Law

Planning holidays: Which rules employees should know

Holidays require planning and clear entitlements. What employees in Austria should know about vacation days, remaining leave, illness and job changes.

Editorial team8 min reading time
Employee plans vacation days on a laptop with a calendar and notebook in a modern Austrian office

Status: June 22, 2026. Vacation sounds simple: request time off, pack your bags, switch off. In the workplace, however, it is often more complicated. Who decides when vacation is taken? How many days are you entitled to in part-time work? What happens to remaining vacation, illness during vacation, or open days when changing jobs? Especially before the summer season, it is worth taking a clear look at the rules so that relaxation does not turn into conflict.

In Austria, employees are generally entitled to paid vacation. This entitlement is not a voluntary extra from the employer, but part of the employment relationship. At the same time, vacation cannot be taken completely unilaterally. It requires planning, consultation, and proper documentation, especially when duty rosters, customer deadlines, team substitutions, or family care obligations come together.

For applicants, employees, and employers, vacation is therefore a practical quality issue. Good jobs are recognized not only by the salary, but also by whether free time is plannable, whether remaining vacation is managed transparently, and whether managers clarify vacation questions early enough. This article summarizes the most important points for Austria.

How much vacation employees get

The basic entitlement is five calendar weeks per working year. The Corporate Service Portal (Unternehmensserviceportal) cites 30 working days for a six-day week or 25 working days for a five-day week. After a long period of service, the entitlement can increase to six weeks. The WKO describes the vacation extent as 30 working days for less than 25 years of service and 36 working days after completing the 25th year of service.

It is important to note: Part-time and marginal employment do not change the basic concept. The Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer) points out that part-time and marginally employed workers are also entitled to five weeks of paid vacation per working year. The difference lies in the conversion: someone who only works three days a week does not have the same number of vacation days as someone with a five-day week, but they do have five weeks off.

In the first working year, vacation is initially accrued on a pro-rata basis. After six months, the full annual entitlement exists. From the second working year onwards, the entitlement generally arises in full at the beginning of the working year. It is therefore important for employees to know whether the working year in the company applies from the date of entry or a converted vacation year.

Vacation must be agreed upon

A common misconception is: If you still have vacation left, you can just take it. That is not how it works. Vacation must generally be agreed upon between the employer and the employee. Operational interests and the need for rest should be balanced. Employees are therefore not allowed to stay away on their own authority just because a remaining vacation account shows a plus.

Conversely, the employer cannot order vacation unilaterally at will. Even a company holiday requires a specific agreement or a legally viable basis. In practice, early coordination is therefore crucial: anyone planning summer vacations, bridge days, or longer trips should submit the request in such a way that substitution and duty rosters can be realistically organized.

Good vacation planning does not start with the last available flight connection, but with three questions: How many days are open? What operational blackout periods or peak phases are there? Who takes over tasks during the absence? Anyone who keeps these points in writing or in the time recording system in a traceable manner avoids misunderstandings.

Individual vacation days, weeks, and split vacations

The WKO explains regarding vacation consumption that vacation can generally be consumed in parts, with one part having to be at least six working days. At the request of employees, however, the consumption of individual vacation days can also be agreed upon. This is important in modern work models because many people use vacation not only as a two-week trip, but also for care, regeneration, official errands, or individual bridge days.

Nevertheless, vacation should not just be fragmented. Recovery requires continuous time. Anyone who only uses individual days throughout the year may remain flexible in the short term, but runs the risk of never really switching off. This is also relevant for employers: permanently postponed recovery increases the risk of errors, conflicts, and sick leave.

A mix is sensible: plan longer recovery phases early, use individual days consciously for transitions and private appointments, and check remaining vacation regularly. This is especially true in teams where everyone wants to be off at the same time in the summer or around public holidays.

Do not ignore remaining vacation and limitation periods

Open vacation is generally carried over to the next vacation year if it is not consumed. However, it does not remain indefinitely. The Upper Austrian Chamber of Labour explains that the vacation entitlement generally expires two years after the end of the vacation year in which it arose. In practice, this often means: anyone who does not consume any vacation at all over several years can lose old claims.

