What do you need?
Read your contract in full before you sign. What matters is not only pay and start date, but also working hours, holiday, probation period, notice and any additional rules.
- 👤 Employer and employee
- 🧑🔧 Job and place of work
- 📅 Start and, if any, fixed term
- 🕒 Working hours and overtime
- 💶 Salary and special payments
- ⏳ Probation period
- 🏖️ Holiday
- 📩 Notice periods
- 🤝 Reference to a collective agreement
- 🏢 Reference to works agreements
Do other rules apply as well?
A contract can refer to a collective agreement or a works agreement. Those can regulate pay, working time, holiday or supplements in more detail.
- If your contract refers to them, ask the employer or the works council where you can read the rules.
Terms on this page
Tap a word. The terms stay in German so you recognise them in letters and forms.
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs – employment law
- State of information
- September 2026
- Last checked
- 03/09/2026
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs – minimum wage
- State of information
- 2026
- Last checked
- 03/09/2026
Section 3 Federal Holiday Act – length of holiday (Gesetze im Internet)
- State of information
- September 2026
- Last checked
- 03/09/2026
Section 3 Working Hours Act – working time of employees (Gesetze im Internet)
- State of information
- September 2026
- Last checked
- 03/09/2026
MeaNext explains general rules about work in Germany. This information does not replace individual legal advice. In a specific case, your employment contract, collective agreement, works agreement and personal circumstances can be decisive.