Frequently Asked Questions About Educational Leave

Bildungsurlaub — also called Bildungszeit, Bildungsfreistellung, or Arbeitnehmerweiterbildung depending on the federal state — is enshrined in law in 14 of 16 German states. In 1976 Germany ratified ILO Convention No. 140 on paid educational leave (1974), undertaking under international law to promote paid educational leave. The convention does not create an enforceable individual right — that arises only from the state laws, each of which regulates the details itself.

“Employees in the State of Berlin are entitled, while continuing to receive their salary, to time off from work vis-à-vis their employer for participation in recognized educational events (Bildungszeit).”

Depending on your state's law, you can use Bildungsurlaub for language courses, health seminars, political education, or professional training — in many states, the course doesn't need to be job-related. Yet only very few eligible workers actually use this right. The most common reason: many don't even know it exists.

On Bildungszeit, you'll find only courses recognized as Bildungsurlaub, filtered by your federal state. Why the name varies by state →

The standard entitlement in most states is 5 days per calendar year based on a 5-day work week. Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Rhineland-Palatinate grant 10 days per two-year period. For part-time workers, the entitlement is calculated proportionally: if you work 3 days per week, you get 3 days of Bildungsurlaub.

The entitlement in five states at a glance:

And combining days? Whether you may add unused days to those of the following year differs from state to state — not only in the amount, but in the mechanism: in some states combining happens by operation of law, in others upon a declaration, in others only after the employer has refused — and some laws rule it out altogether. One row per state would misrepresent that for a number of them.

Berlin shows why: there, days may only be combined in anticipation of the coming year. What is left of the current year cannot be carried over into the following year.

“The entitlement to educational leave amounts to five working days within a calendar year, provided the entitled person regularly works five days a week. In anticipation of the educational leave of the following calendar year, the entitlement may be combined into ten working days.”

“If the entitlement to educational leave has not been used up within a calendar year, the remaining entitlement cannot be carried over to the following calendar year.”

Bildungszeit shows you the rule that applies at your place of work as soon as you have chosen your state. How carrying over is regulated across the states →

No. In the 14 German states with an educational leave law, the respective state law gives you a separate entitlement to paid time off from work to take part in recognized training, and sets how many days you are entitled to. This entitlement exists alongside your annual vacation and is not counted against it.

Bremen and Lower Saxony say so in their own wording. Bremen expressly prohibits counting annual leave against the time taken as educational leave, and does so bindingly: under § 11 BremBZG, no deviation to the employee’s disadvantage is permitted.

“Statutory, collectively agreed or ‘arbeitstariflich’ [the statute’s own word, left untranslated] recreational vacation or other exemptions may not be offset against the time for which the employee receives Bildungszeit in order to take part in recognized educational events.”

Lower Saxony puts the same question the other way round:

“The entitlement to recreational vacation and the entitlement to time off from work under other laws, collective agreements or works agreements remain untouched by this Act.”

Where a law does not settle the question expressly, the answer follows from the purposes of the two entitlements. Annual vacation serves rest and recovery, and your employer only fulfils that entitlement through time off that is recognizably declared for that purpose. Educational leave serves further education. If your employer wants to offset educational leave against your vacation, the works council (Betriebsrat) or a legal advisor can help.

Bildungszeit creates your application with the correct legal references for your state. How to apply for educational leave →

Financially, Bildungsurlaub works like a regular work day: your employer pays your full salary and handles health insurance, pension, and unemployment insurance contributions. You're just as covered as on any other working day.

What you pay yourself:

• Course fees (typically €100–900 per week depending on the course)
• Travel and accommodation (for courses outside your city)
• Meals (if not included in the course)

During educational leave, employees are entitled to continued payment of their salary — the employer continues all social insurance contributions as on a regular working day.

The good news: all these costs can be claimed as income-related expenses (Werbungskosten) in your tax return — particularly for courses with a professional connection. Depending on your tax bracket, you can get back a significant portion of the costs.

