Germany Notice Period Calculator: Notice and End Date
Choose who gives notice, then enter the start of the employment and the day the notice arrives. The result appears at once.
What counts is the day the notice reaches the other side, not the date written on the letter.
During an agreed probation period the notice is two weeks, for six months at most.
58 days after the notice arrives
From 3 November 2028, 5 years are complete. The employer's notice period is then 2 months to the end of a calendar month.
How it is worked out
- Completed years of employment
- 3 years
- Notice period
- 1 month
- End of the notice period
- 3 December 2026
- Termination date
- The end of a calendar month
Guidance, not legal advice · Statute text at gesetze-im-internet.de
The earliest end date under the statute, for employer or employee, with every step shown. · Checked against section 622 BGB (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Reviewed by Abdul Rafay (source-checked against the statute text on gesetze-im-internet.de, November 2026) · Published November 2026 · Statute text as of 3 November 2026
Employer notice periods by length of employment
When the employer gives notice, the period depends on how long the employment has lasted in the business or company. The table shows the statutory periods under section 622(1) and (2) BGB.
| Length of employment | Employer notice period |
|---|---|
| under 2 years | 4 weeks to the 15th or month end |
| 2 years or more | 1 month to month end |
| 5 years or more | 2 months to month end |
| 8 years or more | 3 months to month end |
| 10 years or more | 4 months to month end |
| 12 years or more | 5 months to month end |
| 15 years or more | 6 months to month end |
| 20 years or more | 7 months to month end |
The rules behind the result
- 01
Period and date are two things
The notice period is the time between the notice arriving and the end. The termination date is the earliest day the employment may end, for example the 15th or the end of a calendar month. The calculator counts the period first and then moves on to the next permitted date.
- 02
When the employee gives notice
The statute provides four weeks to the 15th or to the end of a calendar month (section 622(1) BGB). This is the same for manual workers and salaried staff. The contract can set a longer period. For the employee, though, no longer period may be agreed than for the employer (section 622(6) BGB).
- 03
When the employer gives notice
Up to the second year the same four weeks to the 15th or month end apply. After that it gets longer: one month after two years, two months after five, three after eight, four after ten, five after twelve, six after 15 and seven months after 20 years, each to the end of a calendar month (section 622(2) BGB). What counts is how long the employment has lasted in the business or company. According to the commentary literature, the length is taken on the day the notice arrives, not on the termination date. The Federal Labour Court also used the time the notice arrived for a collective-agreement scale based on length of service (judgment of 29 September 2011, 2 AZR 177/10). Time before the age of 25 counts, and so does time spent in training in the same business (Federal Labour Court, judgment of 9 September 2010, 2 AZR 714/08). The old sentence that left out time before the age of 25 is no longer in the current statute text.
- 04
When the period starts to run
The notice has to reach the other side (section 130 BGB). The day it arrives is not counted, so the period starts the next day (section 187(1) BGB). A period in weeks ends on the day with the same weekday as the day of arrival, a period in months on the day with the same number. If that day is missing in the last month, it ends on the last day of the month (section 188 BGB).
- 05
Probation
If a probation period was agreed, notice can be given during it with a period of two weeks, for six months at most (section 622(3) BGB). There is no fixed date then. Choose the agreed length of the probation period in the calculator.
- 06
Written form
A notice is only valid in written form, and electronic form is excluded (section 623 BGB). A notice sent by email is therefore not enough.
- 07
Collective agreements, contracts and small businesses
A collective agreement can set other periods (section 622(4) BGB). In an individual contract, shorter periods are allowed only in narrow cases, such as temporary help for up to three months or businesses that normally employ no more than 20 people, and then not under four weeks (section 622(5) BGB). The contract can always set longer periods. The calculator does not take contracts or collective agreements into account.
Questions about notice periods in Germany
What is the difference between the notice period and the termination date?
The period is the length, for example four weeks or two months. The date is the day the employment ends, such as the 15th or the end of a calendar month. Only both together give the end.
How does the calculator count the length of employment?
It counts completed years from the start of the employment to the day the notice arrives. A year counts as complete only on the anniversary. This follows the commentary literature, under which the employment as it stands when the notice arrives counts, not as it stands on the termination date. The Federal Labour Court also used the time the notice arrived for a collective-agreement scale based on length of service (judgment of 29 September 2011, 2 AZR 177/10). If you were taken on after training in the same business, the training time counts (Federal Labour Court, judgment of 9 September 2010, 2 AZR 714/08). Then enter the start of the training as the start.
How long is the notice period if I resign?
Without another agreement, four weeks to the 15th or the end of a calendar month. The contract can set a longer period.
Is there a different period during probation?
Yes, if a probation period was agreed. The period is then two weeks, for six months at most. Without an agreement there is no probation and the normal periods apply.
Can I give notice by email?
No. Ending an employment by notice needs written form, and electronic form is excluded (section 623 BGB).
Does the date on the letter count, or the day it arrives?
What counts is the day the notice reaches the other side (section 130 BGB), not the date on the letter. When a letter counts as received can be hard to prove in a dispute. Keep evidence.
What if the end falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday?
The calculator does not move the date, and that matches the case law. On 17 February 2005 (III ZR 172/04) the Federal Court of Justice held that section 193 BGB applies to notice periods neither directly nor by analogy. For employment contracts the Federal Labour Court had already taken that view. If the last day on which the notice must arrive falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it therefore does not move to the next working day. A contract or collective agreement can provide otherwise.
Do other periods apply in my business or industry?
Possibly. A collective agreement can set other periods, and the contract can contain longer ones. The calculator does not take that into account. Read your employment contract and the collective agreement that applies.