Educational leave for online courses: what applies from 2027

Educational Leave in 60 Seconds

Educational leave is paid time off work for recognised training. Depending on the state, it is called Bildungsurlaub, Bildungszeit, Bildungsfreistellung or Qualifizierungszeit. There is no federal law in Germany: each of the 16 federal states decides for itself. The law of the state in which you work applies.

According to the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), as of September 2026:

• 14 of 16 states currently grant a statutory right. Saxony follows on 1 January 2027, which leaves Bavaria as the only state without one.
• Usually 5 days a year or 10 days in two years. Saxony grants 3 days a year.
• Waiting period: in most states six months in the job, in Baden-Württemberg twelve months.
• The course must be recognised as educational leave.
• Apply in time: usually 4 to 9 weeks before the course. Depending on the state, the employer has 2 to 3 weeks to decide.

The law guarantees that your salary continues during the course. The course fee is a separate matter.

The Key Rule for Online Courses: Live Yes, Recordings No

Where states regulate online formats, they draw the same line: teachers and participants must be able to talk to each other in real time. Self-paced e-learning and recorded videos generally do not count. The overview below covers the states with new or explicit rules.

Saxony: Qualification Time from 1 January 2027

The Saxon Qualification Time Act (Sächsisches Qualifizierungszeitgesetz) of 4 February 2026 introduces paid leave for training in Saxony for the first time. The main rules:

• 3 working days per calendar year once you have been with the same employer for more than six months. If you work fewer than five days a week, the entitlement is reduced accordingly.
• Purpose: vocational further training, training for voluntary work and political education.
• Notice: at the latest 12 weeks before the course, together with proof that the course is recognised.
• Refusal: The employer may refuse for urgent operational reasons. This always applies once more than 25% of the staff have already taken qualification time in that year. A refusal must be given in writing within four weeks; otherwise the leave counts as granted. Refused leave can be carried over once to the following year.
• Small employers with 20 or fewer staff receive 115 euros per day of leave from the state.

What about online courses? The act does not mention them. Courses must last at least one day, as a rule with six lessons of 45 minutes. Courses offered by universities, and by adult education centres (Volkshochschulen) and providers recognised under Saxony's further education law, count as recognised automatically. The details are to be set out in an ordinance due by 1 November 2026. As of its information page of 12 August 2026, the Saxon Ministry of Labour said it could not yet make binding statements on recognition. Applications are only possible from 1 January 2027.

Lower Saxony: Bildungszeit Replaces Bildungsurlaub

Lower Saxony has rewritten its law of 1975. The new Lower Saxony Education Time Act (Niedersächsisches Bildungszeitgesetz) applies from 1 January 2027. According to the state agency for adult education (AEWB), online and hybrid formats are possible, and single-day courses also count.

The rules in the version recommended by the state parliament's committee in September 2026:

• 5 working days per calendar year, in one block or spread over several courses in whole days. Unused days from the previous year can still be taken; days from the two years before that only with the employer's consent.
• Notice: at least 8 weeks before the course, in text form (for example by email).
• Approval: The employer may refuse if the leave days taken in the company that year reach two and a half times the number of employees. Otherwise, the employer must approve unless compelling operational reasons stand in the way. If there is no decision four weeks before the start, the leave counts as approved.
• Online and hybrid courses: Recognised if teachers and learners can communicate synchronously, including by video conference. According to the committee report, this rules out playing recorded videos of the teacher as lesson time.
• Minimum length: at least six lessons per day and, as a rule, no more than 50 participants.

The reform aims to increase take-up. In 2019 to 2023, more than 193,000 employees in Lower Saxony took educational leave, but that was only 1.26% of everyone entitled to it.

Rhineland-Palatinate: Live Online Only

Rhineland-Palatinate replaced its old law with the State Education Time Act (Landesbildungszeitgesetz, LBZG) of 11 February 2026, in force since 1 March 2026. The next two-year period starts on 1 January 2027.

• 10 working days per two calendar years. The period always begins in an odd year, so the next one covers 2027 and 2028.
• Waiting period: six months. Companies with no more than five employees do not have to grant the leave, but should.
• Notice: six weeks before the course, in writing or electronically, with proof of recognition.
• Online: Digital and hybrid courses can be recognised only as synchronous teaching, with the course leader and participants present at the same time. Online days must appear in a separate online timetable. E-learning and asynchronous online courses are not recognised.
• Length: Courses should last at least three days with an average of six lessons per day. Two-day courses need eight lessons per day, and at least four lessons per day must take place before 8 p.m.

For companies with fewer than 50 employees, the state reimburses half of the average daily wage. If that reimbursement is not possible, the entitlement does not apply.

Other States: North Rhine-Westphalia, Berlin and Hesse

• North Rhine-Westphalia: 5 days a year, and two years can be combined. Companies with fewer than ten employees are exempt. Courses "can also be offered digitally" if they demonstrably cover a corresponding time frame. NRW recognises training institutions, not individual courses.
• Berlin: 5 days a year, up to 10 in one year with the employer's consent by combining it with the next year. Unused days lapse. Since 1 September 2026, the rules for recognition allow classroom, media-based and mixed formats, provided the teaching concept enables continuous interaction between teachers and learners and among learners. A course day must include at least six lessons.
• Hesse: Online and hybrid courses are possible if providers describe their technical and teaching set-up and ensure interaction between teachers and participants for the entire course. Asynchronous teaching and self-study do not count towards the daily programme.

Typical Pitfalls with Online Courses

• Recognised, but in the wrong state: Recognition is granted state by state. Saxony accepts courses that are recognised in another state and take place there. Rhineland-Palatinate can recognise courses approved elsewhere if they also meet its own requirements. Always check the recognition for the state in which you work.
• Short evening webinars: Most rules require full course days. Lower Saxony and Berlin expect at least six lessons per day, and in Rhineland-Palatinate at least four lessons must take place before 8 p.m. A few evening sessions spread over several weeks rarely meet these requirements.
• Self-paced modules in a blended course: In Hesse, asynchronous parts do not count towards the daily programme, and in Rhineland-Palatinate they are not recognised. Only the live part counts.
• The course fee: Educational leave pays your salary, not the course. For the fee, check funding options such as the education voucher of the Federal Employment Agency or, for higher vocational qualifications, the Aufstiegs-BAföG.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Check your entitlement. Which state do you work in, how long have you been with your employer, and how many people work there?
2. Find a recognised course. Ask the provider for the recognition notice for your state. For online courses, check that the lessons are live and how many hours per day they cover.
3. Apply in time. Send your request in writing or text form, with the recognition notice and the programme: 6 weeks in advance in NRW, Berlin and Rhineland-Palatinate, 8 weeks in Lower Saxony and 12 weeks in Saxony from 2027.
4. Wait for the decision. Employers may refuse only for the reasons set out in the law. In Saxony and Lower Saxony, silence can count as approval.
5. Take part fully. Attendance is recorded, online too. Educational leave is not a home-office day: in Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate, for example, paid work that contradicts the purpose of the leave is prohibited.
6. Hand in proof of participation. In Saxony, this must be done within 12 weeks after the course.

Conclusion: Online Counts if It Is Live

From 2027, educational leave becomes more flexible: Saxony introduces it, Lower Saxony allows single days and online formats, and Rhineland-Palatinate starts a new two-year period. For online learners, the rule of thumb is simple: a live course in a virtual classroom with a fixed timetable has good chances; a video course you work through on your own does not. Before you book, check the recognition for your state and the exact format. In Saxony, the ordinance due by 1 November 2026 will settle the open questions.