Notice period calculator: when do you have to cancel?

Enter the start date, minimum term and notice period from your contract. The calculator shows the last day your cancellation has to arrive and the date the contract then ends. It knows the German rules for contracts from 1 March 2022 and for older ones. Free, no account needed.

Everything is calculated in your browser. Notenz does not store or receive what you enter.

Your contract

Which contract?

Subscription or membership, e.g. gym, streaming, magazine Mobile, internet or landline

Insurance, electricity and gas, rental and employment contracts follow their own rules and are not covered here.

Contract start date Usually in your order confirmation. We assume you also signed the contract on this day. Minimum term in months For example 12 or 24. No minimum term: enter 1.

Notice period How long before the end your cancellation has to arrive.

If you don't cancel, the contract says it renews for

1 month 12 months

Your result

What counts is when your cancellation arrives, not when you send it. If the last day falls on a weekend or public holiday, it does not move. A letter that lands in a company mailbox on a Saturday or in the evening may only count as received on the next working day. So leave a few days of buffer.

Not legal advice. The calculator assumes you signed the contract as a private person and that the term and notice period are in the provider's standard terms. If something looks off, your local Verbraucherzentrale can help.

What applies to contracts from 1 March 2022?

Since 1 March 2022, Germany's Act for Fair Consumer Contracts (Gesetz für faire Verbraucherverträge) applies. For contracts for regular services or deliveries, such as a gym, streaming or a magazine subscription, this means:

The first term can be at most two years.
The notice period for the end of the first term can be at most one month.
If the contract renews automatically, it can only renew indefinitely. You can then cancel at any time with at most one month's notice.

This is set out in § 309 Nr. 9 BGB and applies to the provider's standard terms (AGB). Exceptions include insurance contracts and electricity, gas, district heating and water supply contracts (§ 310 (2) BGB).

And for older contracts?

Contracts concluded before 1 March 2022 keep the old rules, even if the renewal happens later (Art. 229 § 60 EGBGB). Under those rules a contract could renew automatically for up to one year, with up to three months' notice. Miss the deadline and you may be tied in for another year.

Mobile, internet and landline

These also follow § 56 TKG, which since 1 December 2021 covers older contracts too: once the contract has renewed automatically after the minimum term, you can cancel at any time with one month's notice.

How the calculator counts

Term: a contract from 15 March with 24 months ends on 14 March two years later. If that day does not exist in the final month, it ends on the last day of the month (§§ 187, 188 BGB).
Notice: the notice period starts the day after your cancellation arrives. The calculator shows the last day it can arrive so the period runs out by the end of the contract.
Today: if that day has passed, the calculator shows the next possible date.

How to cancel safely

Cancel in text form, for example by email. For contracts from October 2016, the provider cannot require a stricter form.
If the provider's website lets you sign up, it has had to offer a cancel button since July 2022, also for older contracts (§ 312k BGB).
Ask for a confirmation of receipt and keep it.
With a tight deadline, cancel by button or email, which arrives at once. Registered mail (Einwurf-Einschreiben) helps you prove receipt but takes a few days.

The full background: How to Cancel a Contract in Germany When You Don't Speak German

FAQ

Does the one-month rule apply to my old contract?

Not automatically. Contracts from before 1 March 2022 keep the old rules. The exception is mobile, internet and landline contracts: after the minimum term you can cancel those at any time with one month's notice, old ones included.

What happens if I miss the deadline?

For contracts from 1 March 2022, the contract runs on indefinitely and you can cancel at any time with at most one month's notice. Older contracts usually renew for the agreed period, often a year.

Does the day I send it count?

No. What counts is when the cancellation reaches the provider. Send it with a few days to spare and keep proof. A deadline on a weekend or holiday does not move.

Does it work for insurance, electricity, gas, rent or employment?

No, those follow their own rules. For car insurance we have a separate free cancellation letter.

Does Notenz store what I enter?

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. What you enter is not sent to Notenz and not stored.

Don't let the date slip by.

Upload your contract confirmation to Notenz. Your first 3 letters are read free. With Guardian, Notenz keeps track of all your deadlines and emails you before each one: 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months or 6 months ahead, your choice.

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