The short answer
If the household cancels agreed work while you are ready and able to do it, wages generally remain due. Being paid by the hour does not by itself remove this right. Under Article 324 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, you generally do not have to make up work that the household prevented.
The exact result depends on the facts. The work must have been agreed, you must have been willing and able to do it, and the cancellation must have come from the household's side. The amount can be adjusted for expenses you saved, income from replacement work and income you deliberately chose not to earn.
This article is for employees working directly for a private household. If you work on your own account or through an agency, different contracts and rules apply.
What happened to your shift?
Open the situation closest to yours.
The household cancelled agreed hours
If the household cancels agreed work while you are ready and able to do it, wages generally remain due under Article 324. This can cover a regular shift, a confirmed single shift, arriving to find that the work is cancelled, or being sent home before the agreed finish. The amount can be adjusted for expenses saved, replacement earnings and earnings deliberately forgone.
Your next step Keep the agreed schedule and cancellation. A written confirmation that you were ready to work is useful evidence. Ask how the cancelled time will be recorded and paid.
The household is away
The household's trip does not automatically turn agreed work into your annual leave. First check whether leave was properly arranged for those dates. If it was not, and you remained ready and able to do the agreed work, Article 324 can apply.
Your next step Ask whether the dates are recorded as annual leave, a mutually agreed schedule change or a household cancellation, and keep any earlier leave arrangement.
My annual leave was arranged
Your properly arranged annual leave is a different question from a household cancelling while you are available. It follows the leave and holiday pay rules. Household travel alone does not turn agreed work into your annual leave.
Your next step Check which dates were agreed as leave and how they are recorded. Keep the leave arrangement with your wage records.
The shift was never confirmed
A possible future shift that neither side accepted is different from agreed work, so wages cannot be promised merely because you hoped to work. A regular work pattern can still matter even without a written schedule.
Your next step Check the contract, rota, earlier messages and payslips before deciding whether hours were actually agreed.
The household says it no longer needs help
This may be more than one cancelled shift. A cancellation message can also communicate termination, and an oral termination can be effective unless the applicable terms require writing. Notice rules depend on the contract and applicable law.
Your next step Ask whether the employment has ended, request the date and notice terms in writing, and seek qualified advice if the answer is unclear.
I could not work because I was ill
Illness is not household cancellation. Sick pay depends on the employment, applicable rule and any valid sickness daily allowance arrangement. Article 324 does not automatically decide this situation.
Your next step Tell the household promptly, check the certificate requirement and use the separate sick pay guide.
Start with three facts
Before asking how the cancelled time will be paid, write down three things:
- What work was agreed? Note the date, start time, expected finish time and tasks. A regular Tuesday visit, a single visit accepted in messages and hours written into a rota can all be relevant. An oral agreement can also count.
- Why did the work not happen? The household may have travelled, changed plans, stayed home, forgotten the visit, refused access or sent you home. That is different from you being ill, taking leave or deciding not to attend.
- Were you ready and able to work? Keep your reply to the cancellation. If you arrived, note the time and what happened. If the household clearly cancelled in advance, you do not need to travel to the home simply to create proof.
These facts matter more than the label used in a chat. A message saying “we do not need you this week” may concern one agreed shift, a change to regular hours or the end of the employment. Ask which one the household means.
What Article 324 means for agreed work
The household is your employer. If the household prevents agreed work or does not accept it, Article 324 generally keeps the wage due without requiring you to perform the lost work later. This is often called employer default. It can cover a regular cleaning visit, agreed nanny hours and a confirmed single shift.
The rule has limits. Article 324 also says the wage calculation must take account of expenses saved because the work did not happen, income earned from replacement work and income deliberately forgone. A cancellation therefore does not always produce the full wage on top of all other earnings.
Your willingness to work also matters. The Federal Supreme Court has explained that an offer to work can be oral or written when the employer's cooperation or access is missing. After a clear refusal in advance, repeating the offer may be unnecessary. A short written confirmation is still useful because it records what you were ready to do.
Regular hours and unconfirmed future work are different
A wage claim starts with work that was agreed. If a household only asked whether you might be free someday, and neither side confirmed a shift, there may be no agreed work to cancel. Hoping to receive work is not the same as keeping confirmed time for an employer.
But do not assume that a missing written schedule means there was no agreement. Employment contracts generally need no special form. A regular pattern, the contract, rotas, earlier messages and payslips can show what the parties actually arranged. The Federal Supreme Court has distinguished assignments accepted by both sides from work that an employer can call in unilaterally.
If hours vary, collect the history before concluding that there was no agreed shift. Look for messages confirming the date, a rota, a recurring weekday, calendar entries and wage records. Our guide to an employment contract for household work explains why agreed hours and changes should be recorded clearly.
The household is away
A household holiday does not automatically become your annual leave. If you normally work while the household is away, or the household cancels agreed hours because it is travelling, start with Article 324 and the facts above.
Paid annual leave is a separate question. The employer sets its timing while considering the worker's wishes and the household's needs. SECO's holiday guidance says leave should be planned sufficiently in advance and that sudden changes are limited. A planned household closure can be coordinated with annual leave, but the arrangement should be clear before the dates arrive.
