Dismissed: asking for the reasons
Does my employer have to tell me why I am dismissed?
What the law says
- Within one month of being notified of your dismissal, you can ask for the reasons by registered letter (Art. L. 124-5).
- The employer must answer by registered letter within one month, giving precise, real and serious reasons (Art. L. 124-5).
- Without a written answer in that time, the dismissal is unfair (abusif) (Art. L. 124-5).
- If you do not ask for the reasons, you can still prove by any means that the dismissal is unfair (Art. L. 124-5).
Watch out for
- The one month to ask runs from the notification: write the date down (Art. L. 124-5).
Who can help
Official source : Code du travail (version du 26.7.2026) · Checked on 21.10.2026