Caregiving for relatives
The need to provide care for family members may come very quickly. Relatives thus face the challenge of rapidly finding the right care while also working. Employees with relatives in need of long-term assistance find themselves at their wit’s end juggling family life and work.
In order to relieve the burden on employees who are providing nursing care for close relatives, a 10-day time-out can be arranged (Kurzzeitpflege, short-term care leave). If long-term care is required, employees may take leave of up to 2 years. Within this period, employees may reduce their weekly hours to a minimum of 15 hours.
The following overview helps you find your way through the various forms of care leave in accordance with the caregiving leave act (Gesetz über die Pflegezeit, PflegeZG) and the act on family caregiving leave (Gesetz über die Familienpflegezeit, FPfZG).
| Short-term absence from work | Care leave | Family care leave |
|---|---|---|
|
Section 2 PflegeZG |
Section 3 PflegeZG |
Section 2 FPflZG |
|
Up to 10 days leave every calender year when immediate nursing care is required |
complete or partial caregiver leave period (6 months max) complete or partial leave period for employees giving care to a dying relative (Sterbebegleitung, 3 months max) the reduced working hours must comprise at least 15 hours |
partial caregiver leave period (24 months max) |
Please find further information on individual solutions and the respective leave notification forms below.