On Bildungszeit, course fees are displayed transparently for every offering, making it easy to compare and find something that fits your budget. More on tax deductibility →

Since education is a state-level responsibility in Germany (Kulturhoheit), each federal state passed its own law with its own terminology. This creates significant confusion — someone in Baden-Württemberg searching for "Bildungsurlaub" won't find their state's law because it's called "Bildungszeit" there.

The term "Bildungsurlaub" has become the common everyday term, even though only three states officially use it. Some states deliberately chose "Bildungsfreistellung" or "Bildungszeit" because "Urlaub" (vacation) gives the wrong impression — it's education, not leisure.

Bildungszeit knows the correct legal term for each state and uses it automatically in your employer application. Does educational leave apply in my state? →

The entitlement to Bildungsurlaub applies to all employees — regardless of industry, profession, or qualification level. The main requirements are working in a state with a law and meeting the waiting period.

Who is eligible? Beyond regular employees, many states also cover:

• Part-time workers: proportional entitlement based on working hours
• Trainees (Azubis): in most states, sometimes limited to political education
• Employee-like persons and home workers: explicitly placed on an equal footing with employees in most state laws
• Temporary agency workers: yes
• Fixed-term employees: yes, after the waiting period

Marginal employees (Minijob): not a separate group in the state laws; the definition of employee in the respective law applies.

Bildungszeit checks your entitlement based on your state and shows you immediately which rules apply. Part-time entitlement →

Here's the complete overview of which states have educational leave laws:

Important: What matters is not where you live but, as a rule, the state where you work. If you live in Hesse but work in Bavaria, you will generally have no legal entitlement. Work location vs. residence →

As a rule, the workplace principle applies: your entitlement follows the law of the state where your workplace is located. That is the address of your office or place of business; your home address is irrelevant. The state laws tie this to different things — some to your place of work, others to the centre of gravity of your employment relationship; and where a state law defines that term, what counts is the business you are integrated into or that directs your work.

Common scenarios:

• Live in NRW, work in NRW → NRW law (AWbG), 5 days
• Live in Bavaria, work in Hesse → Hessian law (HBUG), 5 days
• Live in Hesse, work in Bavaria → Generally no legal entitlement
• Fixed place of work and company HQ in different states → Case by case: depending on the state law, the deciding factor is either the place of work or the business you are integrated into

The decisive factor for the application of educational leave laws is the place of work in the respective state — or, where there is none, the centre of gravity of the employment relationship. The personal residence is irrelevant.

For multiple work locations (e.g., field service), it depends on where the employment relationship has its centre of gravity. For remote work, the question becomes more complex. What applies for home office →

Bildungszeit asks for your work state and automatically shows only courses recognized there — with the correct deadlines and legal references for your application.

Currently, there's no uniform legal regulation for remote work.

Under the state laws, what mainly matters is where the place of work, the main place of activity or the centre of gravity of the employment relationship lies. The sources available to us don't answer how that applies to contractual home office, mobile work or a hybrid model.

When in doubt, we recommend contacting the responsible state authority.

On Bildungszeit, you can flexibly select your state and immediately see which courses are recognized there. Basic rule: work location vs. residence →

Part-time employees are explicitly eligible for educational leave in all 14 states with legislation. The entitlement is based on your regular working schedule:

The entitlement to educational leave applies to all employees, including part-time workers and fixed-term employees. The scope is based on the regular weekly working hours.

Calculation example: With a 5-day work week (full-time), you get 5 days of Bildungsurlaub. Working 3 days per week means 3 days. If you work 20 hours spread across 5 days, you still get 5 days — but only for the respective hours.

Other employment types are also covered in many states:

• Temporary agency workers: Yes.
• Fixed-term employees: Full entitlement after the waiting period — a fixed-term contract does not affect your educational leave entitlement.

Marginal employees (Minijob): Not a separate group in the state laws; the definition of employee in the respective law applies.

