Swiss Notice Period & Termination Calculator
Determine your official contract end date under Swiss labor law, factoring in statutory notice terms, month-end terminations, sickness protection extensions (Sperrfristen), and final compensation.
Employment & Notice Details
Protection Against Dismissal (Sperrfrist OR 336c)
Final Pay & Accruals Settlement
Effective Contract End Date (Kundigungstermin)
Notice period: 2 months to the end of a calendar month.
Projected Final Payout on Departure
Swiss Statutory Notice Periods (OR Art. 335c)
- Probation (Probezeit): 7 calendar days at any time.
- 1st Year of Service: 1 month to the end of a calendar month.
- 2nd to 9th Year: 2 months to the end of a calendar month.
- 10th Year Onward: 3 months to the end of a calendar month.
- Severance Pay (Abgangsentschädigung): Only applies if age 50+ with 20+ years of service without a BVG pension fund.
How Employment Termination Works in Switzerland
Swiss labor law operates on the principle of freedom of dismissal (Kundigungsfreiheit), meaning neither employer nor employee needs to cite a specific justification to terminate an open-ended employment contract. However, strict statutory timelines and protective provisions must be respected:
Notice Receipt Date
Notice is legally valid only once the other party physically receives it (Empfangstheorie). If sending by registered mail (Einschreiben), it is considered received on the day of collection or the first day it was ready for collection at the post office.
Month-End Rule
Unless contractually agreed otherwise, statutory notice periods always expire at the end of a calendar month (Monatsende). Even if notice is served on the 2nd of March, the notice period only starts running from the end of March.
Sperrfrist Protection
If an employee falls sick or has an accident during the notice period, the clock is frozen (OR 336c). Once recovered, the remaining notice period runs out, but the end date is extended to the end of that subsequent month!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can an employer force me to take remaining vacation during the notice period?
Employers can generally direct you to take remaining vacation during the notice period, provided you have sufficient time to look for a new job. For short notice periods (e.g. 1 month) or extensive remaining vacation (e.g. 20+ days), remaining days must be paid out in cash.
What is wrongful dismissal (Missbräuchliche Kundigung)?
Under OR Art. 336, terminations based on discriminatory grounds (age, trade union membership, nationality) or whistleblowing are abusive. The termination remains legally effective, but the employee can claim financial compensation of up to 6 months' salary.
📊 Swiss Statutory Comparative Matrix (ESTV, BSV & Cantonal Breakdown)
| Gesetzliche Position / Statutory Obligation | Berechneter Betrag (CHF) |
|---|---|
| Hauptergebnis / Primary Settlement | CHF 0.00 |
Engr. Muhammad Shahzad
Principal Financial Systems Architect & Swiss Federal Statutory Specialist
Lead software and systems architect specializing in high-performance browser computing, algorithmic validation, financial models, and zero-telemetry client-side privacy architecture.