Working time in Germany: Weekly limits, daily standards & legal framework

Working time in Germany is set by the Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz). The core rules are simple: a maximum of eight hours a day, at least 11 hours of rest between shifts, and no work on Sundays unless your sector is exempt.

Below are the limits, breaks, rest periods, holiday entitlement, and the special protections for minors, pregnant employees, and employees with disabilities, with each figure linked to the law it comes from.

Average Working Week in Germany

In Germany, the standard workweek is typically five days, Monday through Friday. Most full-time employees work between 36 and 40 hours per week, spread over five days. Usual hours are 9 am to 5 pm or 8 am to 4 pm, which varies by company and industry. Many companies offer flexible working hours, or Gleitzeit, which lets you start and end your day within a set range.

Saturday and Sunday are generally the weekend in Germany. Many offices close on Saturday, while retail stores and services stay open. Saturday work is usually part of a flexible or part-time schedule, and our guide to part-time jobs in Germany covers how those hours are handled. Sunday is a legal day of rest, and most businesses, including shops and offices, are closed. Work on Sundays and public holidays is prohibited by law, with exceptions for emergency services, health care, hospitality, and continuous operations such as factories that cannot shut down. Even then, employers must give a compensatory day off within a set period. Employees who work Sundays or holidays are usually entitled to extra pay or time off in lieu.

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Maximum Working Hours in Germany

The Working Hours Act sets daily and weekly maximums so that employees are not overworked and get enough rest.

Standard Working Time in Germany per Day

Employees may generally work up to eight hours per working day. That can be extended to 10 hours, but only if the average working time across six months, or 24 weeks, does not exceed eight hours a day.

Working Hours in Germany per Week

Under the Working Hours Act, employees should not work more than 48 hours per week. That figure comes from eight hours across six working days, because Saturday counts as a working day in the law. With the extension to 10 hours a day, you can temporarily reach 60 hours in a week, as long as the six-month average stays within the legal limit.

The standard full-time workweek is usually 40 hours, with the exact number set by your industry and your employment contract. Collective agreements in some sectors, such as metal and electrical, set a shorter week.

Exceptions to the Normal Working Hours in Germany

Some industries, such as health care, emergency services, and hospitality, have different rules because of the nature of the work. Some sectors have collective bargaining agreements that allow different working hours, as long as they stay within the overarching legal protections.

Companies may also use flexible arrangements such as Gleitzeit or annual working time accounts, which allow daily and weekly hours to vary while keeping the average within the limits.

Overtime in Germany

Hours worked beyond your standard hours count as overtime. The rules on overtime, including how it is paid, are set in your individual employment contract or in a collective bargaining agreement.

Overtime can be compensated with extra pay, time off in lieu, or a combination. The details depend on your employer's policies and any applicable agreement.

Two points worth knowing. There is no statutory overtime premium in Germany, so any uplift comes from your contract or a collective agreement rather than from the law. And whatever the arrangement, your total pay divided by your total hours must still meet the minimum wage of €13.90 per hour that applies from January 2026, rising to €14.60 in January 2027. A clause saying overtime is "included in the salary" does not override that floor. For context on pay levels, see our overview of the average salary in Germany.

Rest Periods and Breaks in Part-Time and Full-Time Work

The Arbeitszeitgesetz also makes sure you have time to rest during and between working days. Taking your breaks is not just good for your health and focus, it is a legal requirement in Germany.

Daily and Weekly Rest

• After six hours of work: you are entitled to a break of at least 30 minutes. It can be split into two blocks of at least 15 minutes.
• After nine hours of work: your break must total at least 45 minutes. This can also be split, as long as each block is at least 15 minutes.
• Minimum rest period: you are entitled to at least 11 consecutive hours of rest between the end of one working day and the start of the next.
• Weekly rest: you should have at least one full day off per week. Sunday is the standard rest day, but if you work Sundays or public holidays, for example as a doctor in Germany, your employer must give you a compensatory day off within a set timeframe.

Rest Periods for Night Shifts and Hazardous Work

Some types of work carry extra rules for safety and health. Night work is legally defined as work between 11 pm and 6 am, or 10 pm to 5 am in bakeries. Night workers are entitled to a regular occupational health check-up, and to either a pay supplement or extra paid days off.

Jobs with hazardous conditions may carry stricter break and rest requirements. If you work in a chemical plant with exposure to dangerous substances, for example, you may be entitled to shorter and more frequent breaks to limit fatigue and exposure. Your rest period between shifts may also be extended beyond the standard 11 hours.