Bildungszeit shows you your individual entitlement based on your state. All details on eligibility →

Trainees are eligible for educational leave in most states, though with varying restrictions depending on the state:

“Same as regular entitlement” means: no separate entitlement for trainees is recorded for this state; the state's general entitlement is shown. A dash means: we have no verified information on trainees for this state yet. The situation is then unresolved, not ruled out. The table reflects the current state of our review of the state laws.

Baden-Württemberg explicitly names students at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) alongside trainees (§ 2 (1) no. 3 BzG BW). § 3 (2) gives both groups the same entitlement: five working days for the entire training or study period. The table row therefore applies to trainees and DHBW students alike.

Berlin explicitly lists people employed for vocational training among those entitled, and additionally allows training-accompanying supplementary qualifications to count as vocational further education (§ 1 (2) no. 1 and (6) BiZeitG). The law does not provide a separate, higher number of days for young employees: the same 5 days per calendar year apply as for everyone else.

Important: Vocational school (Berufsschule) does not count as educational leave. The entitlement covers additional recognized training courses outside your regular apprenticeship. Your training salary (Ausbildungsvergütung) continues to be paid during educational leave.

Which state applies to you →

Educational leave is possible during your probation period in principle — however, the entitlement only arises after the statutory waiting period has elapsed:

“The entitlement to educational leave (Bildungszeit) is acquired for the first time after twelve months of the employment relationship.”

In 13 of the 14 states with a law, the entitlement arises after six months of employment. In Baden-Württemberg you wait twelve months, the longest waiting period nationwide. No state grants the entitlement immediately.

Practical tip: Even if you have the legal right, we recommend approaching educational leave during probation carefully. A brief conversation with your supervisor demonstrates professionalism and avoids unnecessary tension. Tips for the employer conversation →

Educational leave laws generally apply to employees (Arbeitnehmer). Civil servants (Beamte) have a separate legal relationship with their employer and therefore don't fall under these laws in many states.

Some states, however, include civil servants in their entitlement:

• Baden-Württemberg: civil servants and judges are explicitly eligible under BzG BW
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: civil servants are eligible (the law covers service relationships and civil-service pay)
• Rhineland-Palatinate: civil servants and judges are eligible
• Saarland: civil servants and judges are eligible
• Schleswig-Holstein: civil servants and judges are eligible
• Thuringia: civil servants and judges are eligible

In other states, civil servants can often apply for special leave for professional development purposes — the regulations can be found in the respective civil service law (Beamtengesetz) or special leave ordinance (Sonderurlaubsverordnung). Conditions vary considerably.

If you're a civil servant interested in educational leave, we recommend checking with your HR department (Personalstelle). General eligibility requirements →

Bavaria: Bavaria has no state law on Bildungsurlaub. You therefore have no statutory right to time off for further training there. You can still be given time off, in three ways. That works voluntarily, through a collective agreement or a works agreement. Voluntary time off depends on the company and is not enforceable.

Saxony: In February 2026, the Saxon parliament passed the Sächsisches Qualifizierungszeitgesetz (SächsQZG). The legal term there is Qualifizierungszeit. Key details:

• Effective: From 2027
• Entitlement: 3 days per year (fewer than in all other states)
• Eligible: a broad group — employees, trainees and dual students, employee-like persons and home workers, civil servants, judges and public prosecutors, and people employed in workshops for people with disabilities (§ 1 Abs. 1 SächsQZG)

From 2027, Bavaria will be the last remaining state without any legal entitlement to educational leave.

If you work in Bavaria, educational leave may not be a legal right — but many employers are open to voluntary arrangements, especially for job-related training. A professionally prepared application can help make the case.

Bildungszeit shows you recognized courses even without a legal framework and helps you communicate with your employer. How to approach your employer →

Many employees hesitate to apply for educational leave — fearing their employer's reaction. The reality: In practice, rejections are rare, as employers can only refuse for a few narrowly defined reasons.

