How many working days (Arbeitstage) in Germany this year?
Payroll, SLAs and delivery plans all need the same number: weekdays minus gesetzliche Feiertage. In Germany that number depends on which Bundesland you are in — and weekend holidays usually do not give you an extra Monday.
What “Arbeitstage” means here
In German business German, Arbeitstage / Werktage wording can disagree: some contracts treat Saturday as a Werktag. This guide (and the calculator) uses the common software meaning: Monday–Friday, excluding gesetzliche Feiertage for a chosen region. Company shutdowns and bridge days (Brückentage) are private rules on top.
Why the Bundesland matters
- Nationwide (
de) — nine Feiertage. Good default when your policy is “federal holidays only”. - Bayern (
de-by) — adds Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Assumption, All Saints → more holidays on weekdays in most years → fewer Arbeitstage. See Feiertage Bayern. - Berlin / MV — International Women's Day (from 2019 / 2023).
- Sachsen — Buß- und Bettag (Wednesday before 23 November).
- Thüringen — World Children's Day (20 September, from 2019).
2026 ballpark figures
| Region | Feiertage (named) | Approx. Mon–Fri Arbeitstage in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
Germany nationwide (de) | 9 | ~254 |
Bavaria (de-by) | 13 | ~252 |
2026 has 365 calendar days and 261 weekdays. Weekend Feiertage (e.g. Unity Day on Saturday) do not remove an Arbeitstag; weekday Feiertage do. Germany generally has no substitute Mondays, so a Saturday holiday does not cost the following Monday — see also how the UK differs.
Count it yourself
- Open Tooltern Bank Holidays.
- Choose Germany (nationwide) or a Bundesland and the year.
- Read Working days in YEAR in the summary — calculated in your browser.
# Between two dates (check the docs for inclusive/exclusive end)
curl -s 'https://api.oddlathe.com/v1/workdays?region=de&from=2026-01-01&to=2027-01-01'
curl -s 'https://api.oddlathe.com/v1/workdays?region=de-by&from=2026-01-01&to=2027-01-01'
# Holiday list for the same region
curl -s 'https://api.oddlathe.com/v1/holidays?region=de-nw&year=2026'
Common mistakes
- Using only the nationwide list for a Bayern payroll — you will over-count Arbeitstage.
- Assuming UK-style substitute days — a Feiertag on Sunday usually does not move to Monday in Germany.
- Counting Brückentage as statutory — bridge days are optional leave or company policy, not gesetzliche Feiertage.
- Ambiguous “Germany” — always store a region code (
de,de-by,de-nw…) in HR software.
Related
Feiertage Bayern · Add German Feiertage to calendars · UK working days · Bank holidays calculator · Date difference · Anvil /v1/workdays · Working days until a deadline · Countdown
Questions
How many working days are there in Germany in 2026?
About 254 Monday–Friday days after removing nationwide weekday Feiertage (region de). Bayern is usually a little lower (about 252) because of extra state holidays.
Do weekend Feiertage reduce Arbeitstage?
No. Only holidays that fall on Monday–Friday are subtracted. Germany typically does not add a substitute Monday.
Is the number the same in every Bundesland?
No. State holidays (Epiphany, Women's Day, Corpus Christi, Assumption, Reformation Day, All Saints, Buß- und Bettag, Children's Day) change the count.
What is the difference between Arbeitstage and Werktage?
In everyday HR software, both often mean Mon–Fri minus holidays. Some older German legal texts treat Saturday as a Werktag — read the contract.
How do I count Arbeitstage between two dates?
Use GET https://api.oddlathe.com/v1/workdays?from=&to=®ion= or the bank holidays calculator summary for a whole year.
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