What does BGB §622 say about notice?

Section 622 of the German Civil Code sets a base notice of four weeks to the 15th or end of a calendar month. From two years of service, employer notice rises in seven bands up to seven months to the end of the month at twenty or more years of service.

What are the BGB §622 tenure bands?

Employer notice is: base four weeks; 1 month at 2 years; 2 months at 5 years; 3 months at 8 years; 4 months at 10 years; 5 months at 12 years; 6 months at 15 years; and 7 months at 20 or more years — each ending on the last day of a calendar month.

Does the employee notice also increase with service?

Not by statute. Under §622, the employee's notice stays at the base four weeks to the 15th or end of the month regardless of tenure, unless the employment contract or a collective agreement extends it (and it cannot exceed the employer's notice).

What is the end-of-month rule?

The longer tenure bands require notice to expire on the last day of a calendar month, not on any arbitrary date. The base four-week period may expire on either the 15th or the end of a month. The tool reports the applicable cut-off.

Are probation and small businesses different?

During an agreed probationary period (up to six months) notice is two weeks to any date. Some rules and longer agreed periods vary by contract or collective agreement. This calculator gives the statutory default; confirm contract terms.

Germany Kündigungsfristen Calculator

The Germany Kündigungsfristen Calculator computes the statutory notice period for ending an employment relationship under §622 of the German Civil Code (BGB). German notice is distinctive in two ways: the employer’s notice lengthens through seven tenure bands as service grows, and notice must end on a specific calendar cut-off — the 15th or the last day of a month for the base period, and the end of the month for the longer bands.

How it works

The base notice under §622(1) is four weeks to the 15th or the end of a calendar month. From two years of service, the employer’s notice increases in steps under §622(2):

< 2 years   → 4 weeks (to the 15th or end of month)
2 years     → 1 month  to end of month
5 years     → 2 months to end of month
8 years     → 3 months to end of month
10 years    → 4 months to end of month
12 years    → 5 months to end of month
15 years    → 6 months to end of month
20+ years   → 7 months to end of month

The employee’s statutory notice stays at the base four weeks regardless of tenure unless a contract or collective agreement extends it. The tool determines the correct band from the completed years entered, reports the notice length, and states the required termination date rule. Notice longer than four weeks must always expire on the last day of a calendar month.

Example and notes

An employee with 9 years of service who is dismissed by the employer falls in the 8-year band: 3 months to the end of the month. If notice is delivered on 10 June, the earliest valid termination date is the end of the month three months later — 30 September. The same employee resigning would owe only the base four weeks. Historic case law removed the old rule that excluded service before age 25, so all completed years count. This is the statutory default and not legal advice — collective agreements and contracts can vary the period. Everything is computed locally in your browser.