How Long Can Homework Take in Elementary School? Rules by State
In eight of the 16 German states (Bundesländer), we found a regulation or official information that names a time for elementary school homework. Seven of them name 30 minutes a day for grades 1 and 2; for grades 3 and 4 it is 30, 45 or 60 minutes depending on the state, and the wording is binding to different degrees. In the other eight states we found no statewide time limit (as of September 27, 2026); there, the school and its teachers usually decide how much homework is given. In Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), the homework decree expired on September 30, 2026; the ministry of education still names 30 minutes on its website, and we found no successor regulation as of October 6, 2026.
How long can homework take in elementary school? The short answer
Each state sets its own homework rules: by ordinance, by decree, or without any fixed number. We searched for the relevant rule in all 16 states and read the texts we found on September 27, 2026. Where we ran into limits, you will find it in the section "How we checked the rules".
The key points:
- Grades 1 and 2: Seven states name 30 minutes a day: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. How binding that is is worded differently, for example as an average, as a guideline, as a value that "should not usually be exceeded", or as "about 30 minutes". Bavaria names up to one hour as appropriate for the whole elementary school.
- Grades 3 and 4: Here the values diverge. Lower Saxony and Thuringia stay at 30 minutes, Brandenburg, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia name 45 minutes, and Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Bavaria up to 60 minutes.
- No number: For Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saarland, Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein we found no statewide time limit for elementary school (as of September 27, 2026). There, the school conference (Schulkonferenz) or the teachers' conference usually decides how much homework is appropriate.
If your child has just started school: what is on the schedule in first grade besides homework is covered in our overview What does my child learn in first grade?
Table: homework time in all 16 states
As of September 27, 2026; Lower Saxony was checked again on October 6, 2026. The last column shows the regulation with a link and, where stated, the date of the version in force.
| State | Grades 1 and 2 | Grades 3 and 4 | Regulation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | no statewide time limit found, the school sets the amount of time | no statewide time limit found, the school sets the amount of time | § 10 Grading Ordinance (Notenbildungsverordnung) (version of 02/04/2025) |
| Bavaria | up to 1 hour is considered appropriate | up to 1 hour is considered appropriate | § 28 Bavarian School Code (Bayerische Schulordnung), wording from the official gazette KWMBl 2016 No. 10 and the unofficial reproduction at gesetze.legal; official portal: gesetze-bayern.de (date of the version in force not determined) |
| Berlin | no statewide time limit found, the school conference also decides on time limits | no statewide time limit found, the school conference also decides on time limits | § 20 para. 8 Elementary School Ordinance (Grundschulverordnung) (version of 09/22/2025) |
| Brandenburg | should not exceed 30 minutes on average | should not exceed 45 minutes on average | VV-Schulbetrieb, no. 5 (last amended 07/07/2025) |
| Bremen | no statewide time limit found for elementary school | no statewide time limit found for elementary school | Homework guidance (Orientierungshilfe) 241.01 (version of 10/29/1982, times only from grade 5) |
| Hamburg | no statewide time limit found for elementary school | no statewide time limit found for elementary school | Senate reply, printed paper 21/18200 (2019): the school conference decides |
| Hesse | usually up to half an hour | usually up to three quarters of an hour | VOGSV, Annex 2 no. 10.1 (valid from 08/01/2026) |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | no statewide time limit found, the school conference sets the type and amount | no statewide time limit found, the school conference sets the type and amount | Administrative regulation on work in elementary school (Verwaltungsvorschrift Die Arbeit in der Grundschule), no. 8.4 (07/12/2021) |
| Lower Saxony | should be at most 30 minutes (ministry page) | should be at most 30 minutes (ministry page) | Ministry of Education page (retrieved 10/06/2026); the homework decree (Runderlass Hausaufgaben) expired on 09/30/2026, status of the regulation unclear |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 30 minutes | 45 minutes | Ministry of Schools NRW, decree of 05/05/2015 (applies at schools without compulsory all-day attendance, known as gebundener Ganztag) |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | should be no more than half an hour | should be no more than one hour | § 37 School Code for elementary schools (Schulordnung für die Grundschulen) (version of 06/06/2024) |
| Saarland | no statewide time limit found, the school conference sets the type and amount | no statewide time limit found, the school conference sets the type and amount | § 47 School Participation Act (Schulmitbestimmungsgesetz) (version of 06/25/2025) |
| Saxony | no statewide time limit found, § 20 only says "in an appropriate amount of time" | no statewide time limit found, § 20 only says "in an appropriate amount of time" | § 20 School Code for elementary schools (Schulordnung Grundschulen) (valid from 02/01/2026) |
| Saxony-Anhalt | up to 30 minutes (guideline) | up to 60 minutes (guideline) | Homework decree (Runderlass Hausaufgaben), no. 2.4 (03/14/2005) |
| Schleswig-Holstein | no statewide time limit found, the school conference decides on principles | no statewide time limit found, the school conference decides on principles | § 63 para. 1 no. 7 School Act (Schulgesetz) (version of 07/19/2024) |
| Thuringia | about 30 minutes | about 30 minutes | § 57 Thuringian School Code (Thüringer Schulordnung) (valid from 08/01/2024) |
Two notes on the table. The Lower Saxony homework decree expired at the end of September 30, 2026; we found no new version as of October 6, 2026. The status of the regulation is therefore unclear. On its page on elementary school, the ministry of education still says that elementary school children should spend at most 30 minutes on homework (a child who wants to keep working on a task out of interest may do so), and it names weekends and vacations as free (retrieved on October 6, 2026). And Hamburg's school authority writes on its homework info page in general terms of "about one hour a day", without naming a grade. We found no rule specifically for elementary school there.
