Wegweiser Pregnancy & Parental Leave Deutsch

⏳ Part-time work during parental leave

During parental leave you may work part-time – in some cases even with an enforceable legal entitlement against the employer.

part-time in parental leave § 15 BEEG Brückenteilzeit (temporary part-time) parental leave part-time entitlement

In brief

During parental leave you may work for your current or another employer up to 32 hours a week on a monthly average without the parental leave ending as a result. Under certain conditions you even have a legal entitlement to such part-time employment with your current employer, which the employer can refuse only for urgent operational reasons.

Step by step

  1. Check the eligibility requirementsCheck whether your business generally has more than 15 employees and your employment relationship has lasted longer than 6 months at the time of the application – then, subject to further requirements, you have a legal entitlement.
  2. Apply in good timeSubmit the application to reduce working hours in text form (since 1 May 2025 an e-mail is enough) at least 7 weeks (for parental leave from the 3rd birthday: 13 weeks) before the desired start.
  3. State scope and distributionIn the application, state the scope and desired distribution of working hours – the employer is supposed to respond within 4 weeks.
  4. Have a refusal checkedIf the employer refuses or does not respond on time, have the grounds for refusal legally reviewed; if there is no response within the deadline, the application may be deemed accepted.

Deadlines

7 weeks
Application deadline for part-time work during parental leave up to the 3rd birthday§ 15 Abs. 7 Satz 4 BEEG
13 weeks
Application deadline for part-time work during parental leave between the 3rd and 8th birthday§ 15 Abs. 7 Satz 4 BEEG
4 weeks
Period within which the employer is supposed to respond to the application§ 15 Abs. 7 Satz 5, 6 BEEG
Watch out – common mistakes
  • The legal entitlement to part-time work in parental leave applies only in businesses with generally more than 15 employees – in smaller businesses there is only a right to a discussion, not an enforceable reduction.
  • Working hours must be between 15 and 32 hours a week on a monthly average to still count as "part-time during parental leave" and not end the parental leave early.
  • For the partnership bonus under parental allowance, a narrower range (24–32 hours a week for both parents at the same time) applies – do not confuse the part-time limits for parental leave and for the partnership bonus with each other.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Legal entitlement under § 15 Abs. 7 BEEG

A legal entitlement to reduced working hours during parental leave exists if the employer generally employs more than 15 employees, the employment relationship has lasted longer than six months without interruption, working hours are to be reduced for at least two months to between 15 and 32 hours a week, no urgent operational reasons conflict with the claim and the application was submitted on time in text form. The employer can refuse the application only for urgent operational reasons, in text form within the statutory period.

Relationship to the general entitlement to part-time work

Independently of parental leave, under the Teilzeit- und Befristungsgesetz (TzBfG) and, since 2019, also so-called Brückenteilzeit (temporary part-time), there is a general entitlement to fixed-term part-time work, which however has different requirements (in particular different thresholds for business size) from the special entitlement during parental leave under § 15 Abs. 7 BEEG.

Who is responsible
  • Employer
Further reading
Parental leave: entitlement, duration, transferability and registrationParental allowance: basic parental allowance, ElterngeldPlus and partnership bonusReturning to work after parental leave

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Part-time work during parental leave“?
During parental leave you may work part-time – in some cases even with an enforceable legal entitlement against the employer.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • 7 weeks: Application deadline for part-time work during parental leave up to the 3rd birthday (§ 15 Abs. 7 Satz 4 BEEG)
  • 13 weeks: Application deadline for part-time work during parental leave between the 3rd and 8th birthday (§ 15 Abs. 7 Satz 4 BEEG)
  • 4 weeks: Period within which the employer is supposed to respond to the application (§ 15 Abs. 7 Satz 5, 6 BEEG)
What should I do first?
  • Check the eligibility requirements: Check whether your business generally has more than 15 employees and your employment relationship has lasted longer than 6 months at the time of the application – then, subject to further requirements, you have a legal entitlement.
  • Apply in good time: Submit the application to reduce working hours in text form (since 1 May 2025 an e-mail is enough) at least 7 weeks (for parental leave from the 3rd birthday: 13 weeks) before the desired start.
  • State scope and distribution: In the application, state the scope and desired distribution of working hours – the employer is supposed to respond within 4 weeks.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • The legal entitlement to part-time work in parental leave applies only in businesses with generally more than 15 employees – in smaller businesses there is only a right to a discussion, not an enforceable reduction.
  • Working hours must be between 15 and 32 hours a week on a monthly average to still count as "part-time during parental leave" and not end the parental leave early.
  • For the partnership bonus under parental allowance, a narrower range (24–32 hours a week for both parents at the same time) applies – do not confuse the part-time limits for parental leave and for the partnership bonus with each other.
Evidence
  • § 15 Abs. 4–7 BEEG (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • § 8, § 9a TzBfG (gesetze-im-internet.de)
As of

As of September 2026. · Sources and method

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