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Employment law and deadlines

Germany notice period calculator (§ 622 BGB)

API The notice period calculator runs through the REST API, returning the end date and legal basis in JSON.

Under German law in 2026, the statutory notice period is four weeks to the 15th or to the end of a calendar month (§ 622 Abs. 1 BGB). If the employer gives notice, the period grows with length of service, up to seven months to the end of a month after 20 years (§ 622 Abs. 2 BGB). Example: start on March 1, 2017, notice received on November 10, 2026, 9 full years of service, notice period 3 months to the end of a calendar month, employment ends on February 28, 2027.

Last checked against the sources on September 23, 2026. Next expected change: only if the law changes.

REST /v1/hr/kuendigungsfristMCP hr_kuendigungsfristCLI qk kuendigungsfrist

Calculates the statutory notice period (Kündigungsfrist) under § 622 of the Civil Code (BGB) and the date on which the employment ends. Takes into account length of service, probation and the calculation of time limits under §§ 187 and 188 BGB.

Source
§ 622 BGB, §§ 187 and 188 BGB
License
Calculation under the cited provisions. Use under the Quellenkontor terms of use.
Updates
when the law changes
Coverage
Germany, current law

A value doesn't match the official source? Report an error. We check against the primary source and document every correction in the changelog.

Related solutions: For HR softwareFor AI agents and HR chatbotsFor global payroll and EOR providers

api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/kuendigungsfrist?eintritt=2017-03-01&zugang=2026-11-10
Zur API-Doku →
curl "https://api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/kuendigungsfrist?eintritt=2017-03-01&zugang=2026-11-10" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QK_KEY"
Antwort200 OK · JSON
{
  "datensatz": "kuendigungsfrist",
  "eintritt": "2017-03-01",
  "zugang": "2026-11-10",
  "seite": "arbeitgeber",
  "probezeit": false,
  "betriebszugehoerigkeit_jahre": 9,
  "frist": "3 Monate zum Ende eines Kalendermonats",
  "frist_code": "monate_3_zum_monatsende",
  "fristende": "2027-02-10",
  "ende": "2027-02-28",
  "rechtsgrundlage": "§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 3 BGB",
  "hinweise": [
    "Schematische Berechnung der gesetzlichen Frist. Abweichende Fristen aus einem Tarifvertrag, auch kürzere (§ 622 Abs. 4 BGB), und längere Fristen aus dem Arbeitsvertrag sind nicht berücksichtigt."
  ],
  "quelle": {
    "titel": "§ 622 BGB (Kündigungsfristen bei Arbeitsverhältnissen)",
    "url": "https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__622.html"
  },
  "stand": "2026-09-23",
  "lizenz": "Berechnung nach den genannten Normen. Nutzung nach den Nutzungsbedingungen von Quellenkontor.",
  "zitat": "Gesetzliche Kündigungsfrist bei Eintritt am 01.03.2017 und Zugang der Kündigung am 10.11.2026, Kündigung durch den Arbeitgeber: 3 Monate zum Ende eines Kalendermonats, das Arbeitsverhältnis endet am 28.02.2027. Schematische Berechnung ohne vertragliche oder tarifliche Fristen. Rechtsgrundlage: § 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 3 BGB. Quelle: § 622 BGB (Kündigungsfristen bei Arbeitsverhältnissen), https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__622.html. Daten: Quellenkontor (quellenkontor.dev).",
  "datenstand": "2026-09-23.1"
}

Response shortened. All parameters and response fields are in the Notice period reference.

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Statutory notice periods under § 622 BGB

The extended periods apply when the employer gives notice. Employees give notice with the basic period unless the contract says otherwise.

Legal citations stay in German, exactly as they appear in the official sources.

Length of serviceNotice periodLegal basis
Probation, at most 6 months2 weeks§ 622 Abs. 3 BGB
under 2 years4 weeks to the 15th or to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 1 BGB
from 2 years1 month to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 1 BGB
from 5 years2 months to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 2 BGB
from 8 years3 months to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 3 BGB
from 10 years4 months to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 4 BGB
from 12 years5 months to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 5 BGB
from 15 years6 months to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 6 BGB
from 20 years7 months to the end of a month§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 7 BGB

Examples calculated with the calculator

Notice given by the employer. The period starts on the day after the notice is received (§ 187 Abs. 1 BGB).

Start dateNotice receivedProbationNotice periodEnd
August 1, 2026September 10, 2026yes2 weeksSeptember 24, 2026
June 1, 2025November 10, 2026no4 weeks to the 15th or to the end of a calendar monthDecember 15, 2026
April 1, 2022November 10, 2026no1 month to the end of a calendar monthDecember 31, 2026
March 1, 2017November 10, 2026no3 months to the end of a calendar monthFebruary 28, 2027
February 1, 2005November 10, 2026no7 months to the end of a calendar monthJune 30, 2027

Parameters

ParametersTypeMeaning
eintrittrequireddatedateStart of employment
zugangrequireddatedateDate the notice is received, not before the start of employment
seitetexttextWho gives notice. Default: arbeitgeber
probezeitbooleanbooleantrue if a probationary period was agreed. Default: false

All response fields with types, allowed values, defaults and error cases are in the Notice period reference.

Questions about this dataset

What is the notice period after five years of service?

2 months to the end of a calendar month if the employer gives notice (§ 622 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 2 BGB).

What is the notice period during probation?

2 weeks (§ 622 Abs. 3 BGB), if a probationary period of up to six months was agreed.

Does the longer notice period also apply when employees resign?

No. Employees resign with the basic notice period of four weeks to the 15th or to the end of a month, unless the contract or collective agreement says otherwise.

Does the calculator replace legal advice?

No. It calculates the statutory notice period schematically. Contractual and collectively agreed notice periods, special protection against dismissal and whether the notice is valid are for you to check.

Does service before age 25 count?

Yes. The former exception in § 622 Abs. 2 Satz 2 BGB violated EU law (CJEU, Kücükdeveci, 2010) and has been deleted since January 1, 2019. The calculator counts the full length of service.

How often is the dataset updated?

When the law changes. We check the data against the official sources every week, and every change is logged in the changelog. On the Pro plan, a webhook notifies your server.

More on Notice period

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