Good Friday is not generally free in Austria. The personal holiday, school holidays and Easter Monday need to be distinguished.
Employment law treats it as a normal Friday, but section 7a can make it a personal holiday.
Good Friday is not a general statutory public holiday in Austria. It falls on Friday, 3 April 2026, and remains a normal working day for most employees.
A personal holiday can make the day free. The unilateral notice must be given in writing at least three months before the intended date.
The old special rule no longer applies; school and shop status use separate rules.
Section 7 does not list Good Friday among nationwide public holidays. Section 7a instead allows one personal holiday per leave year, with written notice no later than three months in advance. [1] [2]
Schools are usually closed because Good Friday falls in the Easter school holidays, not because it is a general public holiday. Shops and many services follow normal Friday hours; use the calendar for the actual school. [3]
Leave, time off in lieu or a workplace arrangement may make the day free; check the applicable arrangement before planning.
Good Friday itself does not create a general retail closing day. Check operator information for Easter Monday separately.
The quiet church day directly precedes statutory Easter Monday.
Passion, veneration of the cross, silence and fasting shape church observance. The former rule for Protestant, Old Catholic and Methodist employees was replaced in 2019 by the general personal holiday. [4]
This recommendation assumes a Monday-Friday working week: Good Friday requires one leave day and Easter Monday is work-free. An employer exception granting Good Friday off changes the leave required.
Assumption: Monday-Friday working week.
Karfreitag (2026-04-03) is not generally work-free in Austria; employer-specific exceptions can change the leave needed around this date.
Maximize your free time around Karfreitag:
Open the relevant calendar or tool below.