Temporary agency work in Germany: your rights and the catches

2 min read · 8 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Many newcomers find their first job in Germany through a temporary employment agency, because agencies hire quickly and ask for less paperwork. It is legal, regulated work with full social insurance. It also usually pays less than a direct job and can mean changing workplaces often, so know the rules before you sign.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your own case, speak to an advice centre.

Step by step

1. Understand who your employer is

   You sign a contract with the agency, not with the company where you work. The agency pays your wages, your social insurance and your holiday, and it is the agency you ask for leave and call when you are sick. The client company only tells you what to do at work.

   Done

2. Insist on a written contract

   It must state the tasks, the pay, the weekly hours, the holiday and the notice period. The agency also has to give you an information leaflet from the Federal Employment Agency, which is available in many languages.

   Done

3. Check the pay

   Agency work has its own collective agreements with wage levels above the general minimum wage. Ask which pay group you are placed in and why. Compare it with the minimum wage in 2026.

   Done

4. Know the nine-month rule

   After nine months without a break in the same client company, you must be paid the same as comparable permanent staff there (equal pay). Some collective agreements stretch this to 15 months, with step-by-step rises before.

   Done

5. Know the 18-month rule

   You may be lent to the same company for at most 18 months. If you stay longer, you automatically become an employee of that company, unless you declare that you want to stay with the agency.

   Done

6. Get paid between assignments

   If the agency has no assignment for you, it must keep paying your wages. It may not make you take unpaid leave, or use up your holiday or overtime account without your agreement.

   Done

7. Check travel and overtime

   Costs for travel to assignments beyond the normal commute are usually paid by the agency. Overtime often goes into a working time account and is given back as time off. Keep your own record of hours.

   Done

8. Use it as a bridge

   Many client companies take on agency workers directly. Ask after a few months. The agency may not forbid you to change to the client, and may not charge you a fee for it.

   Done

Good to know

You have the same rights at the workplace as everyone else there: safety equipment, breaks, canteen, and protection against discrimination.

You do not have to do work that is outside what your contract describes.

Problems with pay or contract: the works council of the client company, the Faire Integration advice centres and the trade unions help, free of charge for the first two.

Related: your work contract in Germany, your German payslip explained and losing or quitting a job in Germany.

Rules, amounts and deadlines change. Check the official source named at the end before you act, and ask the office in your city, because procedures differ from town to town.

In short: The agency is your employer and pays between assignments. Written contract and leaflet. Equal pay after nine months in one company, takeover after 18 months. Keep a record of hours.