Sources and method – Employees

These 15 topic pages are based primarily on statutory texts (gesetze-im-internet.de) and on publications by the BMAS (Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), the Federal Government and specialist press coverage of the labour law reforms announced in 2026. The "Sources" field of each topic page gives the specific references.

Why some topics give two legal positions: current law and announced reform

In summer 2026 the Federal Government announced several reforms of labour law – including on fixed-term contracts without objective reason, sick notes and working-time recording. However, a decision of the coalition committee or a ministry draft bill is not a law that has been passed. The information on the current legal position on these pages relies solely on law that is actually in force; announced changes that have not yet been decided are expressly marked as such separately on the pages concerned and are not mixed with current law.

Sources

1. Gesetze im Internet (gesetze-im-internet.de), Federal Ministry of Justice and Federal Office of Justice, retrieved September 2026: consolidated versions of BGB, KSchG, TzBfG, NachwG, GewO, EFZG, BUrlG, MiLoG, ArbZG, ArbSchG, SGB III, SGB V, SGB VII, BetrVG, AGG, ArbGG, ZPO, BerHG. Basis for all sections cited in the text.
2. Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs), press release „Mindestlohn steigt zum 1. Januar 2026 auf 13,90 Euro“ (minimum wage rises to €13.90 on 1 January 2026) and information on the Minimum Wage Commission (bmas.de), retrieved September 2026. Basis for the amount and date of the 2026/2027 minimum wage increases.
3. Bundesregierung.de, news items „Mindestlohn zum 1. Januar gestiegen“ and „Bezugsdauer von Kurzarbeitergeld“, retrieved September 2026. Basis for the extension of the short-time work benefit period in 2026.
4. Bird & Bird, „Koalitionsausschuss Juli 2026 – Arbeitsrechtliche Kernpunkte des Reformpakets im Überblick“ (twobirds.com), retrieved September 2026. Basis for the presentation of the announced, not yet passed reform of fixed-term contracts without objective reason.
5. Deutsches Ärzteblatt, „Koalitionsausschuss: Abschaffung der Telefon-AU und Krankschreibung ab erstem Tag geplant“ (aerzteblatt.de), retrieved September 2026. Basis for the presentation of the announced, not yet passed reform of the sick-note requirement.
6. Coverage of the ministry draft bill (Referentenentwurf) on the Working Time Act, including energieundrecht.com and der-paritaetische.de, retrieved September 2026. Basis for classifying the working-time recording act as a still unfinished ministry draft without a cabinet decision.

Where information is expressly marked as uncertain

For some points, no direct official primary source could be found or cross-checked with full certainty during research, or the points concern changes to the law that were announced politically but not yet passed. This applies in particular to:

• The announced extension of fixed-term contracts without objective reason under § 14 TzBfG to up to 48 months (coalition committee of 2 July 2026) is, as of these pages, a political decision of the coalition leaders, not a law that has been passed. The final wording, exact transitional rules and entry into force are still pending (see Employment contract and fixed term).
• The announced requirement for a sick note from the first day of illness and the abolition of sick notes by telephone (coalition committee, July 2026) are likewise not yet law; according to available sources, passage is not expected until the end of 2026 (see Continued pay during illness).
• A possible working-time recording act existed, as of these pages, only as an internal ministry draft of the BMAS (June 2026) without a cabinet decision; whether and in what form it becomes law is open (see Working time and overtime).
• The ordinance that entered into force on 1 January 2026 extending the short-time work benefit period to up to 24 months is the Fourth Ordinance on the Benefit Period for Short-Time Work Benefit (Vierte Verordnung über die Bezugsdauer für das Kurzarbeitergeld) (BMAS, cabinet decision November 2025); whether the extension continues beyond 31 December 2026 could not be conclusively clarified as of these pages (see Short-time work and short-time work benefit).
• The monthly earnings limit for mini-jobs for 2026 could not be verified against a clear official primary source in this research and is therefore deliberately not stated in figures on the topic pages (see Pay, minimum wage and back pay).
• The exact scope of the allocation of the burden of presentation and proof for the grade "satisfactory" (befriedigend) in an employment reference (following a 2014 BAG decision) continues to be assessed differently in the specialist literature (see Employment reference).

In all of these cases, the relevant topic page expressly names the uncertainty or the lack of legal status, rather than presenting a statement as the established, current legal position.

What this platform does – and does not do

• Figures, deadlines, amounts and legal bases come from the sources named. Nothing has been added that is not supported there. Where a statement could not be reliably verified or concerns only an announcement and not yet a law, this is stated on the page in question instead of guessing.
• Announced legal reforms (fixed-term contracts, sick notes, working-time recording) are clearly separated from current law and marked as "not yet in force".
• Labour law is also changing independently of these reform plans; courts will still have to clarify some questions. The information does not replace legal advice in individual cases.
• Deadlines are often short and run from receipt or knowledge. If in doubt, contact an advice centre, the works council or a lawyer straight away – see Advice and points of contact.