Public Holidays and Vacation Entitlements

Germany has several public holidays each year. Some vary by federal state, but these are observed nationwide:

• New Year's Day (January 1)
• Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
• Easter Monday (Monday after Easter Sunday)
• Labor Day (May 1)
• Ascension Day (40 days after Easter)
• Whit Monday (Monday after Pentecost)
• German Unity Day (October 3)
• Christmas Day (December 25)
• Boxing Day (December 26)

Bavaria has the most public holidays and Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein the fewest, so where you work changes how many days off you get. Our guide to German holidays and celebrations lists which ones apply where.

On these days, businesses and offices generally close and employees are not expected to work. If you do have to work a public holiday, your employer must give you a compensatory day off.

On top of public holidays, you are entitled to paid vacation. Under the Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz), the minimum is 24 working days per year on a six-day week, which works out to at least 20 days on a five-day week. Many companies offer more, usually 25 to 30 days. Check your employment contract for the exact figure, and see our guide to employment law in Germany for what else your contract has to cover.

If you cannot use all your vacation days within the year, many companies let you carry unused days over. There are usually limits on how many you can carry and by when they must be taken, often March 31 of the following year.

Special Provisions for Minors, Pregnant Workers and Employees With Disabilities

Some groups of employees in Germany have extra legal protection to safeguard their health and safety. These provisions cover minors, pregnant employees, parents, and employees with disabilities.

Minors under the age of 18 generally may not work more than eight hours per day or 40 hours per week. They must take a break of at least 30 minutes after four and a half hours of work, and 60 minutes after six hours. Night shifts are prohibited, with limited exceptions in sectors such as hospitality and baking.

Pregnant employees and new parents have additional rights. Expectant mothers are entitled to six weeks of leave before the expected date of birth and eight weeks after, extended to 12 weeks after a premature or multiple birth, with maternity pay during that time. Pregnant employees and those on parental leave are protected from dismissal from the start of the pregnancy until four months after the birth. Each parent can take up to three years of parental leave per child. It is normally taken before the child's third birthday, and up to 24 of those months can be moved to the period between the child's third and eighth birthday.

There are also additional provisions for employees with disabilities. Employees with a recognized severe disability are entitled to five additional days of paid leave per year on a five-day week. They can also ask to be released from overtime, and in some cases work reduced hours where the disability significantly limits full-time work. That is usually settled through a medical assessment and in consultation with the employer. Depending on the disability, extra or longer breaks may also apply.

Companies that permanently employ at least five severely disabled people must have an elected disability representative (Schwerbehindertenvertretung), who advocates for those employees inside the company.

What to Do if Your Employer Violates the Working Time Act

Employers who break the rules in the Arbeitszeitgesetz face real penalties. Breaches of the working time, break, rest, and Sunday rules carry fines of up to €30,000, and up to €5,000 for failing to display the required notice. Repeat or serious offences attract the higher end of the range.

In extreme cases, particularly where an employer wilfully endangers an employee's health, criminal charges can follow, with a fine or up to a year's imprisonment.

If you believe your employer is breaching the Arbeitszeitgesetz, you have several options:

• Internal reporting: start with your supervisor, HR, or the works council. Many companies have an internal process for this.
• External reporting: if that does not resolve it, contact the local labor inspectorate (Gewerbeaufsichtsamt) or the relevant trade union. They can advise and, if needed, open an investigation.
• Legal action: in serious cases you can go to a labor court (Arbeitsgericht), which handles employment disputes including working time.

Good to know: employees who report violations are protected by law from retaliation. Employers may not penalise, dismiss, or otherwise disadvantage you for raising a legitimate concern about working hours. Our guide to working rights in Germany sets out what else you are entitled to.

Working Time in Germany: Who Monitors Compliance?

Responsibility for monitoring the Working Hours Act sits mainly with the labor inspectorates (Gewerbeaufsichtsämter). They carry out inspections and audits to check that workplaces follow the rules, and they can make unannounced visits, examine records, and interview employees.

Trade unions are also important advocates for workers' rights. They help employees report violations and can represent them in disputes, and they usually have the legal expertise to pursue a case.

In companies with a works council, that body monitors compliance too. The works council has the right to be informed and consulted on working time and can raise concerns on behalf of employees, which makes it the fastest internal route in most cases.