Dismissal protection, social selection and severance
General protection against dismissal applies only after six months and only above the small-business threshold, which weights part-timers and distinguishes by hiring date. The first module sorts the three grounds for dismissal, the four criteria of social selection, the hearing of the works council and the specially protected groups. The second follows the dismissal further: a three-week deadline to sue, the risk of default wages, the severance of 0.5 monthly earnings per year under section 1a, dissolution by the court and the notification of collective redundancies.
Intermediate2 modules45 minModule 1 free to read
2026 rules — verified on September 23, 2026
Figures are tied to dated, sourced tax constants. A module whose rules have changed is flagged for review, and is unpublished automatically beyond 90 days.
This content is part of the path: Ending an employment relationship· Step 2 of 8· Next step: German references, employment certificates, holiday pay
By the end of this course, you can…
These outcomes are the modules' own: the promise cannot say anything the course does not teach.
- check whether an employee is covered by the Dismissal Protection Act given the waiting period and the size of the business
- count the headcount of a small business correctly, with the cut-off date and the part-time weighting
- tell apart dismissals for personal, conduct-related and operational reasons and allocate the burden of proof
- build and justify a social selection based on the four statutory criteria
- place the hearing of the works council and the groups whose dismissal needs separate consent
- apply the three-week deadline of section 4 KSchG and the consequence of missing it
- assess the cost risk of losing the case through wages owed for default of acceptance
- offer severance under section 1a in the correct form and calculate its amount
- know the caps on severance set by the court
- determine the notification duty, works council involvement and blocking period for collective redundancies
The programme, module by module
Each module has its own page. Durations are derived from the actual text, never announced by hand.
- Module 123 minFree — no accountWhen the Dismissal Protection Act applies and what justifies a dismissalWhat you will be able to do
- check whether an employee is covered by the Dismissal Protection Act given the waiting period and the size of the business
- count the headcount of a small business correctly, with the cut-off date and the part-time weighting
- tell apart dismissals for personal, conduct-related and operational reasons and allocate the burden of proof
- build and justify a social selection based on the four statutory criteria
- place the hearing of the works council and the groups whose dismissal needs separate consent
- Module 222 minIncluded in the full courseDeadline to sue, severance and collective redundanciesWhat you will be able to do
- apply the three-week deadline of section 4 KSchG and the consequence of missing it
- assess the cost risk of losing the case through wages owed for default of acceptance
- offer severance under section 1a in the correct form and calculate its amount
- know the caps on severance set by the court
- determine the notification duty, works council involvement and blocking period for collective redundancies
What you take away
A handout you keep, not just a page you read. The sections are derived from the course itself: what is announced here is exactly what gets generated.
Participant handout (PDF)
PDF
- Learning objectives (2)
- Key figures (9)
- Mistakes to avoid (2)
- Official sources (2)
Exercise workbook (Word)
Word
- Learning objectives (2)
- Key figures (9)
- Mistakes to avoid (2)
- Official sources (2)
Answers live in a separate appendix: the participant handout and the workbook stay distributable before the exercise.
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Where this course leads
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Educational content, current with the sources cited. It does not replace advice tailored to your situation. These courses are neither certifying nor CPF-eligible: they prepare for no certification registered with the French RNCP or specific register.