The employer shall release the employee from work while continuing to pay their salary.

A refusal is only permitted in these narrowly defined cases:

1. Urgent operational needs — e.g., too many colleagues absent at the same time
2. Third-limit quota — in some states: if a third of the workforce has already taken educational leave that year
3. Competing vacation requests from other employees for the same period
4. Formal defects — missing documents, missed deadlines

The application created through Bildungszeit is formally correct and includes all required documents — minimizing the risk of rejection on formal grounds. All rejection reasons in detail →

Here's the complete overview of all valid — and all invalid — grounds for refusal:

Valid grounds (exhaustive list):

1. Urgent operational needs — seasonal peaks, critical projects, staffing shortages. "We're short-staffed right now" alone isn't enough — it must be an exceptional situation.
2. Third-limit / quota — in some states, the employer may refuse if a certain share of the workforce has already taken educational leave that year.
3. Competing vacation requests — if a colleague has requested vacation for the same period and the team can't spare both.
4. Formal defects — application submitted too late, documents incomplete, course not recognized in the relevant state.
5. Small business clause — in some states, the entitlement doesn't apply or is restricted for very small companies; depending on the state law, the threshold is 5, 10, or 20 employees.

“The employer may refuse employee training leave at the time notified by the employee only if urgent operational or official needs, or vacation requests from other employees, take priority.”

Invalid grounds (commonly used nonetheless):

• "The course has nothing to do with your job" — irrelevant in many states
• "We don't have the budget for that" — the costs are borne by the employee, not the company
• "We don't do educational leave here" — the law applies regardless of company policies

If your employer refuses unlawfully, the works council (Betriebsrat) can help. Bildungszeit ensures your application is formally correct — the most common avoidable reason for rejection. Back to overview →

The Genehmigungsfiktion (deemed approval, or “silence equals consent”) is a protective provision for employees: if the employer fails to respond to your application in time, the educational leave is considered approved.

Seven federal states have such a rule in their law. What matters there is not only the number of weeks, but also what the deadline hangs on: sometimes the day your application reaches the employer, sometimes the day the course starts.

The trigger differs as well: sometimes it is enough that no rejection arrives, sometimes the employer’s decision has to be issued in a particular form. Four laws tie the deemed approval to a further condition on top of that. In Baden-Württemberg it does not apply if the arbitration board under § 6a BzG BW is called upon before the four weeks expire. In Hesse it does not apply if your notification did not meet the requirements of § 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1 und Abs. 3 Satz 1 HBUG. In Lower Saxony it only applies to participation notified in good time under § 8 Abs. 1 NBildUG. In Saarland, an oral communication of the decision is sufficient under § 5 Abs. 1 Satz 4 und 5 SBFG in workplaces with fewer than ten employees. What counts is always the wording of your state law.

“If the employer does not reject the leave request in proper form within this deadline, the leave shall be deemed granted. This does not apply if the employee’s notification did not meet the requirements of subsection 1 sentence 1 and subsection 3 sentence 1.”

Important: In the nine remaining states, for example Brandenburg, Bremen or Saxony-Anhalt, your employer’s silence does not mean automatic consent. Follow up actively there: once your state’s statutory response deadline has passed, and where the law names none at all, in good time before the course starts.

Practical tip: Always document when you submitted your application: via email with read receipt or in-person handover with acknowledgment.

The application created through Bildungszeit automatically includes the submission date and the relevant legal basis. All deadlines at a glance →

The fear of the employer conversation is the biggest psychological barrier to taking educational leave — nearly 30% of all user questions in forums are about this topic. The good news: most people who actually did it report that it went smoothly.