What the minute values mean
The numbers are not a stopwatch for your child, but a yardstick that schools are supposed to use as a guide when assigning homework. The states word how binding this yardstick is in different ways. The texts speak of a "guideline" (Saxony-Anhalt), of the time not being exceeded "on average" (Brandenburg), or of working times that "should not usually be exceeded" (Hesse). Thuringia names "about 30 minutes". Bavaria and Thuringia explicitly measure against a child of average ability (§ 28 BaySchO in the 2016 gazette, § 57 ThürSchulO).
More important than the minutes is often a second sentence found in most of the rules: homework should be set so that children can do it without help. This appears in the rules or official explanations of twelve states, for example in Baden-Württemberg ("without outside help"), Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony ("without help from outside school"). Hamburg's Senate puts it like this: tasks should be able to "be worked on alone, without the help of guardians or other persons" (printed paper 21/18200).
For you, this means: if your child can only do the homework regularly with you at the table, then according to these rules that is not a sign that you are helping too little. It is a signal the teacher should know about.
What applies in all-day schools and on long school days
Since August 1, 2026, first graders have had a legal right to all-day education and care (Ganztag); by the 2029/30 school year it grows to cover grades 1 to 4 (Federal Ministry for Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth). What this means for families is covered in our article All-day care from 2026: what changes for homework. For homework itself, the states regulate all-day schooling very differently:
- Hamburg: at all-day schools, according to the school authority, homework is "done during school hours or replaced by in-depth study periods at school".
- Saarland: in all-day schools with compulsory attendance, homework should be "largely replaced by school assignments". What cannot be finished during study time, such as vocabulary or reading a book, stays for home.
- Lower Saxony: until September 30, 2026, the rule was that on days with all-day programs, homework time is to be integrated into the daily schedule. The decree has expired; the status afterwards is unclear.
- Berlin: all-day schools with compulsory attendance and those with optional participation (offener Ganztag) are to schedule times for learning tasks, mainly in the afternoon.
- North Rhine-Westphalia: the 30 and 45 minutes apply at schools without compulsory all-day attendance. The ministry explicitly states that study periods replace homework only for lower secondary level (Sekundarstufe I).
Even without all-day care, there are rules for long school days, though with different conditions:
- Bavaria: on days with mandatory afternoon classes, elementary schools do not assign written homework for the next day. Exceptions are possible in agreement with the parents' council.
- Brandenburg: on days with afternoon classes or other mandatory school events, no homework should be assigned for the next day. Exceptions are possible in justified cases.
- North Rhine-Westphalia: schools without compulsory all-day attendance make sure that children do not have to do homework on days with mandatory afternoon classes.
- Hesse: in elementary and middle grades, no homework may be assigned from a day with classes after 2 p.m. to a next day with morning classes. The school conference can decide on a different arrangement.
- Lower Saxony: until September 30, 2026, the rule was that on school days with afternoon classes, homework for the following day is in principle to be reduced in amount. The decree has expired; the status afterwards is unclear.
- Saxony-Anhalt: afternoon school events are to be taken into account for homework, "up to and including no homework at all for the following day".
The rule is one thing, everyday life another. The specialist portal Ganztag entwickeln points to research according to which a third of children often have to finish their homework at home despite homework supervision at school (Kohler 2019). So ask the after-school care how much time is set aside there for homework, who checks it, and what happens to unfinished work.
