🕐 Care leave (PflegeZG)
In brief
Care leave is full or partial leave from work in order to care for a close relative in need of care (at least care level 2) in their home environment. It can be taken once, in one block, for up to 6 months for each relative in need of care. You only have a genuine, court-enforceable legal entitlement to it if your employer usually has more than 15 employees; with smaller businesses you can merely request an agreement.
Step by step
- Check the care levelMake sure that at least care level 2 has been determined for your relative or that a corresponding application is under way – without a care level there is no entitlement.
- Give noticeAnnounce the care leave in writing at least 10 working days before it starts and state for what period and to what extent (full or partial) you want to be released from work.
- Provide proofPresent a certificate from the care insurance fund or the Medizinischer Dienst (medical service) confirming the need for care.
- Agree with your employerFor partial leave, the specific distribution of working hours must be agreed with the employer; for operational reasons they can refuse the reduction or set the distribution differently.
- Clarify financingCare leave is in principle unpaid. Consider an interest-free bridging loan from the Bundesamt für Familie und zivilgesellschaftliche Aufgaben (BAFzA, Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions) or a combination with family care leave.
Deadlines
- Without a determined care level (at least 2) for your relative there is no entitlement to care leave.
- With employers who usually have 15 or fewer employees there is no enforceable entitlement – only the possibility of requesting a voluntary agreement.
- Care leave is not paid by the employer unless agreed otherwise. The interest-free loan from the BAFzA must be applied for separately and covers the loss of earnings only in part.
- In principle, care leave can be taken for the same relative only once in one block up to the maximum duration of 6 months – a later further care leave for the same relative is possible only to a limited extent.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
Eligibility (§ 3 PflegeZG)
Employees have the right to take full or partial leave from work in order to care for a close relative in need of care (§ 7 Abs. 3 PflegeZG) with at least care level 2 in their home environment. The legal entitlement applies only to employers with usually more than 15 employees; with smaller businesses, § 3 Abs. 1 Satz 3 PflegeZG gives only the right to ask the employer for an agreement.
Duration and notice (§§ 3, 4 PflegeZG)
Care leave can be taken for each close relative in need of care once, in one block, for a maximum of 6 months. It must be announced to the employer in writing at least 10 working days before it starts, stating the start, the duration and – for partial leave – the desired extent of working hours.
Special case: end-of-life care and minor relatives
§ 3 PflegeZG additionally permits leave to accompany a close relative in the last phase of life (up to 3 months) and to look after a minor close relative in need of care also outside the home, for example in hospital.
Financing during care leave
Care leave does not create an entitlement to continued payment of remuneration. Employees can apply to the Bundesamt für Familie und zivilgesellschaftliche Aufgaben (BAFzA) for an interest-free loan to bridge living costs (§ 3 PflegeZG in conjunction with the loan under the FPfZG). Health and long-term care insurance usually continue through free family insurance or your own contributions – this should be clarified individually with the health insurance fund.
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