The Ausschlussfrist is one of the most under-appreciated dangers in German employment contracts. It is a clause that requires you to assert specific claims (typically wage claims) within a short window — most often three months — or they are lost forever, regardless of merit. Missing the deadline ends the claim more reliably than even the statute of limitations.
How the clause usually reads
A typical two-step Ausschlussklausel reads something like this (in German): „Ansprüche aus dem Arbeitsverhältnis verfallen, wenn sie nicht innerhalb von drei Monaten nach Fälligkeit schriftlich gegenüber der anderen Vertragspartei geltend gemacht werden. Wird der Anspruch abgelehnt oder erklärt sich die Gegenseite nicht innerhalb von zwei Wochen, verfällt der Anspruch, wenn nicht innerhalb von weiteren drei Monaten gerichtlich geltend gemacht wird.”
In plain English: three months to assert in writing, three more months to file suit.
What „assert” means
„Assert” (geltend machen) requires a written statement to the other party that identifies the claim with sufficient specificity: which months, which amounts, which legal basis. A casual mention in conversation, a generic complaint, or a payslip dispute lodged with HR does not count. Email is fine (BAG 24 August 2016, 5 AZR 703/15, allowed text form for current clauses); registered post is safer for evidence purposes.
A valid Geltendmachung typically looks like:
„Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, gemäß meinem Arbeitsvertrag vom 1. März 2023 sowie der Zusatzvereinbarung vom 15. Juni 2023 mache ich hiermit Bonusansprüche für das Geschäftsjahr 2024 in Höhe von 28.500 € brutto (vor Steuern und Sozialabgaben) geltend. Bitte zahlen Sie diesen Betrag bis spätestens 30. Mai 2026 an mein bekanntes Gehaltskonto. Mit freundlichen Grüßen…”
Concrete amount, concrete time period, concrete legal basis, concrete deadline. We draft this for you on a same-day basis when you bring us a wage dispute.
What is excluded by the clause
Typical Ausschlussklauseln cover all claims arising from the employment relationship — wages, bonuses, overtime, vacation payout, reference-letter claims, and even damages claims arising from the employment. Some claims are protected by statute and cannot be excluded by contract:
- Minimum-wage claims under § 3 MiLoG — see invalidity below.
- Claims based on intentional conduct (Vorsatz).
- Personal-injury damages (Körperverletzung).
- Claims for back contributions to statutory pension or health insurance.
When the Ausschlussklausel is wholly invalid
Many older contracts contain Ausschlussklauseln that fail current legal standards and are therefore invalid in their entirety:
Other invalidating defects:
- First-step deadline shorter than 3 months. Below 3 months, the clause is invalid (BAG 28 September 2005, 5 AZR 52/05).
- Strict Schriftform requirement (requiring original signature) instead of text form is invalid as overly burdensome (BAG, 24 August 2016, 5 AZR 703/15) for contracts concluded after 1 October 2016.
- Hidden, surprising placement in the contract — § 305c BGB.
- Asymmetric clauses that only burden the employee but not the employer — § 307 BGB inappropriate-disadvantage analysis.
Statute of limitations as the fallback
Even where no Ausschlussklausel applies (because it’s invalid or absent), the ordinary statute of limitations on contractual claims is three years (§ 195 BGB), running from the end of the year in which the claim arose and the claimant gained knowledge. The Ausschlussklausel is therefore much harsher than the default — three months instead of three years.
The two-step structure in detail
- First step (written assertion). Within 3 months of when the claim was due, send the written Geltendmachung. This stops the clock.
- Second step (court filing). If the employer refuses (or fails to respond within 14 days), you have another 3 months to file suit at the Arbeitsgericht. If you don’t, the claim is barred even though you did step 1.
The trap: many employees do step 1, get a polite refusal, then sit on the matter. Three months later the claim is dead. We track both deadlines and file within the second 3-month window when negotiations fail.
Worked example
Anna’s contract has a standard two-step Ausschlussklausel. Her bonus for 2024 was due on 31 March 2025 but the employer paid €0 instead of the expected €18,000.
- Deadline for step 1 (Geltendmachung): 30 June 2025.
- Anna writes the demand on 15 May 2025. Employer responds 25 May refusing payment.
- Deadline for step 2 (court filing): 25 August 2025 (3 months from the refusal).
- Anna negotiates with the employer through July and August. On 24 August we file the Zahlungsklage at the Arbeitsgericht — one day before the deadline. Claim preserved.
What to do if a wage dispute is brewing
- Read your contract for the Ausschlussklausel as soon as a wage dispute starts to take shape.
- If the clause exists and might apply, draft a written demand within the first six weeks. We do this routinely on a same-day basis.
- Note both deadlines (step 1 and step 2) in your calendar.
- If the employer refuses or doesn’t respond, decide within the second 3-month window whether to file suit or to negotiate further — but file before the deadline if no resolution is in sight.
Ausschlussfrist and the end of employment
When the employment ends, the Ausschlussfrist applies to all open claims as of that date. Common end-of-employment claims that get lost to the Ausschlussfrist:
- Unused vacation payout (Urlaubsabgeltung).
- Pro-rated bonus for the in-flight bonus year.
- Outstanding commissions on closed deals.
- Reimbursement of business expenses incurred in the last months.
- Continued private-use entitlement to a company car until the contractual return date.
We routinely send an end-of-employment Geltendmachung covering all open claims within the first 6 weeks after termination to preserve them.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Tarifvertrag (collective agreement) override the contractual Ausschlussklausel?
Yes. Tarifvertrag deadlines (often 6 months) override contractual deadlines under § 4 TVG, where applicable. Always check whether your contract refers to a Tarifvertrag.
What if my Ausschlussklausel is older than 2015?
Pre-2015 clauses are not invalidated by the minimum-wage carve-out rule (because the MiLoG didn’t yet exist). They can still be invalid on other grounds (deadline too short, asymmetric, surprising).
Does the Ausschlussfrist apply to claims by the employer against me?
Usually yes — most Ausschlussklauseln are bilateral. If the employer wants to claw back an overpayment or training cost, the same deadlines apply against them. Asymmetric clauses (only against the employee) are often invalid under § 307 BGB.