Working days in Germany: calculation and public holidays
Nationwide and state-specific public holidays at a glance
The working days calculator counts every Monday-to-Friday day (business day) in any given period and automatically subtracts the statutory public holidays. The result is the number of working days – the days on which people in Germany actually work. Depending on the selected federal state, additional state-specific holidays are taken into account.
Germany has 9 nationwide public holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Labour Day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, German Unity Day, and the two Christmas holidays. The movable holidays (Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday) are calculated using the Gaussian Easter formula – a mathematical method that determines Easter Sunday precisely for any given year. For 2026, Easter Sunday falls on 5 April.
In addition, there are state-specific public holidays that only apply in certain federal states. Epiphany (6 January) applies in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt. Corpus Christi is a holiday in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. All Saints' Day (1 November) applies in BW, BY, NW, RP, SL, SN, ST and TH. Reformation Day (31 October) is a statutory holiday in the eastern states as well as in Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.
The calculator is especially useful for notice periods (e.g. 3 months to the end of the month), project planning (sprint duration in working days), vacation planning (how many vacation days do I need?), payment terms (14 business days) or calculating deadlines in employment and contract law. A public holiday that falls on a weekend does not count twice – it does not cost a working day.