Weekends, vacations, illness
More states have an explicit rule on weekends and vacations than on minutes. For ten states we found an explicit statement on vacation homework, and in most of them, vacations are supposed to stay free. The details differ: Brandenburg allows exceptions in justified cases, Thuringia excludes reading assignments, Hesse uses "should" wording ("No homework should be given over the vacations"), and in North Rhine-Westphalia vacation assignments are possible only in exceptional cases and on a voluntary basis.
| State | Weekends and public holidays | Vacations | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | the school decides | not regulated in § 10 NVO | § 10 NVO |
| Bavaria | Sundays and public holidays free, Saturday not mentioned | free | § 28 BaySchO in the 2016 gazette, reproduction at gesetze.legal |
| Berlin | no statewide rule found | no statewide rule found | § 20 GsVO |
| Brandenburg | no tasks should be set from Friday or Saturday to Monday or over public holidays (exceptions in justified cases) | no tasks should be set (exceptions in justified cases) | VV-Schulbetrieb, no. 5 |
| Bremen | weekend should be free, exception for subjects taught for one or two class periods per week | not regulated in the guidance | Guidance 241.01 |
| Hamburg | no statewide rule found | no statewide rule found | Printed paper 21/18200 |
| Hesse | Saturday and Sunday should stay free "if possible"; no tasks for Monday after Friday classes past 2 p.m. (the school conference can deviate) | no tasks should be given | Annex 2 no. 10.2, § 35 paras. 4 and 5 VOGSV |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | not regulated in the administrative regulation | free | VV Work in elementary school, no. 8.4 |
| Lower Saxony | no tasks from Friday to Monday | no tasks | Ministry of Education page (retrieved 10/06/2026) |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | free (at schools without compulsory all-day attendance) | only in exceptional cases and voluntary | Ministry of Schools NRW |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays free | free | § 37 para. 3 elementary school code |
| Saarland | no statewide rule found | no statewide rule found | § 47 SchumG |
| Saxony | not regulated in § 20 SOGS | free | § 20 SOGS |
| Saxony-Anhalt | allowed, within the usual time frame; not across a public holiday | not allowed | Homework decree, no. 2.5 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | no statewide rule found | no statewide rule found | § 63 SchulG |
| Thuringia | free, reading assignments excluded | free, reading assignments excluded | § 57 para. 1 ThürSchulO |
As of September 27, 2026; Lower Saxony was checked again on October 6, 2026 (ministry page; the decree has expired, the current legal basis is unclear). "No statewide rule found" means: the state regulations we checked say nothing on this. Rules of individual schools are therefore not ruled out.
Illness: The homework rules we reviewed say nothing about whether a sick child has to catch up on assignments. The only mention comes from NRW: there, assignments during vacations are possible as an exception and on a voluntary basis, for example when a child has missed a lot of class because of illness and is meant to catch up on the material (Ministry of Schools NRW). Whether and how much your child should catch up after a few days of illness is best settled directly with the class teacher.
When it regularly takes longer: how to talk to the teacher
A parent describes on Reddit how homework and worksheets not finished in class turn into a pile: "Sometimes this leads to a huge pile of tasks that drives them to the desk for 2!!! hours." (r/Eltern) If this happens regularly, the topic belongs in a conversation with the school.
Before you seek that conversation, it is worth looking at the cause. Dawdling, distraction and not understanding need different solutions; we put together the most common reasons in Why homework takes forever. If your child refuses altogether, Child refuses to do homework is more likely to help.
Keep notes for one week. Try jotting down briefly for five school days what happened. It takes hardly any time and makes the conversation with the teacher factual.
| Day | Tasks according to the notebook | Time at the desk | Of which breaks | Where did it get stuck? | Help needed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday (example) | Math workbook p. 12, reading p. 30 | 3:10 to 4:05 p.m. | 10 minutes | Word problem no. 3 | yes, with understanding the task |
| Tuesday | |||||
| Wednesday | |||||
| Thursday | |||||
| Friday |
Checklist for the conversation:
- In your notes, separate real homework from work that was not finished in class. Those are two different topics.
- Look at the table above to see what applies in your state, and ask about the school's homework policy. In many states, the school itself sets the principles.
- Ask open questions: "About how long should this take a child in this grade?" and "What should my child be able to manage alone?"
- Ask whether your child may stop after the intended time and note that in the notebook.
- Agree to take another look in two to three weeks.