Ask what was actually agreed: annual leave, a mutual move to another date, a cancellation with pay, or a change to the continuing schedule. If annual leave was properly arranged, our holiday pay guide for hourly work covers that separate issue.
You arrived or were sent home early
If you reached the home and nobody opened the door, keep a private record of your arrival and your attempt to contact the household. Do not enter without permission or post household details publicly. If the household had already clearly told you not to come, do not make the trip just to prove availability.
If you started work and were sent home before the agreed finish, record both the time worked and the remaining agreed time. Ask the household to confirm why the shift ended. The time you completed and the time the household did not accept need to remain distinct on the record.
Article 324 can apply when you were ready and able to complete the agreed shift. The same adjustments for saved expenses and replacement earnings still matter. Travel costs need separate checking.
Keep a simple record
Save only what is needed to explain the employment and the cancelled work:
- Your contract and any later change to the schedule.
- The rota, calendar entry or message agreeing the shift.
- The household's cancellation or the reason given when you were sent home.
- Your reply confirming that you were ready and available.
- A private arrival record if you went to the home.
- The hours actually worked before a partial cancellation.
- The payslip and wage payment showing how the time was recorded.
Keep the records for each household separate. Do not add private family details that have nothing to do with the wage question. Declared work and regular payslips make the employment history easier to show. The guide to declared household work and wage records explains why those records matter.
A calm message you can send
For a future agreed shift, adapt this message to what actually happened:
We agreed that I would work on [day and time]. I am ready and available for that shift. I understand that you are cancelling it. Please confirm how the cancelled time will be recorded and paid.
For a shift that has already passed, change the tense and add the hours you completed, if any. Keep the message factual. You are creating a clear record and asking for an answer, not making a threat.
If the household proposes another date, ask whether it is an additional shift or a replacement for the cancelled one, and how both dates will appear on the payslip. Article 324 generally means you do not have to make cancelled agreed work up, but you and the household can still agree on future work. A new date does not automatically replace wages already owed for the cancelled shift.
If the cancelled time is missing from your wage
First compare the agreed hours, time record and payslip. Ask the household in writing which hours were accepted, which were cancelled and how the wage was calculated. If saved expenses or replacement earnings were deducted, ask for the basis of the adjustment.
If the answer remains unclear, use SECO's official directory of cantonal legal advice services or seek advice from a union or a qualified adviser. SECO explains that civil courts decide individual employment disputes. The directory points you towards the relevant cantonal route. Check the service's scope and any fees before arranging advice.
When this is a different question
You were ill or unable to work. That is not household cancellation. Read the sick pay guide for cleaners and nannies.
You asked for annual leave. Check the leave arrangement and the holiday pay guide.
The date was a public holiday. Public holiday pay follows separate federal, cantonal and contractual rules. Do not assume that an ordinary cancellation rule gives the answer.
The household says it no longer needs help at all. Ask whether the employment has ended and which notice terms apply. A cancellation message can also communicate termination, and an oral termination can be effective unless the applicable terms require writing. SECO's termination guidance explains the general route. Your contract and the applicable notice rules determine the end date.
“An agreed shift is time a Helper has kept for a household. Clear written hours make cancellations easier to handle fairly.”
Gilberto de la Fuente, Helpore
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The household is your employer and Helpore charges Helpers no fee. You can create your free Helper profile and record your services, area and availability. Creating a profile does not guarantee work or an immediate request. Read about Helpore for Helpers.
FAQ
Do I still get paid when the household cancels my shift?
If the household cancels agreed work while you are ready and able to do it, wages generally remain due under Article 324 of the Swiss Code of Obligations. The amount can be adjusted for expenses saved, replacement earnings and earnings deliberately forgone.
Can the household call the cancelled shift my holiday?
The household being away does not automatically turn agreed work into your annual leave. Check whether leave was properly arranged for those dates. Leave timing is set with regard to your wishes and the household's needs and should be planned sufficiently in advance.
Must I make cancelled hours up later?
Generally no when Article 324 applies. Agreed work that the household prevented does not normally have to be performed later. You can agree on future work, but a new date does not automatically replace wages already owed for the cancelled shift.
What if I arrive and the household sends me home?
Record when you arrived, the hours agreed, the reason given and any time you actually worked. If you were ready and able to complete the agreed shift, Article 324 can apply to the time the household did not accept, subject to the usual adjustments.
What if the shift was never confirmed?
A possible future shift that neither side accepted is different from agreed work, so this article cannot promise wages for it. If you have worked a regular pattern, check the contract, rota, messages and payslips before assuming that no hours were committed.
What should I keep as proof of a cancelled shift?
Keep the contract, rota, messages agreeing the work, the cancellation, any arrival or access record, your reply confirming availability, time records and the payslip. A written record helps, but an oral employment agreement can also be valid.
What can I do if the cancelled time is not paid?
Ask the household in writing how the agreed time was recorded and paid. If the answer remains unclear, use SECO's official directory of cantonal legal advice services or seek qualified advice. Individual wage disputes are decided by the civil courts.
Official sources
- Swiss Code of Obligations, Articles 320, 324 and 362
- Federal Supreme Court judgment on offering agreed work after employer refusal
- Federal Supreme Court judgment on agreed assignments and work called in by the employer
- SECO guidance on annual leave
- SECO guidance on termination
- SECO employment law contacts and cantonal advice directory