FAQ Workers in Germany
1. What is temporary work?
It is a flexible form of employment. An employee working on a temporary basis is formally employed by the MR JOB Temporary Employment Agency Sp. z o.o., but performs their duties at the premises of the employer with whom the Agency cooperates. This means that this form of cooperation does not directly connect workers with the end user employer.
2. Who is an end user employer?
It is the employer for whom a temporary employee carries out the work. In other words, it is the employer to whom JOB MR posts workers.
3. Who is the actual employer?
For temporary job assignments, MR JOB is the employer. A job seeker enters into a contract with the Agency. However, the tasks specified in that contract are not performed on the Agency’s premises, but for the benefit and under the guidance of another employer to whom the person is posted.
4. Is there a charge for the employment agency services?
No, MR JOB does not charge any fees or commissions from employees, neither for registration in the job seeker database, not for finding work.
5. How long do I have to wait for a job opportunity?
It is difficult to specify the waiting time. It depends on the situation on the labour market, i.e. the current demand on the part of particular end user employers. Sometimes, the persons who register with MR JOB start working immediately.
6. Does the period of employment under a temporary employment contract count towards the length of service?
Yes, just like any employment contract.
7. How long can I work in the same place?
This matter is regulated by the Act of 9 July 2003 on the employment of temporary workers and subsequent amendments to the Act. The total period during which a temporary employee performs temporary work for one end user employer cannot exceed 18 months in a period of 36 consecutive months. The employment period includes all the periods of posting a worker to the same end user employer, continuity of employment is not required.
8. Is a temporary worker entitled to holiday?
Yes, a temporary employee is entitled to 2 days’ annual leave per each month of remaining at the disposal of one user employer. The issues of annual leave and compensation for unused leave are governed by the provisions of the Act on employment of temporary workers, rather than by the provisions of the Labour Code.
9. What does the recruitment process of a temporary worker look like?
You only need to phone MR JOB. During the phone call, the jobseeker undergoes a preliminary interview, receives a job offer and learns about the conditions and rates of pay. Next, they arrange an interview at the Agency’s branch office, or the entire process is carried out remotely. Finally, they sign a temporary employment contract. The entire recruitment process takes between a few hours and one week. In order to enter into a contract us, you will need: your ID (PESEL number, ID number), NIP number (tax identification number) and the number of the bank account into which the remuneration will be paid.
10. What is the procedure of signing an employment contract with persons living outside of Legnica?
All the necessary documents related to the conclusion of an employment contract are signed remotely. A set of prepared documents is sent electronically to the Applicant who is requested to acquaint himself with their content and informed that the original copies of the documents will be delivered through a courier service. The courier delivers the documents, waits for the Applicant to sign them and takes them back to an MR JOB office.
11. What kinds of insurance are provided to a Temporary Worker?
MR JOB provides the full social insurance package (old age and disability pension, sickness and accident insurance) as well as health insurance.
12. How much can I earn when working through MR JOB?
The remuneration depends on several factors, e.g.: the jobseeker’s level of education, work experience, availability and qualifications. In accordance with the applicable law, the amount of payment which a temporary worker will receive depends on the amount of remuneration envisaged for a particular position by the end user employer.
13. Why do I sign a Polish employment contract rather than a German one, although I work in Germany?
MR JOB is a Polish employer who posts its employees to work in Germany, based on a cooperation agreement with a German Contractor.
14. Why am I required to register my residence in Germany?
Confirmation of the registered residence in Germany is necessary in order to be classified into tax class 1 by the German Tax Office. A temporary worker posted by MR JOB may fall into tax class 1 or 6. Class 1 is the most favourable for workers, that is why it is so important to register your residence.
15. Why are the taxes paid to the German Tax Office?
Since the work is carried out in the territory of Germany, the taxes are paid to the German Tax Office.
16. In what currency is the remuneration paid?
Remuneration is paid in Polish currency into a Polish zloty bank account. However, upon request from the employee, the remuneration may be paid in EURO, provided that the employee owns a foreign currency account.
17. Can I receive my remuneration on a weekly basis?
No, remuneration is paid monthly, by the 10th day of the month, for the preceding month.
18. How can I terminate the contract?
It is possible to terminate a temporary employment contract, provided that the notice period is given. The notice period depends on the period for which the employment contract has been concluded. In special cases, it is possible to terminate an employment contract by mutual agreement of the parties.
19. Should an unemployed person registered with an Employment Office inform the Office about the commencement of temporary employment?