Recommended approach in 4 steps:

1. Informal conversation — Mention casually that you're planning educational leave. Frame it as professional development, not vacation. For example: "I'd like to attend a recognized training course next month and use my educational leave entitlement for it."
2. Formal application — Submit your application on time, together with the documents that belong to it. Whether an email is enough or the law requires written form also depends on your state.
3. Reference the legal basis — Your application should cite the relevant state law. This signals: you know your rights.
4. Wait for approval — Your employer has a statutory deadline to respond. If they remain silent, deemed approval applies in seven states.

What to avoid: Apologizing, asking for permission (it's a right, not a favor), or downplaying the course. A matter-of-fact, confident tone works best.

Bildungszeit creates a formally correct application with cover letter, recognition certificate, and course program for you — all you have to do is submit it. How to apply for educational leave →

Freedom of course selection is a fundamental principle of educational leave: you decide which recognized course to attend. Your employer has no say when you choose between recognized courses.

In practice, as far as your state's law recognizes the type of education, this means:

• You may choose a language course even if your job doesn't require the language
• You may choose a health course even if your employer would prefer an IT course
• You may choose a political education course regardless of your profession

The only requirement is that the course is recognized as Bildungsurlaub in your state. Which types of course are recognized is set by your state's law, and the state laws draw that line differently.

Some employers try to influence your course selection — for example by saying "That has nothing to do with your work." This is not a valid ground for refusal. Don't let it discourage you.

On Bildungszeit, you'll find only recognized courses — every course you see on the platform is a valid choice for your educational leave. Which courses are recognized →

One of the biggest misconceptions about Bildungsurlaub: a direct job connection is not required in many states. What matters is the purpose your state law provides for. How far the term “professional development” can reach is shown by a decision of the Berlin-Brandenburg Regional Labour Court on Berlin law — it recognised a yoga course at a community college (VHS).

The Regional Labour Court ruled: The term “professional development” is to be understood broadly. A yoga course can therefore justify educational leave under certain conditions — the court names a suitable didactic concept as one of them.

How broadly your state defines it is set out in its own law. The purpose clauses differ: some states cover political and general education alongside professional development, others only part of that, and some additionally name qualification for voluntary work. A list per state is deliberately absent here — it would be wrong for a number of states as long as the purpose clauses have not been read off the statutes state by state.

In practice, the range of recognized courses spans from language trips to Mallorca to stress management by the Baltic Sea to IT seminars in Berlin. The variety is far greater than most people expect.

On Bildungszeit, you only see courses recognized in your state — so you don't need to worry about eligibility. Which courses are recognized →

Recognition is the central quality seal: only courses approved by the responsible state authority as Bildungsurlaub can be used for your employer application.

Two recognition systems exist side by side:

• Course recognition (11 states): Each individual course is recognized separately. The course provider applies for recognition at the responsible ministry.
• Provider recognition (NRW, Baden-Württemberg): Not the individual course but the education provider is recognized. All courses from a recognized provider automatically qualify.
• Dual system (Hesse since 2024): Both course and provider recognition are possible.

The biggest hurdle: Recognitions don't automatically transfer across states. A course recognized in Berlin may not be valid in Hesse. Four states have their own rule for this: Hamburg recognizes foreign approvals when the criteria substantively match (§ 15 Abs. 1 BiUrlG HA), Saarland adopts them under its own conditions (§ 6 Abs. 5 SBFG), Brandenburg accepts Berlin decisions as long as they are no more than two years old (§ 7 Abs. 2 BFV; the provision still names the Berlin educational-leave law repealed in 2021, but the ministry's own guidance also covers approvals under today's Bildungszeitgesetz), and Rhineland-Palatinate can recognize them (§ 6 Abs. 4 LBZG); Saxony joins in 2027 (§ 5 Abs. 4 SächsQZG). In the remaining states, no such carry-over applies.

This is where Bildungszeit saves you enormous effort: all courses on the platform are verified for recognition and filtered by your state. You only see what actually applies to you — without having to wade through recognition databases. Does the course need to be job-related? →

Several states have explicit rules for online events in a law or a regulation.

