Receiving a Kündigung can trigger an understandable urge to answer immediately. A more useful first move is to preserve the facts and establish the calendar.
Keep the letter and envelope together
Do not write on the original. Save the envelope, courier receipt, or any delivery record. Note when and how the letter reached you and who accepted it if you were not present.
Record dates without interpreting them yet
Write down the receipt date, date printed on the letter, stated employment end date, requested response date, and any meeting already scheduled. These dates may have different meanings. A company’s requested reply date does not necessarily replace a statutory deadline.
Gather the employment record
Locate your signed contract, amendments, bonus or commission terms, recent payslip, leave balance, and relevant written correspondence. If there is a works council, note whether the letter mentions consultation.
Seek the right level of help
Challenges to termination in Germany commonly involve a three-week period from receipt. Whether and how that applies is a legal question. If you may want to challenge the termination, contact a qualified employment lawyer promptly. An orientation consultation can organise documents, but it must not delay legal advice.
Delay the emotional email
Unless immediate acknowledgement is required, avoid a long response that argues every point before you understand the document. Preserve evidence, create the timeline, and decide who needs to advise you first.
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