is paid with a 25% premium or compensated with 1 hour 15 minutes of time off per hour (Art. 41). Details

Half-time work after birth: Working half the weekly hours by taking the other half as unpaid leave after maternity leave ends: 60 days for the first birth, 120 for the second and 180 for later births (Labour Law, Art. 74/2). Nursing leave does not apply during this period. Details

Job search leave: Paid leave of at least two hours a day within working hours during the notice period, to look for a new job; the employee may take it in one block (Labour Law, Art. 27). Details

Leave balance: The total of annual leave days earned but not yet used: entitlements and carried-over days minus leave taken. Excused leave, medical reports and unpaid leave are not deducted from it (Art. 56/4). Details
Leave committee: In workplaces with more than one hundred employees, the committee of one employer and two employee representatives that prepares leave schedules (Annual Paid Leave Regulation, Arts. 15–16). Details
Leave record: The document employers must keep for each employee, showing annual leave entitlement and use (Labour Law, Art. 56; Regulation, Art. 20 and Annex I). It is the key record for proving that leave was granted. Details

Make-up work: Making up time not worked because of compelling reasons, days off before or after holidays or leave at the employee's request, by working at most three extra hours a day within four months; it does not count as overtime (Labour Law, Art. 64). Details
Maternity leave: The period of 24 weeks in total, 8 before and 16 after birth, during which a female employee does not work; 2 weeks are added before birth for multiple pregnancies (Labour Law, Art. 74; Law No. 7578). Details
Medical report (rest report): A report in which a doctor certifies that the employee cannot work; the employment contract is suspended during this period (Art. 25). Sick days cannot be deducted from annual leave (Art. 56/4). Details
Missing days (SGK): Days in a month that are not worked and not paid; their reason and number are reported to the SGK in the monthly premium and service declaration (Law No. 5510, Art. 86). For example, medical rest is reported with code "01" and unpaid travel leave with code "20". Details

Notice period: The advance notice given when terminating an indefinite employment contract with notice; 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks depending on seniority (Labour Law, Art. 17). When the employer terminates, it cannot overlap with annual leave (Art. 59). Details
Nursing leave: A total of one and a half hours a day given to a female employee to breastfeed a child under one; she chooses the times and it counts as working time (Labour Law, Art. 74/7). Details

Overtime: Work beyond 45 hours a week; each hour is paid with a 50% premium or, if the employee wishes, compensated with 1 hour 30 minutes of time off (Labour Law, Art. 41). At most 270 hours a year are allowed. Details

Paternity leave: Paid leave for an employee whose spouse gives birth; 10 days for births on or after 1 May 2026 (Labour Law, Additional Art. 2; Law No. 7578). It is not deducted from annual leave. Details
Public holiday: 1 January, 1 May, 15 July, official holidays and religious holidays (Law No. 2429, Art. 2). Public holidays within annual leave are not counted as leave (Labour Law, Art. 56/5). Details

Seniority (length of service): Length of service with the same employer, which sets the length of annual leave; the probation period is included. 1–5 years give 14 days, 5–15 years 20 days and 15 years or more 26 days (Labour Law, Art. 53). Details

Temporary incapacity benefit: The benefit paid by the SGK for days an employee cannot work because of illness, a work accident, an occupational disease or maternity; for illness it starts on the third day, for a work accident on the first (Law No. 5510, Art. 18). Details
Time off in lieu: Paid time off given at the employee's request instead of overtime pay; it is used within six months, during working hours and without loss of pay (Labour Law, Art. 41/4–5). Details
Travel leave: Unpaid leave of up to four days in total for the journey there and back, for an employee spending annual leave elsewhere, on request and with proof (Labour Law, Art. 56/6). Details

Underground work: Work carried out underground, such as in mines and tunnels; annual leave for employees in such work is increased by four days (Labour Law, Art. 53). Details
Unpaid leave: Leave without pay; apart from statutory cases it depends on agreement. It is not deducted from annual leave but pushes the entitlement date back (Arts. 54/2, 56/4). Details
Unused leave pay: The amount paid at the final basic wage for annual leave days earned but not used when the employment contract ends; the limitation period is five years (Labour Law, Art. 59, Additional Art. 3). Details

Weekly rest day: At least 24 hours of uninterrupted rest in every seven-day period (Labour Law, Art. 46). A weekly rest day within annual leave is not counted as leave (Art. 56/5). Details

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