Germany PEO Solutions

A written contract is the most common type of contract in Germany. However, written agreements are not mandatory for employment for an indefinite period. Nevertheless, employers should provide contracts in Germany. 

Some of the details typically mentioned in the written contract include: 

• Work classification and a brief job description 
• Salary, bonuses, and any other extra payments 
• Work hours, annual leave, and termination notice periods 
• Reference to collective bargaining and other agreements 
• and more 

The different types of employment relationships are: 

• Permanent Employment – Unless specified in the employment contract, employment in Germany is deemed indefinite. 
• Fixed-Term Contracts – Per German law, fixed-term contracts should not exceed two years and four years for new businesses. Employers can renew fixed-term agreements up to 4 times (including the first contract), provided the total period does not exceed two years. 
• Temporary Employment – Temporary employees in Germany can be hired through an agency for a maximum of 18 months, according to the amended Temporary Employment Act.  

Probationary Period

In Germany, a probationary period typically lasts up to 6 months, and either party may terminate the relationship with two weeks’ notice. 

Work/Time Regulations

The Hours of Work Act states that work hours may extend up to a maximum of 10 hours per day if an employee does not exceed an average of 8 hours per working day over six calendar months. 

Leaves

Employees in Germany are entitled to the following leaves: 

• Annual leave – Per the Federal Holiday Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz), employees who work six days a week are allowed at least 24 working days of leave. The paid vacation period varies with age for young workers. 
• Maternity leave – Per the Federal Parents Education and Parent Allowance Act, employees are allowed up to 3 years of parental leave for their natural or adopted child and care for a newborn until they become three years of age. Both parents can claim this at the same time or separately. 
• Sick leave – The Sick Pay Act (Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz) governs sick pay leave, and employees get paid sick leave of 6 weeks for each illness that causes them to be unable to work. 
• Parental leave – Per the Federal Parents Education and Parent Allowance Act, employees are allowed up to 3 years of parental leave for their natural or adopted child and care for a newborn until they become three years of age. Both parents can claim this at the same time or separately. 
• Family-related leave – Per the amended Family Nursing Care Statute, taking part­-time family nursing care leave does not necessitate the employer’s approval. 

Public Holidays

The following are the statutory national holidays observed in Germany: 

• January 1 – New Year’s Day 
• April 2 – Good Friday 
• April 5 – Easter Monday 
• May 1 – May Day 
• May 13 – Ascension Day 
• May 24 – Whit Monday 
• October 3 – Day of German Unity 
• December 25 – Christmas Day 
• December 26 – Boxing Day 

Benefits

The Social Security Code VI (SGB VI) has the primary regulations for statutory pensions. In addition, the Company Pension Act (BetrAVG) is the principal applicable law for occupational pension schemes. 

Social insurance, often known as social welfare, is a government-mandated insurance program that provides financial help to the elderly, disabled, injured, and unemployed.

Some examples of social insurance programs are: 

• Dependents’/Survivors Benefit – The pension amount is a proportion of the deceased spouse/partner’s full statutory pension and is determined by the surviving spouse’s income. Dependent children are entitled to an orphan’s pension until 18 years and can be extended until 27 if they are still studying. 
• Life and Disability Insurance/Benefit – Victims of work-related accidents or illnesses are entitled to occupational accident insurance injury compensation until they can work and receive payment. 
• Unemployment Insurance – An employee is entitled to receive unemployment benefits if a job was held for a minimum of 12 months in the previous three years before the unemployment. 

Termination

The German Civil Code governs the termination of an employment contract, which states that an employee may terminate the employment relationship with a 4-week statutory notice effective on the 15th or the end of a calendar month. If the employer wants to conclude the employment contract, the notice period varies per the length of the employment connection. 

Visa/ Work Permits 

Germany is part of the Schengen Borders Agreement, together with 25 other European countries. 

There are typically two categories of visas: 

• Short-term stays (Schengen visa) – Short-term visas are for stays of up to 90 days, and people are not permitted to work. Generally, these visas are not extendable. Individuals will often require a visa that is valid throughout the Schengen area. 
• Long-term stays – Long-term visas are for individuals who plan to stay for more than 90 days or plan to work. 

Citizens of the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Canada, the United States of America, Switzerland, Israel, New Zealand, and Australia can apply for a work permit after entering Germany without a visa. Citizens of other countries must apply for and get a work permit from their home country before entering the country. 

For Non-EU Nationals, there are three types of work-related residence permits: 

• Specialist professional 
• General employment 
• Self-employed

Accounting 

Accounting standards must adhere to German commercial Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). It is necessary to prepare annual financial reports. Taxpayers must retain their books in Germany, though electronic bookkeeping is transferred abroad with the tax authorities’ prior authorization. 

Taxes 

Corporate Tax 

The standard corporate tax rate is 15%. 

Value Added Tax (VAT) 

The standard VAT rate in Germany is 19%. It applies to most goods and services. 

There is also a reduced rate of 7% for some goods and services. 

Filing Dates  

Typically, the tax return must be filed electronically by July 31, following the tax year. 

For a non-resident entity (NRE), also called a payroll registration, the employer cannot legally withhold tax, and the employee has to file themselves.

Penalties 

Penalties for late filing (up to 0.25% of the tax due, at a minimum of EUR 25 and a maximum of EUR 25,000 for each commenced month of delay) and late payment of assessed taxes (1% on the outstanding rounded-down tax amount per month or part thereof). 

The Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulate the collection and use of personal data. 

The German Criminal Code, Sections 331-338, regulates the bribery of public officials (Vorteilsannahme, Bestechlichkeit, Vorteilsgewährung, and Bestechung). Penalties (for individuals and legal entities) include imprisonment up to 3 years, a monetary fine, criminal penalties imposed on the company and officials, and confiscation of the received benefits.

With our Global PEO/Employer of Record services, companies can expand into Germany and hire their employees without having to establish a branch office or subsidiary in Germany.

• Your candidate is hired via our Germany PEO. If needed, we can also help you find the right talent in any country with our comprehensive global staffing services.
• Your new employee begins work quickly as we take care of employment contracts, statutory and non-statutory benefits, and running their payroll – all in full compliance with Germany laws.
• Global PEO Services experts manage all day-to-day operational issues such as employee expenses, and severance/termination if required.
• With no contractor risks, pass on the compliance burden to Global PEO Services.

Spin Off/M&A Support

• Ensure continuity of payroll, benefits and HR support when acquiring or spinning off a business with employees overseas.

24/7 Support in 150+ Countries

• Empower your teams with 24/7 support and a single point-of-contact model in which experienced client services directors are in continuous communication with information and advice.
• We are backed by a mix of 300+ multidisciplinary experts from HR, Payroll, Finance, Tax, and Legal domains who are ready to respond to the expected and unexpected needs of your business on the shortest notice.

Easy Visibility into Your Employee Time & Attendance and Benefits Data
With our Global PEO, you get access to Mihi, our proprietary SaaS solution for time and attendance, vacation, leave management, and benefits enrollment and management. Mihi enables clients to have easy access to employee data in real-time. It is designed specifically for companies with a global workforce, especially when working in multiple countries with a low headcount.

Ready for Growth When You Are
When ready, we can seamlessly transition you from the PEO/EOR model to your own legal entity and provide ongoing international HR, finance, legal, compliance, and staffing support. Learn more about our end-to-end international expansion services.