Yes. A temporary employee must, within seven calendar days, inform the employment office about the commencement of employment.
20. Am I entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses to / from the workplace to my place of residence in the territory of Germany?
Yes, however MR JOB expects you to fulfil certain conditions. In accordance with the Ordinance of the Minister of Infrastructure of 25 March 2002 on the conditions for the determination and the method of reimbursement of costs of business-related use of private cars, motorcycles and motorbikes not constituting the employer’s property (Journal of Laws 2002, Nr. 27, item 271 with subsequent amendments, reimbursement of the costs of employee’s use of private vehicle for the purpose of travelling to work constitutes a right rather than obligation of the employer. The reimbursement amounts to PLN 0.8358/1 km for personal vehicles with a cylinder capacity above 900 cm3. The first 15 kilometres of the travel route in one direction are paid for by the employee (30 km in both directions). Reimbursement may be made for every kilometer above the 15th kilometer of the travel distance in one direction, (more than 30 km in both directions). For travel distance of less than 15 km in one direction (30 km in both directions), the employee is not entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses. The distance will be verified in accordance with maps.google. Reimbursement can be claimed for a maximum of one trip in both directions a day (from the place of residence to the place of work, and from the place of work back to the place of residence). When several people commute in the same car, only one of them is entitled to reimbursement. The person receiving the reimbursement is required to transport their coworkers who travel the same route (workers commuting to the same construction site must travel together in the same car). In a situation when several employees working at the same construction site use their own vehicles, it is mandatory to keep separate mileage records for each car, assuming that on any given day the group travels in the same car. The travel expenses will be settled based on original invoices and/or bills made out to MR JOB Temporary Employment Agency Sp. z o.o. , which must be submitted no later than by the 10th of the following month for the preceding month. Documents submitted after the specified date will not be honoured for settlements.
21. Who is posted worker? What does the posting of workers involve?
The principle of free movement of workers gives every citizen the right to move freely to another Member State in order to take up work and live in that country and protects them against discrimination as regards employment, remuneration and other working conditions, as compared with the nationals of that Member State. Free movement should be distinguished from the freedom to provide services which includes the right of companies to provide services in another Member State and to temporarily send ("post") for this purpose their employees to carry out necessary work there. Example: A Polish person goes temporarily to Germany under a contract signed in Poland with their Polish employer. Despite the fact that the work is carried out abroad, the person still works for a Polish employer. Freedom to provide services, which includes the posting of workers, allows a company established in one Member State to provide services in another MS and for this purpose temporarily move its employees to that country. In accordance with the existing Directive on the posting of workers (96/71/EC) of 1996, the posting of workers may take place in three situations: • contracting/subcontracting- companies post workers to the territory of a Member State on their own account and under their own supervision, under an agreement concluded between the posting company and the recipient of services, operating in that particular MS • transfer within a company – companies post workers to an establishment or a company belonging to the employer’s concern in the territory of a Member State • a temporary employment agency or employment agency, - companies being temporary employment agencies or employment agencies hire out workers to an undertaking established or operating in the territory of a Member State.
22. What are the rights of a posted employee?
The existing Directive 96/71/EC specifies the terms and conditions of employment in the host state which are applied to the posted worker, provided that the terms and conditions are more favourable than those in the worker’s country of origin. The terms and conditions include: • maximum work periods and minimum rest periods, • minimum paid annual holiday, • minimum rate of pay, including rate for overtime, • conditions of hiring-out of workers, in particular by temporary employment undertakings, • health and safety and hygiene at workplace, • protective measures with regard to the terms and conditions of employment of pregnant women or women who have recently given birth, of children and of young people • equality of treatment between men and women and other provisions on non-discrimination We use the term “minimum” as we usually refer to the rate of pay - the employee receives the minimum rate of pay applied in the country to which they are posted, provided that the rate of pay is higher than that in their country of origin. Example: A Polish person posted to work in Belgium receives the Belgian minimum wage (it is higher than the minimum rate of pay in Poland, i.e. it is more favourable for the employee). A Belgian person posted to work in Poland will also receive the minimum wage applied in Belgium, as it is more favourable for them than the Polish minimum wage. As can be seen above, the list includes not only the issues of remuneration, but also the work period, holiday, OHS regulations or equal treatment.
23. Who is responsible for the occupational health and safety of Temporary Workers?
It is the duty of the End User Employer to ensure safe and hygienic working conditions for Temporary Workers in the place designated for performing temporary work, which means that the End User Employer is responsible for the occupational health and safety of a Temporary Worker.
