How long does it take to close a report?
There is no separate statutory deadline prescribing the number of days within which you must close a report. What is fixed, however, is the three-month period within which the reporter receives information about the assessment of the report and, if applicable, the intended follow-up actions. Closing itself — recording the outcome and closing the case file — should happen shortly after that feedback in practice, but there is no hard deadline for it in the regulations.
This does not mean that the processing time is non-binding. The three-month period runs from the moment of receipt, and you must confirm receipt within seven days. Within that timeframe, you must assess, possibly investigate, provide feedback, and put the case file in order. In practice, the last part is often the underestimated part of the processing time.
What closing actually means
Closing is more than "the report is done". It involves three things that happen in sequence: recording the assessment, informing the reporter about the outcome, and keeping the file in such a way that you can later demonstrate what was done and when. If any of these steps is left incomplete, the report remains formally open, even if nothing substantive happens anymore.
Recording in particular is often forgotten or done only afterwards, when details have already faded. A handler who updates the file only weeks after the last step runs the risk that the justification of the assessment is incomplete. This is not a legal problem in itself, but it does make it more difficult to account for what was done, for example to the works council or in the annual report.
The three-month period as a framework
The three-month period is intended for feedback to the reporter, not specifically for closing the case file. Yet in practice, this period works as a natural reference point: once the reporter has been informed, there is no reason to keep the file open unless there are still follow-up actions, such as an external investigation or a personnel measure.
When those follow-up actions take longer than the assessment itself, closing the file often gets delayed without anyone recognising it as a problem. The file then remains technically "pending", while the reporter has long since received a response. It is therefore advisable to make a clear distinction in your procedure between the assessment period and the file closure period. How these two relate to each other is set out in the knowledge base on deadlines and case handling.
Where the processing time typically gets held up in practice
In most cases, closure gets held up at one of three points. The first is waiting for an external investigation or legal advice, which means the assessment itself already takes up almost the full three months, leaving barely any time for recording and closing.
The second is unclear responsibility for the last step. If the handler thinks HR will close the file and HR thinks the handler will do it, a report sometimes remains unnecessarily open for weeks. The third is the lack of a fixed format for closure, so each report gets recorded slightly differently and comparing cases becomes difficult, for example for the annual report.
A fixed, simple routine prevents much of this delay: a brief closure form with date, outcome, and any follow-up steps, completed immediately after feedback is given. Who exactly is allowed to view that file and how the reporter's identity is protected in the process is a separate point of attention that stands apart from the deadline itself.
Recording after closure
Even after closing, documentation remains relevant. You must be able to demonstrate that the report was handled promptly and that the deadlines were met, even if this is questioned later. A processing environment that automatically tracks the seven days and three months makes this simpler than manual scheduling in a calendar or spreadsheet. How such an environment specifically monitors the deadlines can be read on the page about how the platform works.
For those who still need to determine whether the reporting obligation applies and which components are involved, it is wise to have the basics in order before looking at the closure phase. This can be done with a quick check of your situation.
Help with monitoring the deadlines
The templates for consistently closing and documenting a case, including the link to the statutory deadlines, are part of the paid section of the platform. The details of what this includes can be found clearly on the page with the subscription options.
Are you unsure whether your organization is subject to the reporting obligation, or would you like to see first how the deadlines work in your situation? Take the free check or browse through the knowledge base; both are accessible without an account and provide an immediate concrete answer.