The Styrian Chamber of Labour also refers to case law, according to which employers must point out impending limitation periods and enable vacation consumption. However, employees should not rely on this passively. It is better to check your own status at least once a quarter: current annual entitlement, remaining vacation from previous years, already approved vacation, and planned days off.

Especially before a job change, remaining vacation is important. Anyone who resigns or is terminated should not only check the notice period and employment papers, but also open vacation days. The jobspot.at article Check employment contract helps to classify such points cleanly before or at the start of an employment relationship.

Sick during vacation: What counts then

Getting sick on vacation is annoying, but under labor law, it is not automatically lost recovery. The Chamber of Labour explains that vacation days do not count as vacation days under certain conditions if employees become ill during their vacation. A timely notification and a medical certificate are important. However, the illness-related interruption does not automatically extend the agreed vacation.

In practice, this means: anyone who gets sick on vacation should not explain everything only after returning. It is better to inform the employer as quickly as possible, organize a medical certificate, and pay close attention to the evidence when staying abroad. After the end of the agreed vacation or after recovery, work must be resumed.

The connection with general sick leave is important. What must be in the sick note, which diagnosis remains private, and which reporting obligations apply is covered by the jobspot.at article reporting sick leave. Anyone who mixes vacation and illness should document it particularly cleanly.

Vacation pay, vacation remuneration, and payslip

Vacation means paid leave. The current remuneration continues to be paid during the vacation; this is the vacation remuneration. To be distinguished from this is the vacation bonus or vacation allowance, i.e., a special payment, which is usually regulated by a collective agreement. These terms are often confused, although they describe different claims.

Especially around vacation months, it is therefore worth taking a look at the payslip. Was the current remuneration paid correctly? Is a special payment due? Are variable components, part-time changes, or absences correct? The jobspot.at article "Vacation pay in the job" explains the special payment in more detail; the article Check payslip helps with the monthly reconciliation.

For employees with commissions, allowances, changing shifts, or a regular overtime share, this can be particularly relevant. Vacation should not lead to the settlement suddenly becoming incomprehensible. If something is unclear, you should ask promptly and not wait until the year-end settlement.

Vacation when changing jobs and at the end of the employment relationship

When an employment relationship ends, the question arises: will open vacation still be consumed or paid out? The Tyrolean Chamber of Labour describes the vacation replacement payment as follows: open vacation from the current vacation year is to be paid out on a pro-rata basis, already consumed vacation days are deducted; open, non-expired vacation from previous years is to be paid out in full. oesterreich.gv.at also points out that the amount of the replacement payment depends on open vacation days and income.

Anyone changing jobs should therefore keep a small final settlement checklist: remaining vacation, vacation replacement payment, special payments, overtime, time off in lieu, payslip, service certificate, and employment papers. Especially with a quick change to a new job, it can happen that open days and monetary claims receive too little attention.

It is also important: vacation during the notice period must also be agreed upon. Employees cannot automatically attach open vacation days to the end of the notice period unilaterally. Conversely, the company should not simply ignore remaining vacation when it is clear that the employment relationship is ending.

What employees should check specifically now

A practical vacation check takes only a few minutes. First: How many vacation days are open according to the system? Second: Which vacation year do they come from? Third: Are already approved days correctly deducted? Fourth: Are there verbal promises that have not yet been documented? Fifth: Do vacation, time off in lieu, and sick leave match in the settlement?

For new employees, it is worth asking about the vacation year, company holidays, application system, and substitution rules right at the start of the job. For long-term employees, remaining vacation is more important: if a lot of vacation remains over years, the conversation should be sought. Not as an accusation, but as a planning question.

Employers also benefit from clear vacation planning. A transparent system reduces conflicts, prevents last-minute bottlenecks, and shows appreciation for recovery. In times of skilled labor shortages, plannable vacation is an underestimated part of employee retention.

Conclusion: Vacation is recovery and entitlement at the same time

Vacation entitlement in Austria is more than a number in the time recording system. It concerns recovery, health, money, and planning security. Employees should know how many weeks they are entitled to, how vacation is agreed upon, what happens to remaining vacation, and which rules apply in case of illness or job change.

The best next step: check vacation account, sort open days by year, apply for summer or autumn vacation in time, and secure approvals in writing. Anyone who clarifies remaining vacation, vacation remuneration, and substitution early starts their time off more relaxed and returns without open conflicts.

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