Termination Notice, Ordinary Dismissal (Kündigungsschreiben, ordentliche Kündigung)

TERMINATION NOTICE — ORDINARY DISMISSAL (KÜNDIGUNGSSCHREIBEN, ORDENTLICHE KÜNDIGUNG) (§ 623 BGB, § 622 BGB, Kündigungsschutzgesetz "KSchG")

✓Employer name ✓Employer address

To: ✓Employee name, "✓Position" Date: ✓Letter date

1. MANDATORY PAPER FORM — § 623 BGB 1.1. ⚠️ Under § 623 BGB, a termination (Kündigung) — as well as a mutual termination agreement (Aufhebungsvertrag) — MUST be in writing (Schriftform) with an original, wet-ink signature. Electronic form is EXPRESSLY excluded by § 623 BGB itself; this was NOT changed by the Viertes Bürokratieentlastungsgesetz (BEG IV), which digitalised many other employment documents but left § 623 BGB untouched. A dismissal sent by e-mail, WhatsApp, fax, or via an electronic-signature platform is legally void (nichtig), regardless of the sector. 1.2. This notice is given by the Notice given by.

2. NOTICE PERIOD 2.1. Length of service: Length of service (years) years. 2.2. Applicable notice period: Applicable notice period. The § 622 BGB statutory schedule runs from a basic 4 weeks (to the 15th or end of a calendar month) up to 7 months' notice for long-serving employees; a collective agreement (Tarifvertrag) or the employment contract may set a longer period. 2.3. Employment ends on: Effective end date.

3. KÜNDIGUNGSSCHUTZGESETZ (KSchG) — HEADCOUNT CHECK 3.1. Kündigungsschutzgesetz (KSchG) applicability 3.2. ⚠️ The KSchG headcount is counted under the specific rule in § 23 KSchG (part-time employees count fractionally; the threshold is generally more than 10 employees) — count carefully before relying on the "small business" exemption. 3.3. Grounds for termination (if the KSchG applies): Grounds for termination, if KSchG applies

4. DELIVERY AND PROOF 4.1. Delivery method 4.2. Proof of the exact delivery date is critical, since the notice period and any 3-week deadline to file a Kündigungsschutzklage (unfair-dismissal claim) run from receipt.

Signed: ______________ / ✓Signed by /

Received by: ______________ / ✓Employee name / Date: ______________

— — — ⚠️ This is a boilerplate template, not legal advice. German employment, consumer-protection, data-protection and workplace-safety law (BGB, Nachweisgesetz "NachwG", ArbSchG, MiLoG, SGB IV, DSGVO/BDSG, DDG, EGBGB Art. 246a) changes frequently and includes sector-specific exceptions — notably § 2a Gesetz gegen Schwarzarbeit "SchwarzArbG", which keeps the Gaststätten- und Beherbergungsgewerbe (restaurants and hotels) on paper-only Schriftform even after the BEG IV digitalisation reform. Statutory figures (Mindestlohn, Minijob-Grenze) are re-indexed periodically — have this document reviewed and adapted by a German employment/legal advisor (Rechtsanwalt/Steuerberater) and verified against the current rates before use. Where a German-language version of this document is also used, that version prevails in case of conflict.