Public holidays
Public holidays 2026 — Germany
See every official public holiday and non-working day in Germany for 2026. Use the calendar to plan work, payroll, invoicing and long-weekend vacations.
2026 public holidays in Germany influence staffing, payroll timing, project delivery and invoice planning. This page pairs the full holiday table with working-day context so users can see not only when the holidays fall, but also how they affect the practical business calendar. With 9 public holidays and around 254 working days in the baseline calendar, the yearly rhythm matters for leave approval, month-end processing and commercial deadlines.
2026 vs 2025
Total holidays
9
Weekday holidays
7
Weekend days
104
Working days
254
Complete holiday table
Use the table for planning leave, payroll processing, staffing and invoicing around non-working dates.
| Date | Holiday | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Jan 2026 | New Year's Day | national | National baseline |
| 03 Apr 2026 | Good Friday | national | National baseline |
| 06 Apr 2026 | Easter Monday | national | National baseline |
| 01 May 2026 | Labour Day | national | National baseline |
| 14 May 2026 | Ascension Day | national | National baseline |
| 25 May 2026 | Whit Monday | national | National baseline |
| 03 Oct 2026 | German Unity Day | national | National baseline |
| 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | national | National baseline |
| 26 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day / St. Stephen's Day | national | National baseline |
Plan around these dates
National baseline and regional checks
This page focuses on the nationwide holiday calendar. Regional observances should be reviewed separately when they affect staffing or payroll timing.
Use this page as the national starting point for Germany. If your teams operate in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, review regional or state-level holiday rules before finalizing leave approvals, payroll cut-offs or staffing plans.
How it works
The holiday page combines the year-specific calendar with working-day counts and bridge-day opportunities. That matters because a holiday table on its own rarely tells the whole operational story.
Example use case
An HR manager can check whether a holiday lands on a weekday, identify a four-day bridge weekend, and then move into the working-day and salary routes to model payroll deadlines or leave approval risk.
Long weekend opportunities
These bridge-day ideas help make the holiday page useful for operational planning, not just for date lookup.
- 2026-01-01: take Friday off for a four-day break
- 2026-04-03: direct long weekend opportunity
- 2026-04-06: direct long weekend opportunity
- 2026-05-01: direct long weekend opportunity
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people most often ask before relying on the page.
- How many public holidays does Germany have in 2026?
- The summary on the page shows the total holiday count, weekday holidays and the yearly working-day impact.
- Do weekend holidays reduce working days?
- Weekend holidays matter for planning, but they only reduce working days when local rules grant substitute leave.
- Are regional holidays included?
- The page starts with the national baseline and points out where regional verification may still be necessary.
- How should long weekends be planned?
- Use the long-weekend highlights to spot bridge days that can affect staffing, leave approvals and payroll timing.
- Which Germany holidays in 2026 fall on a weekday vs weekend?
- The full calendar on this page shows the day of the week next to each holiday. Weekday holidays directly reduce working days; weekend holidays usually do not. The page summary also shows how many of the holidays fall on weekdays so capacity planning is easier.
- Are regional Germany holidays included in the 2026 calendar?
- Yes. Where regional holidays are observed only in specific provinces, states or municipalities, they are listed separately so you can build an accurate calendar for a specific location. National holidays apply to the entire country and are listed at the top.
- How many working days does Germany have in 2026?
- The page header shows the total working day count for the year, deducting national public holidays and standard weekends. For per-month detail, the monthly drill-down lists working days, holidays and weekend days for every month of the year.
- Can I see long weekends and bridge days for Germany in 2026?
- Yes. Holidays that fall on a Tuesday or Thursday create natural bridge day opportunities, and the page highlights them so HR teams can plan capacity around the most likely peak vacation windows.
- Where can I find the Germany holiday calendar for past years?
- Use the year selector at the top of the page to switch between past, current and future years. Past-year calendars stay live for reference even after the year ends, which helps with retrospective payroll or audit work.
- Are Germany school holidays shown on this page?
- School holidays are not on the public holiday calendar because they vary by region, school type and academic year. The resources section includes guides to school holiday planning where this matters for workforce scheduling, particularly in countries with staggered school holidays.
Related tools
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Countries
Return to the cross-pillar hub for this country.
Working days by month — 2026
Drill into any month for the exact list of business days, public holidays, and a full planning breakdown.
January
1
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February
2
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March
3
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April
4
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May
5
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June
6
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July
7
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August
8
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September
9
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October
10
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November
11
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December
12
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Poland
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