Working Time Rules: Germany
Germany: standard working hours, overtime, rest, annual leave, and record-keeping rules - a practical overview, not legal advice.
Statutory working time
Under the Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz, § 3), working time may not exceed 8 hours per working day. It may be extended to up to 10 hours if the average over 6 calendar months does not exceed 8 hours per day.
Overtime
The Working Hours Act (Arbeitszeitgesetz) caps normal work at 8 hours a working day, extendable to 10 only if the average stays at 8 across six calendar months or 24 weeks - so in the statutory six-day model the weekly limit works out to about 48 hours. There is no general statutory overtime premium (pay depends on the contract or collective agreement), though a separate statutory allowance applies to night work.
Rest periods
At least 11 uninterrupted hours after the working day ends. Breaks of at least 30 minutes are required on a working day of more than six and up to nine hours, and 45 minutes beyond nine hours. They may be split into blocks of at least 15 minutes, and nobody may work more than six hours in a row without one.
Record-keeping
Employers must already record the hours worked beyond the eight-hour working day, and keep those records for at least two years. A broader duty to record all working time follows from case law, but the implementing legislation is still pending.
What to check before you rely on this
- The current statutory limits, reference periods, and any opt-outs.
- Sector or collective-agreement rules that may override the defaults.
- How overtime is authorised, recorded, and compensated.
- What working-time records you must keep and for how long.