Notice of termination in Czechia 2026 and 2027: notice period, grounds and severance pay

Notice of termination is the most common way an employment relationship ends in Czechia, and also where most mistakes happen: a notice delivered incorrectly, a reason not described specifically enough, or notice given during a protected period. The result is often an invalid termination and a court dispute. This guide summarises the rules under the Czech Labour Code as in force in 2026. The termination provisions (Sections 48 to 72) do not change on 1 January 2027, so everything applies next year as well.

Employment can be ended in only four ways (Section 48 of the Labour Code):

A fixed-term employment also ends when the agreed term expires. All of these acts must be in writing, otherwise they are disregarded (Section 49(2) for agreements, Section 50(1) for notice).

Since 1 June 2025 (Labour Code amendment No. 120/2025 Coll.) the notice period starts on the day the notice is delivered and ends on the day with the same number. If that day does not exist in the final month, the notice period ends on the last day of the month (Section 51(1)). The old statutory rule “from the first day of the following month” no longer applies. Watch out for older employment contracts. If a contract expressly states that the notice period runs from the first day of the following month (typically contracts signed before 1 June 2025 that copied the rule then in force), the Ministry of Labour (MPSV), in its non-binding interpretation, considers that this clause takes precedence over the law, because Section 51(3) allows the parties to agree on how the notice period runs. MPSV itself notes that experts do not fully agree on this. If the contract merely refers to Section 51 or to the law, the new rule applies. To be certain, amend the contract.

The notice period is at least 2 months. The exception is notice given to an employee for not meeting requirements, unsatisfactory results or breach of duties (Section 52(f) to (h)): there the notice period is at least 1 month (Section 51(2)). A written agreement can extend the notice period or change how it runs, but it must be the same for employer and employee (this does not apply to notice under Section 52(f) to (h)). The statutory notice period cannot be shortened by agreement. Anyone who wants to leave sooner must end the employment by agreement. Special shorter rules apply only to notice given by an employee because of a transfer of rights and obligations to another employer (Section 51a).

An employee may give notice for any reason or without giving a reason (Section 50(3)). The notice period is at least 2 months for them as well, and they keep working during it. No severance pay is due when the employee resigns.

An employer may give notice only on the grounds listed in Section 52 and must describe the facts of the ground so that it cannot be confused with another one. The ground cannot be changed later (Section 50(4)).

What to watch for with the individual grounds:

An employer does not have unlimited time to act on a breach of duties. Notice or immediate termination must be given within 3 months of learning about the ground, and no later than 15 months after it arose (Section 58(1)). For a breach of sick-leave rules (Section 52(h)) the deadline is 1 month after learning of it, at the latest 1 year (Section 57). An employee can terminate immediately within 2 months of learning of the ground, at the latest within 1 year (Section 59).

An employer must not give notice during a protected period (Section 53(1)), for example:

The ban does not apply to all grounds. Notice can be given even in a protected period when the employer or part of it is dissolved (Section 52(a)), when it relocates outside the agreed place of work, and on grounds for immediate termination or breach of duties. For pregnant employees and those on maternity, paternity and parental leave the exceptions are narrower (Section 54). If notice was given before the protected period began and the notice period would end during it, the protected period is not counted. The employment ends only when the remainder of the notice period runs out, unless the employee says they do not insist on the extension (Section 53(2)). Example: notice delivered on 1 Nov 2026 would end on 1 Jan 2027. The employee falls ill on 20 Dec 2026 and recovers on 10 Jan 2027. When the illness started, 13 days of the notice period remained (20 Dec to 1 Jan); they run after the illness ends, so employment ends on 23 Jan 2027.

Notice, immediate termination and termination during probation are delivered into the person's own hands under Sections 334 to 337. These rules do not apply to a termination agreement. The employer delivers (Sections 334a to 336):

The employee delivers to the employer (Section 337) usually by handing it over at the employer's registered office (the employer confirms receipt in writing on request), or by e-mail to an address the employer designated for this purpose (signed document), or to the employer's data box. Because the notice period now runs from the day of delivery, the delivery date directly determines when employment ends. It always pays to have proof of delivery.

