13 articles
How a German Aufhebungsvertrag works, why it usually triggers a 12 week Sperrzeit on unemployment benefit, and what severance, tax and reference terms to settle before signing.
What a Kündigung from your employer in Germany means: the three week deadline to challenge it, who the KSchG protects, and what to check first.
Elternzeit and Elterngeld explained: employer notice deadlines, dismissal protection, part time work rules, and the two stage 2024/2025 income cap.
Arbeitsrecht explained: a federal system, the Arbeitsgericht courts, the three week dismissal deadline, notice periods, minimum wage and Minijob, vacation, sick leave and severance.
How German statutory notice periods actually work under § 622 BGB: four weeks for employees, a graduated scale up to seven months for employers, worked date examples, probation, and fristlose Kündigung.
How German statutory annual leave works under § 3 BUrlG: the Werktage to Arbeitstage conversion, the six month Wartezeit, carry over and the 31 March deadline, the employer notice rules that stop leave lapsing, and when unused days can be paid out.
The three week deadline to file a Kündigungsschutzklage, what happens if you miss it, how the Güteverhandlung works, and why most cases settle rather than go to judgment.
The Minijob ceiling is 603 euro a month for 2026, calculated from the minimum wage. How the formula works, the two Minijob types, pension insurance and exemption, and the Midijob range above it.
Germany's minimum wage is 13.90 euro an hour from 1 January 2026, rising to 14.60 euro in 2027. Who is excluded, how the Minijob limit is calculated from it, and how it is enforced.
German law caps overtime hours under the ArbZG but does not automatically require it to be paid. What the contract, a Betriebsvereinbarung or Tarifvertrag says decides whether Überstunden get paid, banked as time off, or absorbed by salary.
There is no general legal right to severance in Germany. How the § 1a KSchG 0.5 month per year convention, Sozialplan formulas, and the 2025 tax change actually work, with worked examples.
How German sick leave actually works: the six weeks of full pay under § 3 EFZG, the eAU and telephone certification rules, Krankengeld after that, and dismissal protection.
How the German Arbeitszeugnis actually works: the § 109 GewO rules, the grading phrases German labor courts recognize, who must prove what if a grade is disputed, and how to fix a damaging reference.