How many public holidays are there in Germany in 2026?

There are 9 nationwide public holidays in all 16 federal states. States add their own dates, so totals range from about 10 to 13 depending on location (Bavaria reaches up to about 13). Only German Unity Day (3 October) is set by federal statute as a national public holiday.

Are employees in Germany legally entitled to paid time off on public holidays?

Yes. The Working Hours Act (ArbZG, Section 9) requires employers to release employees from work on applicable holidays. The Continued Remuneration Act (EFZG, Section 2) requires full regular pay for working time lost because of a public holiday. Public holidays do not reduce statutory annual leave under the Bundesurlaubsgesetz.

Are public holidays the same across all regions of Germany?

No. Each Bundesland sets its own additional holidays. Only the 9 national dates are common to every state; Bavaria, for example, observes several extra religious or regional days that northern states may not share. The employee's regular place of work determines which list applies.

As a foreign employer, do I need to observe Germany's state-specific public holidays?

Yes. If employees are based in Germany, the law of the state where each person works applies, regardless of where your company is registered. A remote worker in Bavaria gets Bavaria's calendar even if the employer is abroad. EOR providers often manage state-level calendars, ArbZG compliance, and applicable Tarifverträge.

Germany public holidays 2026: what employers need to know

Q: What happens when a public holiday falls on a weekend in Germany?

There is no statutory right to a substitute day when a holiday falls on Saturday or Sunday. In 2026, examples include German Unity Day (3 October, Saturday) and the Second Day of Christmas (26 December, Saturday). Collective agreements or employment contracts may provide replacements.

Key takeaways

9 nationwide public holidays apply in all 16 Bundesländer; states add their own, so totals range from about 10 to 13 (e.g. Bavaria up to 13).
ArbZG Section 9 keeps employees off work on applicable holidays; EFZG Section 2 requires full pay for lost working time.
Rules follow the employee's regular place of work, not the employer's HQ, which is critical for distributed and remote teams.

Introduction

Germany has 9 nationwide public holidays (gesetzliche Feiertage) in 2026, plus additional state-only days. Under the Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz, ArbZG), employers must release staff from work on the holidays that apply where they work; under the Continued Remuneration Act (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz, EFZG), regular wages continue for working time lost because of those holidays.

For cross-border employers, the decisive rule is: the employee's place of work determines the calendar. A Hamburg HQ with a remote worker in Munich must apply Bavarian holidays for that person.

Key facts at a glance

Topic	Detail
Country	Germany
Nationwide holidays (2026)	9 (all states)
Maximum in any state	13 (e.g. Bavaria)
Governed by	ArbZG, EFZG, state Feiertagsgesetze
Paid time off on public holidays?	Yes, under ArbZG Section 9 and EFZG Section 2
Only federal statutory public holiday	German Unity Day (3 October)

Nationwide public holidays 2026 (all 16 states)

Date	Day	Holiday (English)	Local name	Scope
1 Jan	Thursday	New Year's Day	Neujahr	All states
3 Apr	Friday	Good Friday	Karfreitag	All states
6 Apr	Monday	Easter Monday	Ostermontag	All states
1 May	Friday	Labour Day	Tag der Arbeit	All states
14 May	Thursday	Ascension Day	Christi Himmelfahrt	All states
25 May	Monday	Whit Monday	Pfingstmontag	All states
3 Oct	Saturday	German Unity Day	Tag der Deutschen Einheit	All states
25 Dec	Friday	Christmas Day	Erster Weihnachtstag	All states
26 Dec	Saturday	Second Day of Christmas	Zweiter Weihnachtstag	All states

Weekend holidays in 2026: German Unity Day (3 October, Saturday) and the Second Day of Christmas (26 December, Saturday) fall on weekends. There is no statutory substitute day. Check the applicable Tarifvertrag or employment contract.

Bridge days (Brückentage): Labour Day falls on a Friday. Ascension Day falls on a Thursday, so expect leave requests for adjacent days. Plan staffing and payroll cut-offs early.

Regional public holidays by state (2026)

Additional dates depend on where the employee normally works.

Date	Day	Holiday (English)	Local name	States
6 Jan	Tuesday	Epiphany	Heilige Drei Könige	Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony-Anhalt
8 Mar	Sunday	International Women's Day	Internationaler Frauentag	Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
5 Apr	Sunday	Easter Sunday	Ostersonntag	Brandenburg only
4 Jun	Thursday	Corpus Christi	Fronleichnam	Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland; parts of Saxony and Thuringia
8 Aug	Saturday	Augsburg Peace Festival	Augsburger Friedensfest	Bavaria (Augsburg city only)
15 Aug	Saturday	Assumption of Mary	Mariä Himmelfahrt	Saarland; Catholic communities in Bavaria
31 Oct	Saturday	Reformation Day	Reformationstag	Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia
1 Nov	Sunday	All Saints' Day	Allerheiligen	Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
18 Nov	Wednesday	Repentance and Prayer Day	Buß- und Bettag	Saxony only

Holiday count by state (2026)

State	Total public holidays (approx.)
Baden-Württemberg	12
Bavaria	13
Berlin	10
Brandenburg	11
Bremen	10
Hamburg	10
Hesse	10
Lower Saxony	10
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	10
North Rhine-Westphalia	11
Rhineland-Palatinate	11
Saarland	12
Saxony	11
Saxony-Anhalt	11
Schleswig-Holstein	10
Thuringia	11

Employer and payroll obligations

Statutory paid time off

ArbZG Section 9 keeps employees off work on applicable public holidays; EFZG Section 2 preserves full regular pay for working time lost. Public holidays do not reduce Bundesurlaubsgesetz annual leave (minimum 20 days on a five-day week; many contracts offer 25–30 days).

Legal reference: ArbZG Section 9 · EFZG Section 2 · BUrlG (annual leave separate from public holidays). ArbZG fines can reach up to €15,000 per violation in serious cases.

Which state's calendar applies?

The federal state where the employee actually works governs, including remote workers. The Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht, 1 August 2024, 6 AZR 38/24) ties entitlement to the regular place of employment even when someone works elsewhere temporarily.

Weekend holidays

No automatic substitute day under federal law. In 2026, German Unity Day (Saturday), Reformation Day (Saturday, where observed), All Saints' Day (Sunday, where observed), and the Second Day of Christmas (Saturday) can fall on non-working days without a statutory replacement. Collective agreements or contracts may provide otherwise.

Working on a public holiday

Work on public holidays is restricted; exceptions cover sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, transport, and emergencies. Compensatory time off is central; supplements follow agreement or Tarifvertrag. Certain holiday bonuses can qualify for tax relief within statutory caps.

What this means for international employers

Teams spread across Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Berlin run four different holiday calendars in parallel. April–May 2026 packs Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, and Whit Monday within eight weeks.

Payroll engines should key off employee work location. Without a German entity, an EOR is a common way to apply the right state calendars, ArbZG/EFZG pay rules, and sector collective agreements across all Bundesländer.

Hiring in Germany?

Jackson & Frank supports EOR, visas, and outsourced HR and payroll across Germany and the DACH region. Contact our team to align calendars and compliance.

Sources

Federal government, German Unity Day / national holidays: bundesregierung.de
ArbZG (gesetze-im-internet.de): gesetze-im-internet.de
EFZG (gesetze-im-internet.de): gesetze-im-internet.de
BUrlG (gesetze-im-internet.de): gesetze-im-internet.de
Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior, holiday law overview: mi.niedersachsen.de
North Rhine-Westphalia legal database, holiday law: recht.nrw.de

Germany public holidays 2026: dates, pay rules & employer guide