You are not on your own with this. In Hesse, homework is supposed to be discussed at parent meetings, in Berlin parents are to be informed regularly about the type and amount, and in Saxony-Anhalt schools are supposed to ask parents for feedback. If several families in the class are in the same situation, the parent-teacher evening is a good place for it. You will find more ideas for calmer afternoons in Homework without stress and in our guide to elementary school homework.
A look at Austria
In Austria, a nationwide rule applies in the School Education Act (Schulunterrichtsgesetz), § 17 para. 2 (a document from the federal legal information system, also available in the portal view). It names no number of minutes. Homework (Hausübungen) must be prepared so that children can do it "without the help of others", and its amount must take the child's capacity into account. The weekend and vacation rule, on the other hand, is clear: homework that would have to be done on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays or during vacations may not be assigned (exception: vocational schools organized in courses).
How we checked the rules
- Sources: For each state we searched for the relevant homework rule and read the texts we found, usually in the official legal portal, on the ministry's website or in an official document. Two exceptions: the official Bavarian portal gesetze-bayern.de blocked our access. We therefore read the wording of § 28 BaySchO in the unofficial reproduction at gesetze.legal and compared it with the 2016 gazette and an answer on the portal of the ministry of education; we could not determine the date of the version in force. For Hamburg we found no separate homework regulation for elementary school. There we evaluated the Senate reply of 2019 and two info pages of the school authority.
- Search in the legal portal: In Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein, where we found no homework rule of their own, we additionally used the legal portal's search for the word "Hausaufgaben" (homework). We did not review all hits: in Saarland the first 25 of 35 (the portal did not display the rest), in Schleswig-Holstein the first 18 of 61.
- As of: September 27, 2026; Lower Saxony checked again on October 6, 2026.
- "No statewide time limit found" means: the state regulations we checked contain no number of minutes or hours for elementary school. That is a research result, not proof that none exists. Rules of individual schools are therefore not ruled out; they are often even provided for.
- Wording: We kept the wording of the regulations ("should", "guideline", "about"), because it shows how binding a number is meant to be.
- No legal advice: This overview is no substitute for information from the school or the school authority.
If you know of a newer version of a regulation, write to us via the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
How long can homework take in second grade?
Seven states name 30 minutes a day for grades 1 and 2: Brandenburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. How binding that is varies, for example as an average, as a value that should not usually be exceeded, or as about 30 minutes. Bavaria names up to one hour as appropriate for the whole elementary school. For Lower Saxony, the value comes from the ministry of education's page (10/06/2026); the homework decree has expired and the current legal basis is unclear. In the other eight states we found no statewide time limit (as of September 27, 2026); there, the school and its teachers usually decide the amount.
How long does homework take in third grade in Hesse?
In Hesse, the working time for daily homework in grades 3 and 4 should usually not exceed three quarters of an hour, and in grades 1 and 2 half an hour. This is stated in Annex 2 no. 10.1 of the ordinance on shaping the school relationship (Verordnung zur Gestaltung des Schulverhältnisses), in the version that has been in force since August 1, 2026.
How much homework is allowed?
None of the state rules we reviewed counts tasks or worksheets. Where there is a time limit, it refers to the time a child should need for the tasks, and the rules or official explanations of twelve states say that children should be able to do the tasks without help. In many states, the teachers of a class coordinate the specific amount among themselves.
Is homework allowed during vacations?
For ten states we found an explicit statement on vacation homework: Bavaria, Brandenburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. In most of them, vacations are supposed to stay free, with differences in the details: Brandenburg allows exceptions in justified cases, Thuringia excludes reading assignments, Hesse uses 'should' wording, and North Rhine-Westphalia allows vacation assignments only in exceptional cases and on a voluntary basis. For Lower Saxony, the information comes from the ministry of education's page (10/06/2026); the decree has expired. In the other six states we found no statewide vacation rule (as of September 27, 2026).
Is there homework over the weekend in elementary school?
That depends on the state. In Lower Saxony, according to the ministry of education's page (10/06/2026), elementary school children get no tasks from Friday to Monday; the associated decree has expired, and the current legal basis is unclear. In Brandenburg, no tasks should be set from Friday or Saturday to Monday, with exceptions possible in justified cases. In Rhineland-Palatinate, Saturdays and Sundays are free, in Thuringia the weekends, though with the exception of reading assignments. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the weekend is free at schools without compulsory all-day attendance, in Bavaria the Sunday, and in Hesse Saturday and Sunday should stay free if possible. In Saxony-Anhalt, assignments over the weekend are allowed within the usual time frame. In Baden-Württemberg, the school decides.
Does my child have to catch up on homework after being sick?
