🇩🇪 Written by solicitor Thomas Meier-Bading 2025-10-27 at 10:34

Cost-benefit calculator for unfair dismissal claims in Germany

Ø Reading time: 2 min.

Is it worth filing an unfair dismissal claim? Find out!

Notes

This calculator also takes the emotional cost into account. It only provides a very general estimate for rough guidance. It assumes that you received your notice of dismissal today.
Special cases such as trainees, disability, works council, employment and collective agreements, probationary period, age-related unemployment benefits, pregnancy or any of the many others are not included here.
The calculator is no substitute for consulting a solicitor.

Data query (7 fields)

On what date were you hired? This is decisive for calculating the notice period, among other things.

(currently, in full €)
+ 1/12 of holiday pay, Christmas bonus, bonuses and similar annual payments

(days until you are likely to receive an effective notice of termination)

Explanation: Often, employers seek legal advice after receiving a letter from a solicitor and then issue another notice of termination that may be watertight.

Which of the following is most accurate? How quickly would you find another equivalent job if you did not take legal action but applied for jobs now?

It must cover labour law.
A flat-rate excess of €150 is included in the calculation; you can adjust the correct value yourself.

Of course, this is a symbolic question. The ‘emotional price’, regardless of the reason, is calculated at 0-1 months' salary. Which of the following applies most?

interim result

You can gain: 
For comparison: severance pay

Results

costs without insurance:

Total costs (excess): €150,00

costs without insurance:

best case scenario - opponent gives in:
Pre-trial + settlement in court:
if things go badly (only 1st instance):

Potential gain from legal action (minus costs)

Next termination effective:
Salary difference between the options ‘win’ and ‘do not take legal action’:
Minus emotional ‘cost’:
to be gained:

For comparison: Severance pay range (minus costs)

Low (0.3 × monthly salary × years rounded):
Likely (0.5 × monthly salary × years rounded):
Good (1 × monthly salary × years rounded):

Download information on Unfair Dismissal Claim free of charge

Find out how such a lawsuit proceeds, when it makes sense, and what you can achieve here in my free, compact information folder (.pdf, 5 A4 pages, clearly laid out in three columns). Ideal for reading on the go or printing out - whichever you prefer. There are two download-optons:

  1. Direct download to this device without reminder:

    Download .pdf here now
  2. Pro tip:
    Calendar entry with reminder to share, also to other devices. You will receive a calendar entry in .ics-format with a link to the .pdf. Your device will remind you in 3 days and on the following Saturday. This all happens on your device; I will not receive any data from you.

Why two options? The deadline is only three weeks and don't download it onto your work computer: your account could be blocked tomorrow.