Employment: templates and forms

A resignation letter for an employee in Austria (Selbstkündigung): notice ending your employment with the notice period, or during the probation month, on the date you choose or else on the next possible date, asking for confirmation, a written reference (Dienstzeugnis), the final pay and pay in lieu of untaken leave. Austrian law prescribes no form, but many collective agreements (Kollektivverträge) require writing: print, sign and hand it over against a receipt. For white- and blue-collar workers; not for apprentices. In German.

A German resignation letter (Eigenkündigung): ordinary notice ending your employment on the date you choose, or else on the next possible date, asking for confirmation of receipt, a full employment reference (qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis) and for remaining leave to be granted or paid out. Under § 623 of the German Civil Code (BGB), notice ending employment is valid only on paper signed by hand — e-mail, fax, scans and every other electronic form are void. In German, to print, sign and hand over with proof of delivery.

The declaration by which an employee in Austria ends the employment with immediate effect for good cause — the vorzeitiger Austritt under § 26 AngG and § 1162 ABGB: pay withheld after a final deadline passed unused, breach of essential contract terms, danger to health, lack of protection, or violence and serious insults. It records the facts and claims notice-period compensation (Kündigungsentschädigung), pay in lieu of leave and the final settlement. An unjustified Austritt costs claims; the Chamber of Labour advises its members beforehand. In German.

An agreement on repaying training costs under § 2d of the Austrian Employment Contract Law Adaptation Act (AVRAG), in German: in writing, before the training begins and with the exact amount, as the law and the courts require, for training that gives specialist skills usable with other employers too. With a bond of at most four years (eight in special cases), a monthly pro-rata reduction, the cases in which the law excludes repayment (probation, the employer's notice, justified resignation, end of a fixed term) and the rule of § 11b AVRAG that the employer pays for training the job requires.

A letter asking a German employer for a full employment reference (qualifiziertes Arbeitszeugnis) on leaving, or an interim reference (Zwischenzeugnis) while still employed — expressly covering performance and conduct, because without that request the employer owes only a basic reference stating the type and length of the work (§ 109 of the German Trade Regulation Act, GewO). It gives the job, the period of employment, the reason and a date by which the reference should be posted. No form is prescribed for the request. In German.

The written notice of parental part-time work (Elternteilzeit) to an Austrian employer under § 15j of the Maternity Protection Act (MSchG) or § 8b of the Fathers' Leave Act (VKG): start, length, hours and their pattern, the child, and since when you have been employed. You choose whether you claim the statutory right (more than 20 employees, three years' employment) or ask for an agreement. The notice must be in writing, so signed — a plain e-mail is not enough — and must arrive at least three months before the start. In German.

A termination by mutual consent of an employment in Austria (einvernehmliche Auflösung), as an agreement between employer and employee: end date, final pay and garden leave, leave and pay in lieu, statutory and voluntary severance (Abfertigung), the written reference and the return of work equipment. It asks about protection under Austria's Maternity Protection Act (MSchG) and Fathers' Parental Leave Act (VKG), which requires writing (§ 10 Abs 7 MSchG), and about the works council (§ 104a ArbVG). The AMS imposes no waiting period afterwards. Not for apprenticeships. In German.

A letter asking the employer in Austria for a written reference (Dienstzeugnis) under § 1163 ABGB and § 39 AngG — a final reference when the employment ends, or an interim one during it, which is issued at the employee's cost. Austrian law owes only the simple reference stating the length and kind of the work, and it may contain nothing that makes finding a new job harder; the letter also asks politely for a favourable description of duties and achievements. In German, to print and sign.

The agreement between employer and employee on Weiterbildungszeit or Weiterbildungsteilzeit — the AMS's names for full release and reduced hours for training, by statute the educational leave (Bildungskarenz, § 11 of the Austrian Employment Contract Law Adaptation Act, AVRAG) and educational part-time (Bildungsteilzeit, § 11a AVRAG) as reformed for 2026: start and end, hours, current education level, the training and its aim. It takes effect only if the AMS grants the training allowance (Weiterbildungsbeihilfe), to which there is no right. The allowance itself is claimed from the AMS, online or at the regional office. In German.

A fixed-term contract of employment (befristeter Dienstvertrag) for salaried employees or workers in Austria, in German, with every Dienstzettel item under § 2 AVRAG: the end date and the objective justification that a chain of fixed terms needs, a probation month, a choice between excluding notice during the term and allowing it, § 21 AngG and § 1158 Abs 3 ABGB for terms over five years, the suspension on pregnancy under § 10a of the Maternity Protection Act (MSchG), collective agreement, hours, pay, leave, the severance fund and the social insurer.

An agreement barring an employee in Germany from competing after the job ends, in German, under §§ 74 ff. of the German Commercial Code (HGB): the barred activities, the area, a length of at most two years and the compensation of at least half the last pay without which the ban is not binding. With the offset of other earnings, the duty to report them and the employer's waiver under § 75a HGB. Written form: print it, both sign by hand, and the employee is handed an original signed by the employer.

An agreement ending a German employment relationship by mutual consent (Aufhebungsvertrag), in German: end date, pay and garden leave, severance, remaining leave, a reference with an agreed grade, employment papers and a clean-break clause. Its preamble records the reason that decides whether unemployment benefit is blocked for 12 weeks (§ 159 SGB III), and it warns of that block and of the duty to register as a job-seeker. Under § 623 of the German Civil Code (BGB) it is valid only if printed and signed by hand by both sides: the electronic form is excluded.

