Work & employment
Kündigungsfrist
The Kündigungsfrist is the notice period for ending a German employment contract. The statutory minimum is four weeks to the 15th or the end of a month; during probation it shortens to two weeks. Contracts and collective agreements can set longer periods.
The Kündigungsfrist defines how much time must pass between handing in a termination and the contract actually ending. The statutory baseline in §622 BGB is four weeks to the 15th or to the end of a calendar month. For employers the period grows with the employee's tenure, up to seven months after twenty years; for employees it stays at four weeks unless the contract says otherwise.
A termination must be in writing with a handwritten signature to be valid in Germany; email or chat does not count. During an agreed Probezeit the notice period drops to two weeks on any day. Fixed-term contracts usually cannot be terminated early at all unless the contract explicitly allows ordinary termination.
What it means for working students
Check your working student contract for the notice clause before you sign: many companies extend it to six weeks or align it with month-ends, which matters when you plan to switch to a full-time role or leave after graduation. Hand in your Kündigung on paper, keep a copy with a confirmation of receipt, and time it so your last day lines up with your visa, enrollment, or new contract start.