Notice period in Switzerland: the complete guide
You are resigning, or your employer has just dismissed you, and one question matters: when does the contract really end? In Switzerland, the answer is in the Code of Obligations. The notice period depends on your length of service, it starts when the letter is received, and it always ends at the end of a month, unless your contract or collective agreement says otherwise.
This guide gives the legal notice periods, the calculation method with dated examples, the periods during which a dismissal is void, and what changes between resignation and dismissal. The references to the articles of the CO let you check every point in the law itself.
The legal notice periods in Switzerland
During the probation period: 7 days
The probation period is one month by default, three months at most by written agreement. During this period, either party may terminate at any time with seven days’ notice, for any day of the week.
First year of service: 1 month
From the end of the probation period until the first anniversary of the contract, the notice period is one month, to the end of a month.
2nd to 9th year: 2 months
The period rises to two months to the end of a month from the start of the second year of service.
From the 10th year: 3 months
Three months to the end of a month from the tenth year. This is the legal maximum, but a contract may provide more.
How to calculate your contract end date
Two rules are enough to find your last working day:
- The period runs from receipt of the notice, not from the date it was sent. A registered letter received on 3 April counts from 3 April.
- The contract ends at the end of a month. If the period expires mid-month, the end of the contract moves to the last day of that month.
In practice, for a one-month period to end on 30 April, the notice must be received by 31 March at the latest. Received on 1 April, it only takes effect on 31 May.
| Years of service | Period | Notice received on | End of contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probation period | 7 days | Tuesday 14 April | Tuesday 21 April |
| 1st year | 1 month | 20 March | 30 April |
| 2nd to 9th year | 2 months | 20 March | 31 May |
| From the 10th year | 3 months | 20 March | 30 June |
The law does not require written form, unless your contract or collective agreement does. In practice, send your resignation by registered mail or hand it over against signature: you are the one who will have to prove the date of receipt. Our resignation letter guide contains two ready-to-use templates.
Protected periods: when the employer cannot dismiss you
Illness or accident
30 days of incapacity for work in the first year of service, 90 days from the 2nd to the 5th year, 180 days from the 6th year, provided the incapacity is not your fault.
Pregnancy and maternity
During the whole pregnancy and the 16 weeks following the birth.
Military, civilian or civil protection service
During compulsory service, plus the 4 weeks before and after it when the service lasts more than 11 days.
Care leave
During leave taken to care for a seriously ill relative (art. 329i CO), for a maximum of six months.
Resignation or dismissal: what changes
The period is the same in both directions: an employee entitled to three months’ notice must also give three (art. 335a CO). The differences lie elsewhere:
- Reasons. The party giving notice must state the reasons in writing if the other party asks (art. 335 para. 2 CO).
- Unfair dismissal. A notice given for a reason linked to personality, for exercising a constitutional right or in retaliation for a complaint is unfair (art. 336 CO). The contract still ends, but the employer owes compensation of up to six months’ salary. You must object in writing before the end of the notice period, then file a claim within 180 days.
- Immediate termination. For good cause, either party may end the contract without notice (art. 337 CO). The bar is high: continuing the employment relationship must no longer be reasonable in good faith.
- Leaving without respecting the period. An employee who walks out overnight without good cause owes the employer compensation of up to a quarter of one month’s salary, plus possible damages (art. 337d CO).
Your rights during the notice period
Time to look for a job
Once notice has been given, the employer must grant you the time needed to look for another job (art. 329 para. 3 CO), in principle during working hours. The amount depends on practice; half a day a week is common.
Remaining holidays
Untaken holiday days should in principle be taken during the notice period if its length allows. If they cannot be, they are paid out with the final salary.
Release from the obligation to work
The employer may release you from coming to work until the end of the contract. Salary remains due until the last day, and you remain bound by your duty of loyalty, in particular towards competitors.
Employment reference
You may at any time request a full employment reference describing the nature and duration of the employment, your performance and your conduct (art. 330a CO). Ask for it before you leave.
Registering as unemployed
If you have no new position, register with the regional employment office (RAV/ORP) as soon as possible, ideally as soon as you receive notice, so as not to lose benefit days.
The Licorn method during your notice period
Visible from day one
You create your profile once, Licorn generates your CV, and the recruiters who match your criteria find you while you finish your notice period.
Your conditions, not theirs
Salary, workload, distance, remote work, availability date: you state what you want, and you only receive offers that meet these requirements.
Full confidentiality
Your current employer cannot see your profile. You choose which companies have access to it.
Frequently asked questions about the notice period
When it is received. Notice only takes effect once the other party has read it or could have read it. An uncollected registered letter is deemed received at the end of the seven-day postal holding period.
Yes, by mutual agreement: employer and employee may agree in writing on an earlier end date. Neither can impose it on the other. A contract or collective agreement may also set different periods, within the limits of art. 335c CO.
If the employer gave notice, the period is suspended during the incapacity, up to 30, 90 or 180 days depending on your length of service, then resumes; the end of the contract moves to the next term. If you resigned, illness does not change the end date.
Yes. Holidays are not a protected period under art. 336c CO. Notice takes effect on receipt and the period runs normally.
A fixed-term contract ends on the agreed date, without notice. It can only be terminated early if the contract expressly allows it or for good cause. If it is tacitly renewed, it becomes an open-ended contract subject to the ordinary periods.
One month by default. It can be waived or extended to a maximum of three months, in writing. If it is interrupted by illness, accident or a legal obligation, it is extended accordingly.
In short
Seven days during the probation period, then one, two or three months to the end of a month depending on your length of service, counted from receipt of the notice. Check your contract and collective agreement first, as they may say otherwise, then count from the day the other party received the letter. And if your employer dismisses you during illness, pregnancy or military service, the notice is void.
The notice period is not dead time: it is the ideal moment to become visible to the right recruiters, on your terms.