Based on our review:

• Rule in the law: Brandenburg, NRW, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
• Rule in a regulation: Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein
• Mixed formats: Some states explicitly also regulate formats that combine in-person and online teaching

For the other states with an educational leave law, we have no verified information on this yet.

Some of these rules require, for example:

• Synchronous delivery (live teaching, not self-paced learning)
• Attendance monitoring by the provider

On Bildungszeit, you can filter specifically for online courses recognized in your state. This way you find suitable options without having to research the regulations yourself. Which state applies to you? →

The application process is simpler than most people think. Four steps take you from course selection to approval:

1. Choose a course — Find a recognized course in your state. Make sure the course meets the minimum duration requirement (usually 5 days) and has valid recognition for your state.
2. Compile the documents — Which documents your application needs varies by state and by provider; in some states you only have to produce them on request. Most often it comes down to proof that the event is recognized as educational leave. Bildungszeit compiles the documents for your course so you do not have to hunt them down one by one.
3. Submit your application — On time (4 to 9 weeks before the course starts, depending on your state) and with the required documents. Which form is needed depends on your state: in some states an email is enough, in others the law requires written form, meaning a signed application, usually on paper. Bildungszeit shows you what applies in your state.
4. Wait for approval — Your employer has a statutory deadline to respond. In seven states, silence equals consent (deemed approval, Genehmigungsfiktion).

The most common mistake: submitting the application too late. Baden-Württemberg requires 9 weeks' notice — the longest deadline nationwide. Missed deadlines are a valid ground for rejection.

Bildungszeit simplifies this process significantly: course search, recognition verification, and application creation are all handled on the platform. You get a formally correct application with cover letter, recognition certificate, and course program — tailored to your state. Deadlines by state →

The application deadline is the most important deadline in the entire process — if you miss it, your employer may reject your application on formal grounds alone.

Four laws tie the deemed approval to a further condition. In Baden-Württemberg it does not take effect if the arbitration board under § 6a BzG BW is called upon before the four weeks expire. In Hesse it does not take effect if your notification did not meet the requirements of § 5 Abs. 1 Satz 1 und Abs. 3 Satz 1 HBUG. In Lower Saxony it only applies to participation notified in good time under § 8 Abs. 1 NBildUG. In Saarland, an oral communication of the decision is sufficient under § 5 Abs. 1 Satz 4 und 5 SBFG in workplaces with fewer than ten employees. What counts is always the wording of your state law.

“The entitlement to educational leave under this Act must be asserted vis-à-vis the employer as early as possible, but no later than nine weeks before the start of the training measure, in writing or electronically.”

Tip: Submit your application earlier rather than later. Bildungszeit automatically calculates the correct deadline for your state and reminds you in time. How to apply for educational leave →

Many state laws allow unused days to be combined and taken as one block later. In everyday language this is called Zusammenfassung (combining) or "saving up". There is no single nationwide rule for it.

Why there is no list of states here: the laws differ not only in the number of days but in the mechanism. Depending on the state, the carry-over arises by operation of law, on a declaration, or only as a consequence of a refusal; some states do not have it at all. Deadlines and the question of whether the employer has to consent differ as well. A table that compresses this into one row per state would simply be wrong for some of them, and a wrong answer is more expensive here than no answer.

How to get the rule that applies to you:

• Pick your state: Bildungszeit shows the entitlement, the reference period and, where it has been recorded, the combining rule for your state.
• If nothing on combining is shown, it has not been recorded for your state. That does not mean it does not exist: ask the responsible state authority or your works council.
• Settle the question before the reference period ends. Where combining is possible, it is tied to the period that is currently running.

How many days you are entitled to →

Educational leave is far more affordable than most people think: your employer continues to pay your salary, and you only cover the course costs.

Typical cost range:

What your employer pays: Full salary + social insurance contributions. The employer has no additional costs beyond your regular pay.

What you pay: Course fees, travel, accommodation, meals. The good news: all of these costs can be claimed as income-related expenses (Werbungskosten) on your tax return — typically getting back 30–40% via your tax declaration.

