Notice period for rosters
The notice period is the lead time with which the timing of working time has to be communicated before it becomes binding.
As of:September 2026
The statutory deadline
It appears in the law only for work on demand: under section 12(3) TzBfG the person is obliged to work only if the employer tells them the timing of their working time at least four days in advance in each case.
Where the deadline is not met, no duty to work arises. Anyone who comes anyway is working voluntarily, and anyone who does not come breaches no duty.
For an ordinary roster
Here there is no statutory deadline. The limit is set by section 106 GewO: the instruction has to accord with reasonable discretion, and an assignment on the previous evening does so only in exceptional cases.
In practice periods of two to four weeks are agreed, often with an exception for cases of illness. Where a works council exists, such a rule is subject to codetermination under section 87(1) no. 2 BetrVG.
MetronHR works these figures out itself: time accounts, premiums, overtime and the limits of the German Working Hours Act, with every booking.
Changes at short notice
An assignment that has taken effect cannot be withdrawn unilaterally where the person has arranged their affairs around it. Where a shift is cancelled, section 615 BGB applies: the entitlement to pay remains, and the time may not be booked as negative hours.
That is the expensive part of short-notice planning, and it is rarely counted in.
Example: a call on Thursday
- Notification on Thursday for a deployment on Monday.
- Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday lie between notification and deployment.
- Four days are observed, so the duty to work arises.
- A notification on Friday for the Monday would be too late.
Common mistake
The cancelled shift gets booked as negative hours. Where the business cancels, it bears the risk under section 615 BGB, and the hours count as worked.
Further reading
- Section 12(3) TzBfG
- „The employee is obliged to work only if the employer tells them the timing of their working time at least four days in advance in each case.“
- Section 106 GewO, section 615 BGB, section 87(1) no. 2 BetrVG
This is not legal advice; for a specific case at your workplace you are better off asking someone qualified to give it.
Published by: AMNAU GmbH
Editorial responsibility: Ugur Aydogan, Product development.
Last reviewed: September 2026
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Related terms
Work on demand
Work on demand means the work is performed according to the volume of work arising. The employer determines the timing at short notice, and in return section 12 TzBfG protects employees with four firm rules.
Duty roster
The roster sets out who works when. Legally it is the exercise of the employer's right to give instructions on the timing of working time.
Negative hours
Negative hours are a negative balance in a working time account: the time worked is below the target time. Whether they have to be made up or can be set off depends on who caused them.