An open-ended contract of employment (Dienstvertrag) for salaried employees or workers in Austria, in German, carrying every item the Dienstzettel must state under the Austrian Employment Contract Law Adaptation Act (§ 2 AVRAG) as amended on 28 March 2024: seat, job and a short description of the work, collective agreement and pay group, probation month, working time and overtime, pay, leave under the Leave Act (UrlG), notice periods under § 20 AngG and § 1159 ABGB, the termination procedure, the severance fund (Abfertigung neu) and the social insurer.

A permanent employment contract for full- or part-time work in Germany, in German, with every essential term the German Evidence Act (Nachweisgesetz, NachwG) requires: start, job, place of work, probation, hours and breaks, overtime, pay and when it is due, the minimum wage, leave, notice periods under § 622 of the German Civil Code (BGB), the written form of a dismissal and the deadline to sue, collective agreements, training and pension. Its time limit for claims leaves the minimum wage untouched and asks only for text form.

The written notice an employee in Austria gives the employer on going on sick leave (Krankenstand): when the incapacity began, how long it is expected to last and its cause — illness, accident, work accident or occupational disease — but never a diagnosis. Under the Austrian Salaried Employees Act (§ 8 Abs 8 AngG) and Continued Remuneration Act (§ 4 Abs 1 EFZG) the absence is reported without delay, and the confirmation of incapacity (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbestätigung) shown when the employer asks. No form is prescribed: the letter is your proof. In German, ready to print and sign.

The notice telling an employer in Austria that you are taking care leave (Pflegefreistellung) under § 16 UrlG, the Austrian Holiday Act: to nurse a sick close relative or a sick member of your household, to look after your child when the person who normally cares for it is unavailable, or to stay with a child under ten in hospital. You choose whether this is the first week, the second week for a child under twelve who falls ill again or, once both are used, holiday taken without agreement (§ 16 Abs 3 UrlG). The employer keeps paying. No diagnosis. In German.

A confidentiality agreement for employees in Austria, in German, with the undertaking to keep data secrecy that every employer must obtain from its staff under § 6 of the Austrian Data Protection Act (DSG), including the information on transfer instructions and the consequences of a breach. It protects trade secrets under §§ 26a ff of the Unfair Competition Act (UWG) by naming categories and secrecy measures, leaves out the employee's own pay and whistleblowing reports, and offers an optional non-compete clause under § 2c AVRAG and § 36 AngG.

The notice telling an Austrian employer when your parental leave (Karenz) starts and how long it lasts, under the Maternity Protection Act (§ 15 MSchG) or the Fathers' Leave Act (§ 2 VKG): child and date of birth, leave from–to, the other parent's parts. For children born from 1 November 2023, Karenz runs to the end of the 22nd month, or the 24th if shared — the document prints the rule for your child. With a receipt block. Childcare benefit (Kinderbetreuungsgeld) is claimed separately from the health insurer, usually the ÖGK. In German.

When your child is ill and you have to stay at home in Germany: the letter telling the employer and asking to be released from work under § 45(3) of Book V of the Social Code (SGB V). It asks for paid leave where § 616 of the German Civil Code (BGB) or the employment contract gives it, and otherwise announces the claim for child sickness benefit (Kinderkrankengeld) from the health insurer. For parents with statutory insurance and children under twelve; in German, with no diagnosis.

The written notice of sickness an employee in Germany gives the employer under § 5 of the Continued Remuneration Act (EntgFG): that they are unfit for work and for how long, with no diagnosis. For people with statutory health insurance it reflects the electronic sick note (eAU) — the employer fetches the certificate from the health insurer, but the employee must still report the absence at once. Those insured privately announce a paper certificate. In German, with a box for an address abroad.

An employee's written reply to an employer's formal warning (Abmahnung) in Germany, to be added to the personnel file under § 83(2) of the German Works Constitution Act (BetrVG). It names the allegation, sets out the facts as the employee sees them, lists witnesses and asks either for the unjustified warning to be removed from the file or for the reply to be filed with it. There is no deadline and no duty to reply, but what is written can be used later. In German, to print, sign and hand over against a receipt.

A letter claiming unpaid wages, salary or overtime pay from an employer in Germany, sent in time to beat the exclusion period (Ausschlussfrist) in the employment contract or collective agreement, which is often only three months from the due date. It lists month, type of claim and gross amount, sets a payment deadline, claims default interest under § 288(1) of the German Civil Code (BGB), backs overtime with the employee's own records and can announce that work will be withheld. In German, to print, sign by hand and deliver with proof of receipt, and to e-mail as well.

The notice by which an employee in Germany claims parental leave (Elternzeit) under § 16 of the Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act (BEEG): the child, the date of birth or due date, the start and end of the leave and any further periods, with the binding choice for the first two years and a request for confirmation. It must reach the employer at least seven weeks before the leave starts, or 13 weeks before leave after the third birthday. For children born or placed for adoption from 1 May 2025, text form such as e-mail is enough; for older children a hand-signed original is required. In German.

A confidentiality agreement with an employee in Germany, in German, that protects trade secrets as one of the reasonable secrecy measures the German Trade Secrets Act (GeschGehG) requires: named kinds of confidential information, duties during the employment, a duty afterwards limited to those secrets and a set period, return of documents, and the statutory exceptions for whistleblowers. It leaves out the catch-all clause on all internal matters that the Federal Labour Court struck down in 2024, and any ban on discussing one's own pay.