Dismissed after 5 years of service in Germany
After 5 years of continuous service, you enjoy full Dismissal Protection Act (KSchG) protection — your employer needs a socially-justified reason. You have 3 weeks to file.
⚠ 3-week filing deadline (§ 4 KSchG) — regardless of tenure
Miss this and the dismissal becomes final even if it was unlawful. Send us the letter today.
After 5 years of service, you fall fully under the German Dismissal Protection Act (KSchG) — assuming your employer has more than 10 staff. Every ordinary dismissal must be socially justified on conduct, person or operational grounds (§ 1 KSchG). Your employer must observe a notice period of 2 months to the end of the calendar month (§ 622 (2) 2 BGB). Settlement leverage is moderate — formal flaws in the letter or special protection lift the settlement value materially.
Written and reviewed by Fatih Bektas, German employment-law specialist (APOS Legal Heidelberg).
The first 24 hours
- Note the exact date of receipt — the 3-week clock starts that day.
- Do not sign anything. No exit document, no severance waiver.
- Send us the letter for a free review within 48 hours.
- Register as job-seeker (arbeitsuchend) within 3 days to protect benefit entitlement.
- Notify your legal-expenses insurer, if any.
Compare other tenures
Tell us about your case
Fill in the form — we will review your situation. Free of charge, typically within 48 hours. We handle German labour-law matters in English.
What happens next?
After your enquiry we review the details and reply with an initial assessment — whether the dismissal can be challenged, how high a likely severance could be and which next steps make sense.
bektas@apos.legal
+49 6222 9599 2400
Response time: we reply within 48 hours on working days. If you have already received a dismissal, please mention it — deadline-sensitive cases are prioritised.
Dismissed? The clock is ticking.
Tell us about your case — we check for free whether your dismissal can be challenged and how high your severance can be. Usually within 48 hours.
Get my free review →Received a dismissal? You have just 3 weeks to file (§ 4 KSchG). Contact us immediately — we can protect your deadline while reviewing the case.