Letter of termination for nannies, babysitters and cleaners

Terminating the employment relationship with your domestic help isn’t a particularly pleasant thing to do. However, it is part of the administrative obligations you face as a private employer. Our template for the letter of termination will help you to carry out the termination of the contract correctly. 

Reasons for the termination of the contract of a cleaner, nanny, babysitter or care taker are very diverse. They may be of private or professional nature. Regardless of the actual reason, the termination letter must be formulated correctly, in accordance to the contractual notice period and with the indication of all necessary information. Since writing such a termination letter is not the easiest of all things, we provide you with a template which can be downloaded for free.

Free download: Letter of termination of employment

What to consider when terminating the contract of your domestic help

We recommend submitting a written notice. If you decide to send the letter of termination to your employee by mail, for evidentiary purposes, sending it by registered mail is the best option. If the notice letter is handed over in person, a short, written receipt will be the best way of confirmation. This is important because the termination of the contract will only come into effect once the employee has received the letter.

Furthermore, the exact name and address of the employer and the employee must be specified in the letter of termination as well as the contract of employment to be terminated, the next possible termination date (based on the notice period regulated by Art. 335c OR) and the place and date. The letter of termination must be signed by the employer and the employee must confirm to have received the letter of termination.

All these points are included in our termination template. All you have to do is fill it out and give it to your cleaning lady or domestic help in a binding way.

Protection against dismissal for domestic helps

The protection of dismissal for all employees hired in a private household is valid in the case of illness, pregnancy or accident and for the duration of military and civilian services. During this lock up period (Art. 336c OR) your domestic help is protected from the termination of the employment. The termination will only be legally executed once the lock up period is over.

Legal expenses insurance for employers

During an employer-employee relationship in general and after the termination of a contract specifically, there is a small risk for a legal dispute between both parties. This is the case e.g. when your cleaner or nanny does not show up to work on time anymore once the contract of employment has been terminated. We recommend taking out a legal protection insurance which offers employers a solid protection against expensive legal disputes with employees. Thanks to our cooperation with Assista, quitt offers an inexpensive solution for all private employers of domestic helps. Find out more about the insurance here.

Hire domestic help again with quitt

With quitt, you can correctly employ a domestic helper with just a few clicks. quitt takes care of all administrative employer duties, offers a favorable accident insurance and pension fund solution and provides important documents such as the monthly salary statement or the salary certificate online. Frequently asked questions about hiring a domestic helper and our answers can be found here.