The homework rules of the states we reviewed have no separate regulation on this. North Rhine-Westphalia only mentions that after long absences due to illness, voluntary assignments during vacations are possible. What should be made up after a few days of illness is best settled with the class teacher.
When a task gets stuck
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- Ministry of Education Baden-Württemberg: Grading Ordinance (Notenbildungsverordnung), § 10 Homework (version of 02/04/2025). landesrecht-bw.de (in German)
- Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Culture: official gazette KWMBl 2016 No. 10 with the Bavarian School Code, § 28 Homework (2016). verkuendung-bayern.de (in German)
- gesetze.legal: Bavarian School Code, § 28 Homework, unofficial reproduction (as of September 2026). gesetze.legal (in German)
- Free State of Bavaria: Bavarian School Code, § 28, official legal portal (blocked for us when retrieved on 09/27/2026). gesetze-bayern.de (in German)
- Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Culture: Schule in Bayern, answers to your questions, learning and homework during vacations (2023). schule-in-bayern.de (in German)
- State of Berlin: Elementary School Ordinance (Grundschulverordnung), § 20 Learning progress checks (version of 09/22/2025). gesetze.berlin.de (in German)
- Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Brandenburg: VV-Schulbetrieb, no. 5 Homework (last amended 07/07/2025). bravors.brandenburg.de (in German)
- Senator for Children and Education Bremen: Homework guidance 241.01 (version of 10/29/1982). bildung.bremen.de (in German)
- Parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: printed paper 21/18200, Senate reply "Does homework help in school education?" (2019). buergerschaft-hh.de (in German)
- Federal Ministry for Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth: Legal right to all-day care starts on August 1, 2026 (2026). bmbfsfj.bund.de (in German)
- Authority for Schools, Family and Vocational Education Hamburg: All-day schools, information (as of September 2026). hamburg.de (in German)
- Authority for Schools, Family and Vocational Education Hamburg: Homework in Hamburg (as of September 2026). hamburg.de (in German)
- State of Hesse: Ordinance on shaping the school relationship, § 35 Homework (version of 07/20/2023). rv.hessenrecht.hessen.de (in German)
- State of Hesse: Ordinance on shaping the school relationship, Annex 2 no. 10 (version of 06/22/2026). rv.hessenrecht.hessen.de (in German)
- Ministry of Education, Science and Culture Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Administrative regulation on work in elementary school (2021). regierung-mv.de (in German)
- Lower Saxony Ministry of Education: Homework, elementary school (retrieved 10/06/2026). mk.niedersachsen.de (in German)
- Lower Saxony Ministry of Education: Homework decree for general education schools (09/12/2019, amended 05/16/2024, expired at the end of 09/30/2026), wording at Schule und Recht in Niedersachsen. schure.de (in German)
- Lower Saxony regulation information system: Homework decree, version history and period of validity (version of 05/16/2024). voris.wolterskluwer-online.de (in German)
- Ministry of Schools and Education NRW: Homework, questions and answers (as of September 2026). schulministerium.nrw (in German)
- Ministry of Education Rhineland-Palatinate: School Code for public elementary schools, § 37 (version of 06/06/2024). bildung.rlp.de (in German)
- Saarland: School Participation Act (Schulmitbestimmungsgesetz), § 47 (version of 06/25/2025). recht.saarland.de (in German)
- Saarland: All-day School Ordinance, § 6 Study periods and work at home (2013). recht.saarland.de (in German)
- Saxon State Ministry of Education: School Code for elementary schools, § 20 Homework (valid from 02/01/2026). revosax.sachsen.de (in German)
- Ministry of Education Saxony-Anhalt: Decree on homework at general education schools (2005). mb.sachsen-anhalt.de (in German)
- State of Schleswig-Holstein: School Act, § 63 Tasks of the school conference (version of 07/19/2024). gesetze-rechtsprechung.sh.juris.de (in German)
- Free State of Thuringia: Thuringian School Code, § 57 Homework (valid from 08/01/2024). landesrecht.thueringen.de (in German)
- Republic of Austria, Federal Legal Information System: School Education Act, § 17, document NOR40250437 (version BGBl. I No. 227/2022). ogd.ris.bka.gv.at (in German)
- Republic of Austria, Federal Legal Information System: School Education Act, § 17, portal view (as of September 2026). ris.bka.gv.at (in German)
- Specialist portal Ganztag entwickeln: Homework in schools with all-day programs (as of September 2026). ganztag-entwickeln.de (in German)
- Reddit, r/Eltern: post "Grundschule / Hausaufgaben" (2025). reddit.com (in German)