· Jakub Dvořák · 5 min read
JOBSON for staffing agencies in Germany: assignment period, equal pay, sector supplements and DATEV
Running an agency or branch in Germany? JOBSON now shows for every assignment how much longer a worker may stay with the client and from which day equal pay applies. It also calculates sector supplements under the GVP tariff, prepares a file for DATEV and issues e-invoices.
Monday morning at a branch in Germany. A client wants to extend three assignments. Before, the coordinator opened a spreadsheet, looked up start dates, asked about earlier assignments through other agencies and worked out when the 18 months would run out. Now she sees the last permissible day right in the assignment form, and JOBSON reminds her two weeks before months 15, 17 and 18.
In October 2026 JOBSON gained a set of features for agencies based in Germany, built around German rules. They also help agencies from other countries that run their own GmbH in Germany.
In short: for agencies in Germany, JOBSON 3 tracks the assignment period per client including earlier assignments, shows the equal pay date, calculates sector supplements (Branchenzuschläge) and the experience supplement under the GVP tariff, prepares a file for DATEV LODAS or Lohn und Gehalt and issues invoices as ZUGFeRD or XRechnung. These features apply only to agencies registered in Germany.
How do you keep track of the 18-month maximum assignment period?
In Germany an agency may assign the same worker to the same client (Entleiher) for no more than 18 consecutive months (§ 1 (1b) AÜG). Earlier assignments count, including those through other agencies, if the gap was no longer than three months. A collective agreement in the client's sector can set a different limit. For each worker and client JOBSON shows the months counted, the last permissible day and the equal pay date. You record earlier assignments on the person, and the to-do list warns at 15, 17 and 18 months, two weeks ahead each time. A later end date can only be saved by a user with the exception permission, with a reason.
When does equal pay apply, and what happens to the wage?
After nine months with the same client the worker is entitled to the pay of a comparable permanent employee (§ 8 (4) AÜG), or after 15 months under a sector supplement agreement. JOBSON reminds you four weeks ahead. You enter the comparable wage (Vergleichsentgelt) from the client on the order line. From the entitlement date the hourly wage rises to the higher of the tariff wage and the comparable wage, and the difference appears in gross pay as Equal-Pay-Ausgleich. JOBSON compares the hourly wage; it does not replace a full comparison of all pay components.
How does JOBSON calculate sector supplements and the GVP tariff?
- Sector supplements: you set the client's sector from all eleven GVP/DGB sector supplement agreements. JOBSON works out the step and the supplement from the time with the client, even when the step changes mid-month.
- GVP tariff: since 1 January 2026 the joint GVP/DGB tariff applies. JOBSON maintains the pay tables for 2026 and 2027 and calculates the experience supplement itself.
- Minimum wage: JOBSON flags wage levels below the German statutory minimum wage, today or from the next increase (EUR 14.60 per hour from 1 January 2027).
- Tariff increases: you see cost, billing rate and margin before and after the increase, raise rates in one step, or let a tariff adjustment clause raise them.
How do hours and supplements get into DATEV?
After the month is closed, payroll downloads a file with the month's movement data for DATEV LODAS or Lohn und Gehalt and imports it. You map each source to a wage type (Lohnart) of your accountant once, and missing personnel numbers or cost centres show up before the export. Invoices go to the accountant as a DATEV Buchungsstapel (EXTF). Only movement data is transferred, not employee master data, and DATEV still calculates net pay. JOBSON is not a DATEV Marketplace partner; it creates files for import. Agree the first import with your accountant.
Can JOBSON issue XRechnung and ZUGFeRD e-invoices?
Yes. Businesses in Germany must be able to receive e-invoices since 1 January 2025. They must issue them from 1 January 2027 if prior-year turnover exceeded EUR 800,000, and all businesses from 1 January 2028. In JOBSON the invoice is created from the confirmed timesheet and goes to clients in Germany as ZUGFeRD by default, or as XRechnung 3.0 with a Leitweg-ID, with the mandatory details under § 14 (4) UStG and § 35a GmbHG. Incoming ZUGFeRD and XRechnung files are read into expenses free of charge and without AI.
What else is new for agencies in Germany?
- Contracts with the client: editable templates for the Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsvertrag and the Konkretisierung, one Konkretisierung for everyone starting on the same day.
- German personal data: tax ID and pension insurance number with check digits, health insurers from the official master file.
- Applications from StepStone, Indeed and the Jobbörse via forwarded portal notifications.
- A German interface with consistent staffing terminology and a setup wizard with German steps.
- Your data is not locked in: a full export of all data as CSV and JSON, at any time and free of charge.
What does JOBSON not do?
JOBSON is a tool, not legal advice. It calculates, shows deadlines and reminds you; whether an assignment is permissible in a specific case is your decision. It calculates gross pay, not net pay. Have the contract templates checked by a lawyer before first use.
Frequently asked questions
Does this apply to agencies in other countries?
No. The assignment period and equal pay rules, the GVP tariff, sector supplements and the payroll export for DATEV are switched on only for agencies based in Germany.
How much does JOBSON cost?
EUR 39 per month for up to 3 users, EUR 99 for 4 to 10 users, EUR 5 for each additional user. All features included, no setup fee, 30 days free.
JOBSON for agencies in Germany →
