1. Vacation (Statutory vacation)
Setting | Standard for Germany |
Earning model | Annual earning (most commonly used) |
Vacation period | 01.01 – 31.12 |
Annual quota | Minimum 20 days for a 5-day working week (many companies offer 25–30 days) |
New hires | New employees typically receive vacation on a pro rata basis in their first year; full entitlement may depend on seniority/company policy. |
Carryover | Depends on company policy and deadlines for taking vacation |
Public holidays | Loaded via the public holiday module (official holidays) |
Annual earning setup is described in the functional article:
🔗 Vacation policy – annual earning
2. Supplementary balances (Supplementary balance)
Supplementary balances are used for extra days off beyond statutory vacation. These are not created automatically when selecting a country.
Typical supplementary balances in Germany may include:
Supplementary balance | Added in BitaBIZ |
Zusatzurlaub (Extra vacation days beyond statutory vacation) | Yes |
Sonderurlaub (Special leave for events) | Yes |
Bildungsurlaub (Educational leave) | Yes |
The period, earning, and settlement depend on the company's agreement. See the functional article
3. Other leave (Typical German leave types)
The 'Other leave' module is used for long-term or special types of leave, which are registered in whole days.
Typical German leave types include:
Type of leave | Affects vacation earning | Requires approval |
Mutterschutz (Maternity leave) | No | No – Must be registered |
Elternzeit (Parental leave) | Partially | Yes (must be planned) |
Unbezahlter Urlaub (Unpaid leave) | Yes | Yes |
Kinderkrank (Child sickness) | No | No – Must be registered |
Sonderurlaub (Special events) | No | Yes |
Maternity and paternity leave usually do not affect vacation earning in Germany. Unpaid leave can reduce vacation earning depending on the duration.
⚠️ Leave is registered in whole days. Weekends and public holidays are not included.
4. Sick leave
Sick leave can be registered as a single day or as a period. Hourly registration can be enabled if standard hours are set up.
⚠️ Weekends and public holidays do not count as sick days.
5. Work hours and time registration
When Germany is selected, no time registration method is activated automatically. The administrator must manually choose between:
Time registration without hour bank
Time registration with hour bank
⚠️ The choice depends on whether work hours are accumulated as a balance or only documented.
Important
The standard setup is based on common practice in Denmark.
Companies with collective agreements or special arrangements must adjust the policies manually.