Caring for relatives: planning your own breaks.

German law offers three kinds of leave

• Short-term absence (§ 2 Caregiver Leave Act, PflegeZG): up to ten working days to organise or secure care in an acute situation. A care level does not yet have to be assessed. Without continued pay, care support allowance may be available for up to ten working days per calendar year and person in need of care (§ 44a(3) SGB XI).
• Care leave (§§ 3 and 4 PflegeZG): full or partial release from work if you care for a close relative at home. Care leave lasts no more than six months per relative (§ 4(1)). You must give your employer ten working days’ notice (§ 3(3)).
• Family care leave (§ 2 Family Caregiver Leave Act, FPfZG): partial release for up to 24 months. Care leave and family care leave together last no more than 24 months.

Further conditions, such as company size, and all deadlines are explained on the German family ministry’s portal “Wege zur Pflege” (in German).

Legal information as of 20 October 2026, without guarantee. This is a summary of German law; the wording of the law applies.

Long-term care insurance: advice and replacement care

Anyone receiving benefits from German long-term care insurance is entitled to individual care counselling (§ 7a SGB XI). If the person in need of care wishes, the counselling can also be given to relatives or include them.

If the carer is unavailable, for example because of a holiday, the care insurance fund covers the documented costs of necessary replacement care for people with care level 2 or higher for up to eight weeks per calendar year (§ 39 SGB XI). Your care insurance fund can tell you the amounts.

Legal information as of 20 October 2026, without guarantee. This is a summary of German law; the wording of the law applies.

Night workers who provide care can ask for a day job

Under § 6(4) of the German Working Hours Act (ArbZG), a night worker can ask to be moved to a day position suitable for them if they have to look after a relative with severe care needs who cannot be looked after by another relative living in the household. The same applies if a child under twelve lives in the household who cannot be looked after by another person living in the household. Urgent operational needs can stand in the way. In that case the works council or staff council must be consulted.

Under § 2(5) ArbZG, night workers are employees who normally work nights in rotating shifts or who work nights on at least 48 days per calendar year. Night work is any work that covers more than two hours of the night period. The night period runs from 11 pm to 6 am, in bakeries and confectioneries from 10 pm to 5 am.

Your own breaks need a fixed place

In everyday care, the day follows someone else’s needs. Your own breaks are then easily postponed. In the mypacing day plan you enter your own breaks as plans, just like appointments, errands and care tasks. Energy points show how full a day is before it starts. You set the budget yourself.

For short moments in between there is the rest moment: a breathing pace for one to ten minutes that you can pause at any time. The check-in takes about 20 seconds, and only the first question is required.

Your review shows how much room was left for you

Over weeks, the weekly review puts effort, recovery and wellbeing side by side. You enter your rest time during the day yourself in the check-in, from under one hour to more than six hours. mypacing draws no conclusions from it. The app only shows what you entered.

Sources

All information on this page is based on legal texts, public authorities and manufacturers’ documentation. Most sources are in German. The description of mypacing features reflects the app as of 20 October 2026.

• § 2 Pflegezeitgesetz (Kurzzeitige Arbeitsverhinderung), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 3 Pflegezeitgesetz (Pflegezeit), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 4 Pflegezeitgesetz (Dauer der Inanspruchnahme), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 2 Familienpflegezeitgesetz (Familienpflegezeit), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• Hilfe in akuten Pflegesituationen, Wege zur Pflege (Bundesfamilienministerium). Accessed 20 October 2026.
• Pflegezeit, Wege zur Pflege (Bundesfamilienministerium). Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 44a SGB XI (Zusätzliche Leistungen bei Pflegezeit und kurzzeitiger Arbeitsverhinderung), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• Pflegeunterstützungsgeld als Entgeltersatzleistung, Bundesministerium für Gesundheit. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 7a SGB XI (Pflegeberatung), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 39 SGB XI (Häusliche Pflege bei Verhinderung der Pflegeperson), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 2 Arbeitszeitgesetz (Begriffsbestimmungen), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.
• § 6 Arbeitszeitgesetz (Nacht- und Schichtarbeit), Bundesministerium der Justiz. Accessed 20 October 2026.

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