24. Does the third consecutive contract concluded with MR JOB automatically become a contract for an indefinite period of time?
No, there are no limitations on the number of contracts that can be concluded by Temporary Workers, as Temporary Workers are not covered by Article 25 of the Labour Code.
25. Which tax class do I fall into while working in Germany?
The tax law firm cooperating with MR JOB provides assistance with obtaining tax class I for tax settlements of our employees, although this is not our responsibility. An employee can individually apply for obtaining tax class in Germany. After receiving the Bescheinigung für den Lohnsteuerabzug certificate, the employee should send the document to MR JOB. Then the tax will be settled according to an appropriate tax class certified by the document. If an employee no longer works for MR JOB, they also have the right to settle their tax individually.
26. Am I entitled to a travel allowance for my stay in Germany. What happens to unused allowance, should I apply for a refund?
Employees are entitled to a travel allowance for business trips ("business trip" is defined in Article 775 § 1 of the Labour Code). An employee who goes to a place which has been specified in the employment contract as the place of performing work, does not make a business trip within the meaning of Article 775 § 1 of the Labour Code and is not entitled to an allowance.
27. Can I travel to my home in Poland once a month for which I will have repaid the costs?
The decision to travel to their home in Poland once a month is up to the employee, and there is no provision in the contract which states that the costs should be reimbursed by the employer.
28. (Polski) Jakie warunki muszę spełnić, aby być zatrudniony w Niemczech przez Państwa Agencję?
(Polski) W związku z obowiązującymi przepisami prawa oprócz niezbędnych kwalifikacji zawodowych na dane stanowisko wymagamy posiadania aktualnego ubezpieczenia ZUS. Jest to warunek konieczny przy legalnym wyjeździe za granicę z polską agencją zatrudnienia. W przypadku jego niespełnienia pracownik taki nie otrzyma poświadczonego formularza A1, dlatego tak dużą uwagę przywiązujemy do konieczności dostarczenia do nas odpowiedniego dokumentu poświadczającego podleganie ubezpieczeniu w Polsce przed podpisaniem umowy.
29. (Polski) Co to jest Formularz A1?
(Polski) Druk ten to jedyny dokument, który potwierdza legalność zatrudnienia na terenie państwa, gdzie jest się delegowanym (czyli na terenie Niemiec) oraz fakt opłacania przez pracodawcę składek na ubezpieczenie społeczne. O druk A1 występuje do ZUSu polski pracodawca. Druk A1 wystawiany jest zawsze na konkretną osobę i w przypadku zmiany miejsca pracy (zmiany zlecenia) konieczne jest wnioskowanie o nowy druk.
30. (Polski) Jakie dokumenty potwierdzają ubezpieczenie w Polsce?
(Polski) Warunkiem otrzymania poświadczonego formularza A1 jest podleganie ubezpieczeniu w Polsce przynajmniej przez 30 dni poprzedzających oddelegowanie. W konsekwencji kandydat na pracownika musi być zarejestrowany jako osoba bezrobotna w PUP lub podlegać ubezpieczeniom z innego tytułu spośród wymienionych poniżej: - ubezpieczenie społeczne z tytułu zatrudnienia lub prowadzenia działalności na własny rachunek, - ubezpieczenie społeczne w KRUS, - ubezpieczenie zdrowotne jako członek rodziny, - ubezpieczenie zdrowotne jako emeryt lub student, - zasiłek macierzyński lub urlop wychowawczy, - wynagrodzenie za czas niezdolności do pracy, - świadczenie rehabilitacyjne, - zasiłek opiekuńczy, - prawo do świadczeń rzeczowych w okresie 30 dni po ustaniu tytułu do obowiązkowego ubezpieczenia zdrowotnego.
31. (Polski) Kiedy otrzymuję formularz A1?
(Polski) Formularz A1 otrzymuje się po podpisaniu umowy o pracę oraz po rozpoczęciu pracy na terenie Niemiec. Jednak bezpośrednie otrzymanie formularza A1 uzależnione jest od Zakładu Ubezpieczeń Społecznych i trwa to od tygodnia do miesiąca czasu.
32. (Polski) Czy przysługuje mi Kindergeld?
