Swiss household employment
Probezeit: the probation period
Also written: Probezeit · Temps d'essai · Periodo di prova
What is the probation period?
The probation period is the opening stretch of an employment during which either side can end it at short notice. The federal standard contract sets only the wage: the length of probation and its notice come from your canton's standard contract for household work and, where it has no rule, from the Code of Obligations. In writing, probation can be shortened, waived or extended to at most 3 months.
What it means if you employ someone at home
During probation either you or the person you employ can end the employment at short notice; the table shows the notice in your canton. After probation, the ordinary notice periods in the table apply. In Bern, notice to end a fixed-term contract requires a written agreement allowing it. In Basel-Stadt, a written clause is required for ordinary termination after probation. Absence through illness, accident or a statutory duty extends probation by the corresponding period.
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The numbers
Probation and its notice in each canton, and the Code of Obligations where the canton has no rule:
| Canton | Probation | Notice during probation | Notice after probation | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where the canton has no rule | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Zurich | 1 month | 3 days, on any day | 1 month in every year of service, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 17 Abs. 2, 18 Abs. 1 |
| Bern1 | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 3, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 4, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 3, 8, 9, 10 |
| Lucerne | 4 weeks | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §2, §27 |
| Uri | 4 weeks | 3 days, on any day | 2 months in service years 1 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| Schwyz | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §3, §19 Abs. 2 (Art. 335 ff. OR)Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Obwalden | 2 weeks | 3 working days from the notice | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months from service year 2, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 3 Abs. 2, 4 Abs. 1 |
| Nidwalden | 4 weeks | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §4, §27, §28 Abs. 2 (Art. 335 ff. OR) |
| Glarus | 1 month | 3 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 3, 18, 19 |
| Zug | 4 weeks | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §2, §3, §4 Abs. 1 (Art. 335 ff. OR) |
| Fribourg | 2 months | 7 days, to the end of a working week | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 18, 19 |
| Solothurn | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §23, §24, §38Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Basel-Stadt | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §12, §13, §50Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Basel-Landschaft | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §1, §24, §25Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Schaffhausen | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §37, §59Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 1 month | 3 days, to the end of a working week | 2 months in service years 1 to 5, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 6, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 3, 34, 35 |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden | 1 month | 5 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months from service year 2, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 24, 25 |
| St. Gallen | 1 month | 3 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months from service year 2, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2 Abs. 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Grisons | 2 weeks | 3 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 20, 21 |
| Aargau | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §2, §23 (§41 fixed term only)Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Thurgau | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months from service year 2, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract §2, §19, §20 |
| Ticino | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service years 1 to 5, to the end of a month; 2 months from service year 6, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 1, 8, 9 |
| Vaud2 | 2 months | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in every year of service, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 5, 6 |
| Valais | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 5, 6Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Neuchâtel | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 1, 2, 17, 18Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Geneva | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 9, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 10, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 2, 22, 23Code of Obligations OR Art. 335a, 335b, 335c, 360 (Stand 01.01.2026) |
| Jura | 1 month | 7 days, on any day | 1 month in service year 1, to the end of a month; 2 months in service years 2 to 5, to the end of a month; 3 months from service year 6, to the end of a month | Canton standard contract Art. 3, 7, 8 |
- Bern: for a contract of 4 months or less, probation is 2 weeks.
- Vaud: if the person you employ lives in a flat you provide, notice after probation is 2 months instead.
Sources: the Code of Obligations and each canton's standard contract for household work, linked in the table.
Code of Obligations, official textCommon questions
Can we agree to six months of probation?
No. The statutory maximum is 3 months (Art. 335b(2) CO). A longer agreement is reduced to 3 months.
Is probation extended if the person I employ is ill?
Yes. If they are absent during probation because of illness, accident or a statutory duty, probation is extended by the corresponding period (Art. 335b(3) CO).
What notice period applies during probation in Zurich?
3 days without another written agreement (Art. 17(2) NAV ZH). Under the Code of Obligations it is 7 days; the table shows the notice in every other canton.
Does probation restart if the hours change?
No. It runs from the start of the employment relationship, not from a later change to it.