Right to part-time work: how to reduce your hours
You want to reduce your working hours, for family, health or simply for more balance? In many businesses you have a statutory right to this. The conditions and the correct application deadline are important.
Reach your next steps and the matching ready-made texts in just a few minutes, free of charge:
Apply for part-time work →Your chances of getting your money back
What you should do now
- 1
1. Check the conditions
Employed longer than 6 months? A business with more than 15 employees? Then the entitlement exists.
- 2
2. Apply in good time
File the application at least three months before the desired start, ideally in writing, with the scope and desired distribution of hours.
- 3
3. Consider bridge part-time
If you want to reduce only temporarily, check fixed-term bridge part-time (§ 9a TzBfG) with a right to return to full-time.
- 4
4. If refused
If the employer refuses without sufficient operational reasons or does not respond in time, the reduction can be deemed approved. Have that checked.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have a right to part-time work?
Yes, if your employment relationship has lasted longer than six months and the employer as a rule employs more than 15 employees (§ 8 TzBfG). The employer can refuse the request only for operational reasons, which it must set out specifically.
Can I return to full-time after part-time?
With the open-ended part-time work under § 8 TzBfG, you have no automatic right to return. So choose the fixed-term 'bridge part-time' (§ 9a TzBfG) if you want to reduce only temporarily, so that afterward you return to your previous working hours.
Take action now
We put together the ready-made texts and the right places to contact for you.
General information for self-help, not legal advice (RDG). In case of a high loss or uncertainty: contact a consumer advice center or a lawyer.