On Bildungszeit, you can see costs transparently for every course and compare offerings directly. More on tax deductibility →

Tax deductibility is an often overlooked advantage of educational leave — though the rules differ depending on the course type.

Deductible costs (with professional connection):

• Course fees — as income-related expenses (§ 9 (1) EStG)
• Travel costs — actual costs or €0.30 per kilometre driven, i.e. for the outward and return trip. The commuter allowance does not apply here: an educational institution only becomes a first place of work if it is attended outside an employment relationship and full-time (§ 9 (4) sentence 8 EStG) — with Bildungsurlaub, never both at once.
• Accommodation — actual costs (hotel receipt, rental)
• Meal allowance (Verpflegungsmehraufwand) — flat rates: €28 per calendar day with 24 hours of absence, €14 for the arrival and departure day of a trip with an overnight stay, and €14 for a day without an overnight stay and more than 8 hours of absence. If the organiser provides meals, the allowance is reduced (§ 9 (4a) sentence 8 EStG).
• Work materials — course materials, relevant literature

“Income-related expenses are costs incurred for the acquisition, preservation, and securing of income.”

Important distinction: Tax law differs from educational leave law. While Bildungsurlaub can be taken for general education courses, the tax office (Finanzamt) only recognizes expenses as Werbungskosten when there’s a recognizable professional connection. Language courses and IT seminars are typically accepted without issues. For yoga or health courses, a professional link through stress prevention can be established — but acceptance depends on the individual case.

Example calculation (job-related course): For a €500 course plus €200 travel and €400 accommodation, you have €1,100 in deductible costs. At a marginal tax rate of 35%, you’d get roughly €385 back via your tax return.

Discover additional funding programs →

Besides tax deductibility there are state-level programmes that can further reduce course costs. Each applies to one state only, and their conditions change more often than educational leave law does.

Funding programmes (as of September 2026):

• Bildungsscheck 2.0 (North Rhine-Westphalia) — 50% of course fees, up to €500, once per person and calendar year. Requires a taxable annual income of at most €50,000 (€100,000 for jointly assessed married couples). Running since 1 February 2026; the predecessor “Bildungsscheck NRW” was discontinued on 30 June 2024. Not eligible: mindfulness, stress management, resilience and yoga, as well as languages and travel.
• QualiScheck (Rhineland-Palatinate) — 60% of further-training costs, up to €1,500 per person, course and calendar year, regardless of income. Only course fees are covered, not travel, accommodation or meals. The application must be filed at least one month before the course starts. Useful to know: providers whose courses are recognised under the states’ educational leave acts also count as accredited — so a recognised Bildungsurlaub meets that criterion by itself.
• Weiterbildungsbonus PLUS (Hamburg) — standard rate 40% of course fees: at most €750 for costs up to €2,499, at most €1,000 from €2,500 upwards. The frequently quoted €1,500 belongs to a special rate of up to 100% for employees receiving SGB II benefits. Further conditions: employers with fewer than 250 staff, at least 15 hours per week, low-qualified or at most one vocational qualification.
• Bildungsscheck Brandenburg — 60% of eligible expenditure with a minimum grant of €500 (at 60%, roughly €833 in course costs). Eligible is vocational further training according to individual need. Excluded are initial training, degree courses, retraining and advanced vocational qualifications, as well as courses serving recreation, entertainment, sport, artistic activity or general personal development.

The catch that is easy to miss: North Rhine-Westphalia and Brandenburg exclude exactly the topics many people choose for their educational leave — stress management, yoga, language courses. A course can therefore be recognised as Bildungsurlaub and still not be eligible for funding. These are two different procedures with two different yardsticks.

The federal Bildungsprämie program ran for 13 years, from December 2008 until the end of 2021: the last voucher was issued on December 31, 2021, and vouchers could be settled until December 31, 2022. Funding has since been provided through state-level programs.

