Statutory public holidays in Saarland

12 statutory public holidays in 2026, nine of them nationwide and 3 only in some states. Nationwide the range runs from ten to thirteen.

No. German law knows no substitute day, unlike the United Kingdom for example. 2026 in Saarland 4 of the 12 public holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday and are therefore simply lost. A collective agreement or a works agreement can provide otherwise, and that is then a voluntary benefit.

No. If a statutory public holiday falls during your leave, it is not counted against your entitlement. Under section 3 BUrlG leave is counted in working days, and public holidays are not working days. Anyone taking a week that contains a public holiday uses four days of leave instead of five.

Yes. Under section 2 (1) EFZG the business pays the earnings that would have accrued without the public holiday. The public holiday must be the sole cause of the lost work; anyone who would have been off anyway gets nothing extra.

On Sundays and public holidays section 9 ArbZG imposes a ban on employment from midnight to midnight. Section 10 ArbZG names the exceptions, including hospitals and care, restaurants, transport operations, emergency and rescue services and standby duty. Anyone working on a public holiday is entitled under section 11 (3) ArbZG to a replacement rest day within eight weeks.

None is required by law. If the business pays one, it stays tax-free under section 3b of the Income Tax Act up to 125 percent of the base wage, at Christmas and on 1 May up to 150 percent. What remains in a given case is worked out by the premium calculator.

The place of work, not the place of residence. What counts is the holiday law of the state in which the work is performed. When working from home that is the place where the person actually works, and it can be a different state from the one the business is based in.