German cancellation letter with the end date worked out

How the German cancellation letter template calculates

You enter three facts: when the contract began, how long the minimum term is and what notice period the contract states. Then the day your cancellation is likely to arrive. From that the template works out the end of the minimum term, the latest receipt date for it and the actual end of the contract. If a notice period is longer than the law allows, it uses the statutory limit and tells you. The letter takes the calculated date and adds “or alternatively on the next possible date”, so that the cancellation still works if your details are slightly off.

Which notice period applies to which contract

The period depends on the contract, and each has its own provision. The table sums up the rules the templates on this site use. Where a contract contains its own valid period, that one takes precedence.

Written form under section 126 BGB means paper with a handwritten signature. Text form means a readable declaration on a durable medium naming the sender, so email, fax or a website form will do. If in doubt, choose paper: a signed letter satisfies both.

Proving receipt

Most disputes are not about what a cancellation says but whether and when it arrived, and the sender has to prove it. The safest routes are handing it over against a receipt on a copy, or a messenger who read the letter and posted it. A registered letter of the Einwurf type proves it went into the letterbox, not what was in the envelope. For emails, a read receipt and the provider’s reply help. So send cancellations a few days before the last date, never on the last day.

Deadlines and public holidays

For rented flats the third working day of a month counts; Saturdays count, Sundays and public holidays do not (Federal Court of Justice, VIII ZR 206/04). The templates know the statewide public holidays of all 16 German states under their holiday acts, including the movable days around Easter. Holidays observed only in some municipalities are not included. If the last day for making a declaration falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, section 193 BGB moves it to the next working day; that does not apply to the end date of a contract.

All templates at a glance

Besides this general cancellation there are 15 templates, each with its own calculator. Housing: residential lease with the deposit cap, sublease agreement with the right notice period, flatshare room with the rent share and tenancy notice with the deadline. Work: resignation letter, notice period calculator for both sides and termination agreement with severance. Cancel a contract: mobile contract, gym, electricity and gas and insurance. More: power of attorney, car sale contract, gift agreement for money and payment reminder with default interest.

Where the rules come from

Every rule comes from the official statute text on gesetze-im-internet.de, the Federal Ministry of Justice’s service, read on 13 November 2026. Statutes are official works without copyright (section 5 of the Copyright Act). The base rate for payment reminders comes from the Deutsche Bundesbank, the holidays from the states’ holiday acts. The Federal Court of Justice held in 2021 that a tool which asks questions and produces a contract document from the answers is not a prohibited legal service (I ZR 113/20). When a provision changes, this site is updated by hand; the date of the last review is on the method page.

What the templates do not do

They do not check whether a clause in your contract is valid, whether there is good cause for cancellation without notice, or whether a collective agreement applies. They do not calculate tax, only allowances. Wills, advance healthcare directives and lasting powers of attorney are deliberately not offered. In those cases an advice service is the better route.