Types of termination of an employment relationship

An employment relationship may be terminated in the following ways:

  • Termination during the probationary period
  • Dissolution by mutual agreement
  • Notice of termination
  • Dismissal
  • Resignation
  • Expiration
  • Death of the employee

In general, employees are entitled to the following in the event of termination:

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notice of termination is the orderly dissolution of a permanent employment relationship. With the exception of certain legally and contractually agreed restrictions, the employee and employer can freely decide to end the employment relationship in compliance with certain deadlines and periods. A notice of termination does not require any special reasons or the consent of the other contracting party. The notice period as well as the period to appeal the termination starts to run upon the lawful receipt of the notice of termination.

The notice of termination of an employment relationship is essentially not bound to a specific form, it may take place

  • orally
  • in writing or
  • implicitly (e.g. handover of the completed employment papers by the employer).

If a law or a collective bargaining agreement requires a written notice of termination, the notice of termination is unlawful if the specified written form is not observed.

Please note

After the receipt of the notice of termination, the notice of termination can only be withdrawn or converted to a dissolution by mutual agreement by way of mutual consent.

Further links

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Legal bases

Further links

Translated by the European Commission
Last update: 1 January 2024
Responsible for the content:
  • Federal Ministry of Justice
  • Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy

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