(Polski) Tak. MR JOB oddelegowuje do pracy pracowników (obywateli Polski) do Niemiec. Podatki za pracowników płacone są na terenie Niemiec. Pracownicy są zameldowani na terenie Niemiec. Zgodnie z ww. stanem faktycznym, Pracownicy MR JOB posiadają uprawnienia do starania się o uzyskanie Kindergeld. Osoby uprawnione do uzyskania świadczenia Kindergeld ,Zgodnie z § 62 EStG, jest: -osoba, która posiada dzieci w myśl § 63 EStG (zgodnie z definicją dziećmi w ww. sensie są dzieci spokrewnione w pierwszej linii z podatnikiem oraz dzieci nad którymi sprawuje on opiekę – czyli istnieje rodzinno-podobna więź na dłuższy okres czasu – definicja legalna z ustawy. -ponadto Kindergeld przysługuje w wypadku jednego rodzica opiekującego się dzieckiem lub osoby opiekującej się wnukiem w swoim gospodarstwie domowym). -warunkiem jest, aby dzieci mieszkały lub zwyczajowo przebywały na terenie Niemiec lub Unii Europejskiej. Dla dzieci powyżej 18 roku życia obowiązują przepisy szczegółowe i zależne są one od sytuacji życiowej takiej osoby (praca, szkoła, studia, upośledzenie, obowiązek odbycia służby wojskowej lub cywilnej etc.). Osobami uprawnionymi do pozyskania Kindergeld są osoby które: -Zwyczajowo przebywają w Niemczech lub -Nie posiadają miejsca zamieszkania na terenie Niemiec ani nie przebywają zwyczajowo na terenie Niemiec, ale są czynnymi podatnikami podatku dochodowego na terenie Niemiec. Wysokość świadczenia Kindergeld Na pierwsze oraz drugie dziecko przysługuje roszczenie w wysokości 184 EUR / m-c, na trzecie 190 EUR, na czwarte i każde następne 215 EUR (§ 66 ust. 1 EStG) miesięcznie. Można złożyć wniosek o przyznanie Kindergeld na 4 lata wstecz. Jakie dokumenty należy złożyć aby otrzymać Kindergeld? W standardowych przypadkach (dziecko poniżej 18 roku życia) wypełnia się formularz KG 1 wraz z zał. „Anlage Kind”. Wniosek powinien być podpisany przez obojga rodziców, przy czym jako wnioskodawca może być podany jeden z rodziców. W wypadku, gdy rodzice nie są małżonkami należy odpowiednio uwzględnić to na wniosku. Przy pierwszym wniosku na każde z dzieci należy przedstawić oryginał (w wypadku Polski wraz z tłumaczeniem przysięgłym) aktu urodzenia dziecka. W niektórych przypadkach (uzasadnionych wątpliwościach) Familienkasse może żądać pisemnego oświadczenia rodziców o przynależności dziecka do gospodarstwa domowego. Ponadto w wypadku dzieci, które są starsze niż 18 lat lub upośledzone wymagane jest przedłożenie odpowiednich dokumentów zależnych od konkretnej sytuacji (czy się uczą, odbywają służbę wojskową, studiują etc.) Pozostałe szczegóły dotyczące technicznego wypełnienia wniosku opisane są szczegółowo na formularzu. Wniosek może być złożony także przez pełnomocnika. Co do zasady rodzice powinni sami podpisać się pod wnioskiem. Wniosek można wysłać pocztą. Każda zmiana dotycząca złożonego wniosku oraz przyznania Kindergeld musi być niezwłocznie przekazana do Familienkasse (np. powrót na stałe do Polski). W przeciwnym wypadku może to stanowić czyn karalny oraz być związane z koniecznością zwrotu nienależnie otrzymanego Kindergeld wraz z odsetkami i karą. Kwestie związane z ww. zagadnieniem prawnym reguluje na terenie Niemiec głównie niemiecka ustawa o podatku dochodowym – Einkommensteuergesetz (EStG) oraz Bundeskindergeldgesetz (BKGG). Poniższe informacje potwierdzone są uzupełniającą regulacją w BKGG. 1. Wniosek o przyznanie Kindergeld Wniosek o przyznanie Kindergeld powinien zostać złożony w Familienkasse, prowadzonej przy Bundesagentur für Arbeit (urzędzie pracy) w danym landzie (§ 67 EStG oraz § 7 ust. 3 BKGG). Właściwość miejscowa określana jest na podstawie miejsca zamieszkania wnioskodawcy lub jego zwyczajowego pobytu, bądź ewentualnie miejsca w którym wykonuje on pracę zarobkową (§ 13 BKGG). Wnioski można ściągnąć ze strony http://www.arbeitsagentur.de/nn_26666/zentraler-Content/Vordrucke/A09-Kindergeld/Publikation/Formulare-Kindergeld.html
