Special leave for moving house in Germany (Sonderurlaub) — when are you entitled to a day off?

Is there a statutory right to special leave (Sonderurlaub)?

The Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz) says nothing about it. The provision everyone relies on is § 616 BGB: anyone who is prevented from working “for a relatively insignificant period” for a reason relating to their own person keeps the right to pay. Whether a private move is such a reason is not stated there — and that is exactly what is disputed.

• Private move — as a rule, no entitlement. The courts regard a change of home as something that can be planned; taking annual leave can reasonably be expected
• Move for a business reason — here the case is different, because the reason comes from the employer. Many contracts provide one day for it
• § 616 BGB can be excluded — it can be ruled out in the employment contract or collective agreement, and that often happens. It then no longer applies to other occasions either
• The collective agreement takes precedence — where one applies, it usually states exactly which occasions give how many days

Work-related or private move — the key difference

This distinction decides almost everything. If you move because you want to, it is your business. If you move because your employer transfers you or your place of work changes, it is theirs.

In the public sector the case is regulated most clearly: the TVöD (the collective agreement for the public sector) provides in § 29 one working day off work for a move for service or business reasons. For a private move it provides nothing. Many company-level collective agreements (Haustarifverträge) in industry are built in a similar way.

In the private sector without a collective agreement it depends on the employment contract and on established workplace practice (betriebliche Übung). If everyone at the workplace has been given a moving day for years, an entitlement can arise from that — but that is a question for the individual case and not something we can assess.

How to get the day if there is no entitlement

Even without an entitlement many people get the day — hardly any employer wants someone sitting at their desk after a night spent moving. How you ask makes a difference.

• Ask early — four to six weeks ahead, in writing, with a specific date. At short notice the request becomes a problem
• Offer proof — tenancy agreement (Mietvertrag), registration confirmation (Meldebestätigung) or the invoice from the removal company; that turns “I am moving” into a date
• Say what you are asking for — whether you ask for special leave (Sonderurlaub), a day of annual leave, flexitime (Gleitzeit) or a day working from home the day after often matters more for the answer than the legal position
• Choose a Friday or a Monday — then the weekend is attached and only one working day is missing. That noticeably improves the chance of a yes

And if the answer is a clear no: moving on a Saturday is perfectly normal. We work on Saturdays, and for many customers it is the calmer day — nobody is on the stairs and there is less often a car in the way outside the building.

Which other occasions give a day off?

The move is the occasion discussed most often, because it is precisely the one that is not clearly regulated. Other occasions are regulated clearly: in the public sector § 29 TVöD lists them expressly. Where a different collective agreement applies, the lists are often similar, but the numbers differ.

• Wife or life partner giving birth — one working day
• Death of a spouse, life partner, child or parent — two working days
• Move for service or business reasons — one working day
• Serious illness of a family member in your own household — one working day per calendar year
• Medical treatment that cannot take place outside working hours — the necessary time, as documented

What stands out in this list: the private move is not on it, the work-related one is. That is exactly where the question most people come here with is decided. And once more: these figures apply to the TVöD. In the private sector the contract may well say something different, or nothing at all.

Is one day enough for a move?

For a two- to three-room flat in Leipzig: yes, provided everything is packed beforehand and the van is not parked two streets away. That is the normal case, not the exception.

If you only have that one day, tell us when we work out the quote. Then we plan with a buffer rather than cutting it fine: one more person at 25 €/hr is better than still standing in the stairwell at 19:00. There is no travel charge within 50 km of Leipzig. For longer distances we quote one total price from your photos, travel included.