Conditions vary by programme, and applications almost always have to be filed before the course starts — retroactive funding is rarely possible. So check the conditions on your state’s programme page before you book: Bildungszeit does not run a funding check. All details on costs →

If you fall ill during educational leave, the regular Continued Remuneration Act (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz) applies — just as it would for illness on a normal working day.

What you need to do:

1. Notify your employer immediately — by phone or email, as with a normal sick call
2. Notify the course provider — so the attendance certificate is issued correctly
3. Submit a medical certificate (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung / AU) — recommended from the first day of illness

Key consequences:

• Sick days are not counted as educational leave
• The days remain yours — they are not counted against your entitlement. There is, however, no statutory right to retake that particular course: the new leave goes through the normal procedure. Where the entitlement is tied to a calendar year, it is better to plan the freed-up days within the same period.
• Your salary is paid through continued sick pay (Entgeltfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall), not through the educational leave law

“If an employee falls ill during their leave, the days of incapacity for work verified by medical certificate shall not be counted against the annual leave.”

Regarding the course: Whether you can make up missed course sessions depends on the provider. Many providers offer alternative dates or partial refunds. It's best to clarify the cancellation policy before booking.

Back to the application process →

Verifying recognition is one of the biggest pain points with educational leave: each state has its own recognition process, and a course recognized in Berlin may not be valid in Hesse. Navigating this complexity takes hours — and frequently leads to frustration or giving up entirely.

What Bildungszeit does differently:

• Pre-verified: Every course on the platform has been checked for recognition
• State-specific: You only see courses recognized in your state
• Documents included: Recognition certificate and course program are provided directly — you don't need to hunt them down yourself
• Kept up to date: Recognitions are regularly updated, with recognition certificates on file for your state

With Bildungszeit, you skip this entire step. Simply select your state, find your course, and your application is ready. How recognition works →

Selection comes before sorting: once your federal state is known, the list only shows courses that are recognised there; as long as you have not given one, we do not filter by it. Recognition is therefore not a sorting criterion but the condition for a course to appear at all. At the top of the list are the courses that match all of your filters.

More courses that almost match: if only a few courses match all of your filters, we show further courses below, clearly set apart, that differ from your answers in travel distance, time frame or price, where possible in only one of them; each one states how it differs. Once your federal state is known, they too are recognised there. If you have entered a search term or chosen a direction, they match it as well. Within this section, the same order applies as above.

Only courses with an upcoming date: a course only appears in the list as long as it has at least one date that has not yet passed. A date whose last day is today still counts.

Where the fit is equal, the provider's Google reviews decide next, then, if you have searched, how closely a course matches your search term, and last the earlier start date. Above all, though, a search term narrows the list: only courses that match it are shown. Courses whose title contains every word of your search term come before all others, even before courses with a higher fit; within both groups the order by fit applies. Sold-out dates still come last, a shared course stays in first place, and if you sort yourself, this rule does not apply (details below).

Sold-out dates are placed behind available offers regardless of their fit, provided the provider lets the availability of their course be shown.

Top matches: courses with a particularly high fit are additionally highlighted. This highlighting does not change the order.

If you sort yourself, by price or by rating, the criterion you choose determines the order; the fit takes a back seat. Where the price or the rating is the same, however, the order by fit remains. Sold-out dates still come last.

A shared course goes to the top: if you open the list through a shared link to a particular course, we place exactly that course first, regardless of its fit, of the sort order you chose and of whether it is sold out. The only condition is that it has an upcoming date and matches your federal state and your filters.

The more complete your answers, the more meaningful the sorting: someone who names only a single learning goal can reach fewer points in the learning-goals area than someone with several goals; someone who picks only “health & long-term performance” as their work relevance reaches fewer points in that area than with a direct or transferable link; and if you leave the time frame or the budget open, those areas do not count for you at all. The order depends solely on your answers and the properties of the courses.