Notice counts from the day your Helper receives it. For the employment to end on 31 December 2026, she must receive it by Saturday 31 October 2026 if you owe 2 months, or by 30 November 2026 if you owe 1 month.
As the household, you are your Helper's employer, and giving notice is part of that role. This post covers an open ended employment. A fixed term employment ends on the day you agreed.
How long is the notice period?
Your written contract comes first, within the limits of the Code of Obligations. If it says nothing, your canton's standard contract for household work applies. Where your canton has no rule of its own, the Code of Obligations applies. The period is always the same for you and for your Helper (Art. 335a).
The Code of Obligations sets these periods (Art. 335b and 335c, consolidated version of 1 October 2026):
- 7 days during probation, ending on any day. Probation is the first month unless you agreed otherwise.
- 1 month in the 1st year of service.
- 2 months from the 2nd to the 9th year.
- 3 months from the 10th year.
After probation, notice ends at the end of a month, unless your canton's standard contract says otherwise.
9 cantons depart from the periods after probation, and in St. Gallen and Vaud the periods depend on your Helper's situation. Zurich keeps 1 month in every year of service. In Vaud it is 1 month, but 2 months for a Helper who lives in an apartment you provide. Uri and Appenzell Ausserrhoden already ask for 2 months in the 1st year. In St. Gallen, a Helper who works for you regular hours, half days or days gets 1 month at any time, not to the end of a month (cantonal standard contracts for household work, consulted on 21 October 2026).
Our study of all 26 cantons compares them by year of service. The guide lists each canton's periods under notice period and probation.
The day that counts is the day she receives it
Notice runs from the day your Helper receives it, not from the day you decide, write or post it (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO, FAQ on notice, consulted on 21 October 2026). For the employment to end on 31 December 2026:
- With 1 month of notice, she must receive it by 30 November 2026.
- With 2 months, she must receive it by Saturday 31 October 2026.
- With 3 months, an end in 2026 is no longer possible: the last day was 30 September 2026. Notice she receives by 31 October 2026 ends the employment on 31 January 2027 at the earliest.
In Lucerne, the notice must reach her by the last working day of the month before the notice period starts. For an end on 31 December with 2 months, that is the last working day of October. Whether that means a general working day or her own last working day is not settled. The cantonal labour office answers it.
Two ways to make sure she receives it in time:
- Hand her the letter and ask her to sign a copy with the day she received it. The notice counts on that day. If she will not sign, ask a witness to be there and send the letter by post as well.
- If you send it by registered post and she is not at home, the letter waits at the post office. It may count only when the 7 day collection period ends. For the 31 October deadline, the post must therefore try to deliver it at least 7 days before (SECO, as above). For the 30 November deadline, allow the same 7 days.
A letter that reaches her later moves the end to a later month.
In writing, and with reasons if she asks
The Code of Obligations requires no form. The standard contracts of Bern, Glarus, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau and Geneva require notice in writing. Neuchâtel requires it for a Helper who lives in your home.
In every canton, a letter is how you prove the date:
- Name the last day of the employment.
- Sign the letter.
- Ask your Helper to sign a copy with the day she received it.
If she asks for your reasons, you give them in writing (Art. 335 para. 2).
When you cannot give notice
After probation, you cannot give notice while your Helper cannot work through an illness or accident that is not her fault. This lasts 30 days in her first year of service, 90 days from the second to the fifth year and 180 days from the sixth (Art. 336c).
- Notice you give during that time is void.
- Notice you gave before it pauses. It continues once the period is over and moves to the next month end.
Pregnancy and the time after the birth are protected as well. Our post on sick pay explains the protection in detail.
Notice for a reason the law calls abusive can cost compensation of up to six months' wages (Art. 336a). One example is a personal characteristic that has nothing to do with the work. To claim it, your Helper objects in writing before the notice period ends. She then brings a claim within 180 days after the employment ends (Art. 336b).
The last month
Your Helper works and is paid as usual until the last day. Then come the final wage and payslip, the salary certificate and the deregistration of the employment. The guide on changing employer walks through each step. Your Helper can also ask you for a reference letter at any time (Art. 330a).
If you use Helpore Admin or Helpore Admin Light and give notice, Helpore prepares the final documents. With Helpore Admin, Helpore also prepares the deregistration with the compensation office. With Helpore Admin Light, you deregister the employment yourself, as the employer, with the compensation office, the accident insurer and any other office you registered it with.
“Notice ends the work of someone who has looked after your home. She should know her last day clearly, and early. Decide that day first, then work back to the day she must have the letter in her hands.”
Gilberto de la Fuente, Director at Helpore
Frequently asked questions
By when must my cleaner receive notice to leave on 31 December 2026?
By Saturday 31 October 2026 if you owe 2 months of notice, and by 30 November 2026 if you owe 1 month. Notice counts from the day she receives it, not the day you write or post it. With 3 months, the last day was 30 September 2026, so an end in 2026 is no longer possible. Notice she receives by 31 October 2026 ends the employment on 31 January 2027 at the earliest. Your written contract sets the period first. If it says nothing, your canton's standard contract for household work applies, and otherwise the Code of Obligations: 1 month in the 1st year of service, 2 months from the 2nd to the 9th year and 3 months from the 10th.
Is a registered letter enough?
Only if it arrives in time. If your Helper is not at home, the letter waits at the post office and may count only when the 7 day collection period ends. For the 31 October deadline, the post must therefore try to deliver it at least 7 days before (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO, FAQ on notice, consulted on 21 October 2026). A letter you hand to her against a signed receipt counts on the day you hand it over.
How do I give notice to my cleaner in writing?
Write a letter that names the last day of the employment, sign it and ask your Helper to sign a copy with the day she received it. The standard contracts of Bern, Glarus, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Aargau and Geneva require notice in writing, and Neuchâtel does for a Helper who lives in. In every canton, the signed copy is how you prove the date.
Can I give notice while my Helper is ill?
Not after probation, for a period set by Art. 336c of the Code of Obligations that grows with the year of service. Notice given during that time is void. Notice given before it pauses and continues afterwards.
Related: Employment contract for a cleaner · Sick pay for Helpers · Changing employer · Notice period · Probation