> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.samesystem.dev/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.samesystem.dev/business-guides/employee-lifecycle-management/terminate-employees.md).

# Terminate employees

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** Users can also be removed using **API v1**. However, for user and contract integrations, we strongly recommend using **API v2**, and this guide therefore describes user terminations using API v2 only.

If you need to delete users using API v1, please refer to the [**API v1 OpenAPI specification**](https://docs.samesystem.dev/api-v1-reference/) for the available endpoint, request parameters, and data model.
{% endhint %}

When an employee leaves the company, the recommended approach is to terminate the employment rather than delete the user.

Termination preserves the employee and their historical data in SameSystem while ensuring that the employee no longer has access after the termination date. This also makes it possible to rehire the employee later.

Several termination scenarios are supported:

* **Employee leaving with a known end date**\
  Terminate the employment by setting an end date. The employee can continue using SameSystem until the employment ends.
* **Removal of a future termination**\
  If a planned termination is cancelled before the end date, the termination can be removed and the employee will continue on the existing contract.
* **Cancellation of a future hire**\
  If an employment is cancelled before the employee starts, the appropriate action depends on whether the user and contract have already been created.

### Termination vs. deletion

Termination and deletion serve different purposes and should not be used interchangeably.

**Termination is recommended for employees who have been employed**\
It preserves schedules, logs, files, contracts, and other historical information and allows the employee to be rehired later.

**Deletion permanently removes the user and associated data**\
It should therefore only be used when the user should not have been created, when permanent removal is explicitly required or if a future hire is cancelled.

When a user is deleted through the API, the user is immediately disabled and scheduled for permanent deletion after **24 hours**. During this period, the user can still be restored.

> **Important:** If a future employee has been created without a contract, the user remains in draft status and cannot be terminated. If the user should be completely removed, deletion can be used instead.
>
> If the employee already has a future contract, terminating it will result in at least a one-day contract because the first contract cannot be removed. If the employment should never have existed and there are no other contracts, deleting the user may therefore be the more appropriate option.

The following guides describe each termination scenario and the required API actions in more detail.


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters:

```
GET https://docs.samesystem.dev/business-guides/employee-lifecycle-management/terminate-employees.md?ask=<question>&goal=<user_goal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.