Severance pay is due when the employer gives notice for organisational reasons under Section 52(a) to (c), or when employment ends by agreement for the same reasons (Section 67(1)). A special severance of 12 times average earnings is due on notice or agreement because the maximum permissible exposure has been reached (Section 52(e), Section 67(3)). If you end employment by agreement because of an organisational change, have the reason written into the agreement. Without it, the employee will find it hard to prove a right to severance pay.

A previous employment with the same employer counts if the gap between them did not exceed 6 months (Section 67(2)). Severance pay is paid on the next regular payday after employment ends, unless the parties agree in writing on payment on the last day or later (Section 67(5)). The law sets a minimum; higher severance pay can be agreed in the contract, an internal regulation or a collective agreement. Example: an employee with average monthly earnings of CZK 42,000 worked for the company for 3 years and was made redundant. Severance pay is at least 3 × 42,000 = CZK 126,000. You can calculate it in our severance pay calculator.

Under the current Employment Act, severance pay no longer postpones unemployment benefit (former Section 44a has been repealed). A jobseeker is entitled to benefit if they have at least 12 months of pension insurance in the last 2 years (Sections 39 and 41). The benefit period is 5 months up to age 52, 8 months from 52 to 57 and 11 months over 57 (Section 43). In 2026, up to age 52 the benefit is 80% of average monthly net earnings for the first 2 months, 50% for the next 2 months and 40% thereafter; jobseekers over 52 get 80% and 50% for 3 months each (Section 50(3)). The maximum benefit is 80% of the average wage, CZK 38,537 a month in 2026. The amount does not depend on who gave notice. A change is planned for 2027. The government approved a bill on 31 August 2026 and submitted it to the Chamber of Deputies on 8 September 2026 (parliamentary print 300). From 1 January 2027 it would mean:

The bill passed the first reading (20 October 2026) and is being discussed by the social policy committee. An amendment has also been filed that would keep the current rates. The final form will be confirmed once the law is passed and published in the Collection of Laws. A jobseeker is not entitled to benefit if, in the 6 months before registering, the employer ended their employment for a particularly serious breach of duties (Section 39(2)).

An employer may terminate immediately only in exceptional cases: a final conviction for an intentional crime with an unconditional prison sentence (over 1 year, or at least 6 months if the crime was work-related), or a particularly serious breach of duties (Section 55). Never for a pregnant employee or during maternity, paternity or parental leave. An employee may terminate immediately if the employer has not paid their wage or part of it within 15 days after it fell due, or if a medical report says they cannot keep working without serious risk to health and the employer did not offer other suitable work within 15 days. They are then entitled to wage compensation equal to average earnings for a period corresponding to the notice period (Section 56). During probation either party may end employment for any reason, in writing. Employment ends on the day of delivery unless a later date is stated. The employer, however, must not do so during the first 14 calendar days of sick leave or quarantine (Section 66). The probationary period may last at most 4 months, or 8 months for managers, and no more than half of the agreed term of a fixed-term employment. While it runs, it can be extended within these limits by written agreement (Section 35).

Dealing with a termination, a severance calculation or a final payslip? With payroll outsourcing we will handle it correctly and on time. Sources (as of 27 October 2026): Labour Code No. 262/2006 Coll. (Sections 35, 48 to 67, 222, 271ca, 313, 334 to 337; the version from 1 January 2027 is unchanged in these provisions), Act No. 120/2025 Coll. (Labour Code amendment effective 1 June 2025), Act No. 435/2004 Coll. on Employment (Sections 39, 41, 43, 50), Act No. 589/1992 Coll. (Section 5), Act No. 592/1992 Coll. (Section 3), Government Regulation No. 177/2026 Coll. (2027 average wage, the basis of the CZK 154,989 threshold for the 23% advance), parliamentary print 300 (government bill, status as of 27 October 2026), MPSV — government approved changes to unemployment benefit and MPSV — what the flexible Labour Code amendment brings (interpretation of the notice period).