The form rule is the strictest in German civil law
§ 623 BGB demands the written form for terminating an employment relationship and, unusually, rules out the electronic form altogether. In practice that means:
- Paper with your own handwritten signature. Not an email, not a scan, not a photo, not a messenger message, not a qualified electronic signature.
- A resignation in the wrong form is void. It does not start the notice period. People discover this weeks later, when the employer points out that the contract is still running.
- It must arrive. What matters is receipt by the employer, not the date you wrote on top.
Different from most other German documents
Since 2025 several rules were relaxed to text form, where an email is enough, for instance requesting part-time work. Termination of employment was deliberately not relaxed. If you remember one thing from this page: for resigning, print and sign.
The notice period, and who it protects
The statutory basic period is four weeks to the 15th or to the end of a calendar month (§ 622 para. 1 BGB). Two points regularly surprise newcomers:
- The longer periods are for the employer only. § 622 para. 2 BGB extends notice with years of service, up to seven months. That staircase binds the employer; as an employee you keep the four weeks unless your contract says otherwise.
- Your contract can be stricter, within limits. A longer period for you is only valid if the employer's period is at least as long (§ 622 para. 6 BGB). Collective agreements may deviate further.
- Probation: during an agreed probationary period of up to six months, two weeks' notice applies, on any day (§ 622 para. 3 BGB).
Delivery: the part that goes wrong
- Hand it over in person and have receipt confirmed on a copy, with date and signature. This is the cleanest proof.
- Or send it as Einwurf-Einschreiben, registered mail delivered to the letterbox, and keep the receipt with the tracking record.
- Mind the clock. If receipt slips past the 15th or the end of the month, your leaving date moves by half a month or more. Calculate before you send, not after.
- Ask for your reference in the same letter. You have a right to a written reference (Arbeitszeugnis) under § 109 GewO, but only on request.
The letter itself is in German. On purpose.
Our tools calculate your deadline under German law and produce a ready-to-sign letter in German, plus instructions in plain language. A landlord, employer or authority in Germany answers a German letter faster, and in a dispute only the German wording counts. You stay in control: every figure in the letter comes from what you entered.
Calculate the date, then print and sign
The calculator works out the earliest valid leaving date from your delivery date and years of service, and produces the German resignation letter, ready to sign, with a request for confirmation and reference.
Open the resignation calculatorFrequently asked questions
Can I resign by email in Germany?
No. § 623 BGB requires the written form with a handwritten signature and expressly excludes the electronic form. An email is void as a resignation, even if your employer replies to it. Print, sign, deliver.
What is the statutory notice period?
Four weeks to the 15th or to the end of a calendar month (§ 622 para. 1 BGB). Note that four weeks is not the same as one month: for a departure at the end of a 31-day month, the letter must arrive three days into that month at the latest.
Do the longer periods for long service apply to me?
Normally no. The staircase in § 622 para. 2 BGB binds the employer. Employees keep the basic period unless the contract or a collective agreement extends it, and a longer period for you is only valid if the employer's is at least as long.
Do I have to give a reason?
No. An ordinary resignation needs no reason, and giving one can only create problems. Keep the letter short: the fact of the resignation, the date it takes effect, a request for confirmation and for the reference.
Will resigning affect my unemployment benefit?
It can. If you end the contract yourself without an important reason, the employment agency may impose a blocking period (Sperrzeit) of usually twelve weeks. Clarify this with the Agentur für Arbeit before you resign, especially if you do not have a new job lined up.
Not legal advice. This page explains German law in general terms and does not replace advice on your individual case. We are not lawyers, not a public authority and not a tenants' association. Every provision we cite is linked so you can read it yourself. Collective agreements (Tarifverträge) can change notice periods considerably; check your contract for a reference to one.