Employ and run payroll with ease in

Germany
germany flag

Make employment in Germany easy. Let us handle payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and even stock options for your team in Germany, all in one easy-to-use platform.

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor ManagementPayroll
  • Capital City

    Berlin

  • Currency

    Euro (€, EUR)

  • Languages

    German

  • Population size

    83,149,300

Services available in this country:
Employer of Record ProductContractor ManagementPayroll
Brandenburg gate in berlin, germany.

Facts & Stats

Germany
  • Capital City

    Berlin

  • Currency

    Euro (€, EUR)

  • Languages

    German

  • Population size

    8,31,49,300

  • Ease of doing business

    Very easy

  • Cost of living index

    $$$$ (32 of 139 nations)

  • Payroll frequency

    Monthly

  • VAT - standard rate

    19%

  • GDP - real growth rate

    1.425% (2018 est.)

Germany (German: Deutschland), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland), is a country in Central and Western Europe. Germany is a great power with a strong economy; it has the largest economy in Europe, the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP, and the fifth-largest by PPP. As a global leader in several industrial and technological sectors, it is both the world's third-largest exporter and importer of goods.

Grow your team in Germany with Remote

Looking to employ workers in Germany? Companies hiring in Germany must either own a legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solutions provider, usually one that provides employer of record services.

Remote can employ your team in Germany on your behalf through our local legal entity in the country and handle payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance for your Germany team. You can also pay contractors now in Germany with Remote.

Risks of misclassification

Germany, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Germany may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.

Neuschwanstein castle in bavaria, germany.

Employing in Germany

Employment law in Germany is not contained under a single law. Instead it is governed by statutory regulations codified in (among other laws) the German Civil Code, then furthermore governed by various federal acts such as the Part-time and Fixed-term Work Act, Employee Leasing Act, Holidays Act, Act on Maternity Protection and the Dismissal Protection Act. Furthermore, collective labour law through codetermination, trade unions and collective bargaining plays a role.

German employment law provides strong labour conditions and protections for employees, so employing people will generally be an important investment and commitment.

Temporary agencies are popular options for more flexible workforce arrangements. For these and many other reasons, the following are only guidelines in the broadest sense, and professional legal services are recommended when employing in Germany.

Minimum Wage

The minimum hourly wage stipulate by law for 2024 is €12.41.

Payroll Cycle

For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly instalments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.

Onboarding Time

We can help you get a new employee started in Germany fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 5 working days.

Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.

For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.

Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.

9 Public holidays

Jan
Monday 1 January, 20241New Year's Day (Neujahr)
Mar
Friday 29 March, 20242Good Friday (Karfreitag)
Apr
Monday 1 April, 20243Easter Monday (Ostermontag)
May
Wednesday 1 May, 20244Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit)
Thursday 9 May, 20245Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (Christi Himmelfahrt)
Monday 20 May, 20246Pentecost Monday (Pfingstmontag)
Oct
Thursday 3 October, 20247German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit)
Dec
Wednesday 25 December, 20248First Day of Christmastide (Erster Weihnachtsfeiertag)
Thursday 26 December, 20249Second Day of Christmastide (Zweiter Weihnachtsfeiertag)

Want to see and manage all holidays? Sign up for our free HRIS!

Effortless HR in Germany: Take the Tour

Seamlessly Manage Your Workforce, from First Hire to Final Paycheck

Competitive benefits package in Germany

Remote supports our clients by offering competitive benefits packages that will help you attract and retain the best talent across the globe. Our benefits specialists have done the research on norms and requirements in each local market and have crafted packages that will allow your employees to thrive, no matter what country they call home.

Our benefits packages in Germany are tailored to fulfil the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:

  • Health Insurance

  • Dental Insurance

  • Vision Insurance

  • Mental Health Support

  • Pension or 401(K)

  • Life and Disability Insurance

Local market insights

  • In Germany, only 10%* of employers offer supplemental health insurance to their workforce. (*based on 3rd-party market research from our partners)

  • The country has a robust public health system, and while supplemental health insurance is not the norm today, it provides employees with access to a wider range of options for providers and specialists, as well as shorter wait times. Our plans also offer global coverage (excluding the US) to protect your employees when they are travelling outside their home country.

Our core benefits (which often include things like healthcare) are required in most countries where we hire. We do not require customers to offer benefits in Germany due to its strong public system and local laws that protect us (and you!) against claims of non-discriminatory hiring practices. However, we do recommend that employers in Germany offer benefits to their employees based on market standards. Note that we do not add a markup on any benefits premiums or administration costs.

If you'd like specific information about our benefits packages in Germany, start onboarding your first employee with Remote today.

For more insight into fair equity and benefits best practices, download our Global Benefits Guide and share with the rest of your hiring team.

Fair Pricing in Germany

Employer of Record

Hire and pay your global team

Starting at $599/month

for annual plans

Top features

  • Satisfaction guaranteed

  • No deposits or hidden fees

  • Zero onboarding or offboarding fees

  • Compliant equity incentives support including withholding and reporting

  • Built-in security and compliance

  • Fast onboarding (average 2-3 days)

  • Flexible, localised benefits

Contractor Management

Compliantly onboard and pay contractors

$29

per contractor/month

Top features

  • Only pay for contractors you actively work with

  • Work with contractors in 200+ countries

  • Create, edit, and sign tailored, localised contracts

  • Approve contractor invoices with one click or auto-pay

  • Transparent payments with complete visibility

Global Payroll

Consolidate your multi-country payroll

$29

per employee/month

Top features

  • Reduce costs by centralising payroll management

  • Direct support from in-house local payroll experts

  • Accurate, on-time, compliant payroll to level-up your employee experience

  • Ensure local compliance for every country

  • Tax and labour authority reporting handled for you

HRIS

Manage all of your employees in one place

Free

Top features

  • Guided onboarding and offboarding

  • Employee profile and document management

  • Time and attendance (time off and tracking)

  • Expense management and reimbursement

  • Employee self-serve on the platform and mobile app