Reviewed annual edition 2026

Vacation Planning Guide for Austria

Three checks create clarity before you compare and request vacation days.

Reviewed 2026 edition

Reviewed vacation windows for 2026

Each Austrian scenario states its federal or provincial scope and separates statutory free days from requested leave.

1 January 2026 - 4 January 2026

New Year: four free days with one leave day

From Thursday 1 January through Sunday 4 January 2026, the calendar provides four free days. New Year's Day on Thursday is a statutory holiday, and only Friday 2 January is requested as leave. One leave day therefore creates exactly four free days including the weekend.

Important: 2 January is not a general statutory holiday in Austria. Without approved leave, time off in lieu or a company closure, it remains a normal working day; opening hours and transport timetables around New Year also need checking.

Leave days: 1
Free days: 4
Request: 2 January 2026

3 April 2026 - 6 April 2026

Easter: budget leave for Good Friday

The reviewed Easter window runs from Friday 3 April through Monday 6 April 2026. Good Friday normally consumes one leave day, while Easter Monday is a statutory holiday. Together with Saturday and Easter Sunday, that produces four free days for one day of leave.

Important: Good Friday has not been a general statutory holiday for all employees since 2019. A personal holiday election, collective agreement, religious arrangement or workplace practice may change an individual case; the general calculation still counts 3 April as leave.

Leave days: 1
Free days: 4
Request: 3 April 2026

14 May 2026 - 17 May 2026

Ascension: the classic Friday bridge

Ascension Day falls on Thursday 14 May 2026. Taking Friday 15 May as leave extends the window through Sunday 17 May. This classic Friday bridge joins the nationwide holiday to the weekend, so one leave day creates four free days.

Important: Friday remains a regular working day until leave or time off in lieu is confirmed. Rail services, roads and accommodation can be busy on this popular bridge date, so secure the time away from work separately from the trip.

Leave days: 1
Free days: 4
Request: 15 May 2026

4 June 2026 - 7 June 2026

Corpus Christi: nationwide Thursday plus Friday

Corpus Christi on Thursday 4 June 2026 is a nationwide statutory holiday in Austria. Taking Friday 5 June as leave provides four free days through Sunday 7 June. The nationwide Thursday plus Friday leave therefore forms a second clear one-day window.

Important: The nationwide holiday rule makes the date calculation clear, but not every rota. Hospitality, transport, health services, retail and shift operations may work on the holiday or weekend; employment terms, scheduling and approved leave still govern.

Leave days: 1
Free days: 4
Request: 5 June 2026

Practical rule

Overview before request

New Year, Easter, Ascension and Corpus Christi create clear but different planning windows in 2026. New Year's Day, Ascension Day and Corpus Christi are nationwide statutory holidays. Good Friday is normally not a general day off, so this guide counts it as leave. The arithmetic assumes a standard Monday-to-Friday week; part-time patterns, shift work, company shutdowns and collective-agreement rules can change the personal result.

Regional rules

Check the place where the rule applies

Regional holidays and employment details differ by federal state. Patron-saint days such as St Joseph, St Rupert, St Martin or St Leopold do not support one nationwide leave calculation. Check the relevant federal state and your employer's calendar; a regional observance or school-free day does not replace approved annual leave.

School calendars

School breaks follow their own calendar

School breaks in Austria are published by federal state and can differ for semester breaks, Easter breaks and school-specific closure days. Families should compare each window with the calendar for the relevant federal state and school. A statutory holiday does not automatically create a full school-break week, while childcare and travel demand often follow separate dates.

No-gain date

A holiday can still be useful without improving leave efficiency

There is no extra bridge-day gain around Austrian National Day: in 2026 it falls on Monday, 26 October. The long weekend is already available without spending leave. Adding Tuesday can extend the break, but the holiday position itself does not create an efficiency gain from a classic bridge day.

Planning route

From overview to a usable vacation plan

The Austrian decision path is province, holiday status, workplace leave approval and then BMB school overlap.

1. Orient

Start with the full year

Begin with national holidays, then select the Austrian federal state; provincial holidays and staggered semester breaks can change the same week.

Open overview
2. Localize

Choose the relevant region

Choose the province where work or school is based. Regional holidays and semester-break groups can differ between Vienna, Tyrol and the other states.

Check region
3. Compare

Turn dates into leave efficiency

Test Fenstertage only after the province is fixed, then compare requested working days with the employer's leave decision.

Open planner
4. Coordinate

Check school breaks and calendar weeks

Families should match the BMB break group; teams can map the approved leave block to ISO weeks for staffing.

Use calendar weeks
5. Keep

Save the decision where it is used

A subscription should retain province and year; recreate a file export when either scope or source data changes.

Open calendar subscription

Keep it portable

Export when the dates are settled

Export only after the Austrian province and approved leave dates are fixed; that scope must travel with the file.

Open export

Data basis

Official-source-backed planning context

The guide uses the same source basis as the tools: statutory holiday rules, regional scope, school-break calendars and practical planning views for Austria.

RIS Working Rest Act § 7 BMB school dates How we maintain this data