They ensure that the fruit and vegetable shelves are full and are an important support for many farmers – for example when cutting asparagus, picking strawberries or during the autumn harvest: harvest helpers. Some come from Germany, many of them come from abroad. But how are you insured? To whom does the employer have to pay contributions? The Deutsche Rentenversicherung Baden-Württemberg provides information on this.
Short term employment
Seasonal workers are usually employed on a short-term basis. This means that the employment is only exercised occasionally, for a maximum of three months or 70 working days within a calendar year. In this case, neither employers nor employees have to pay social security contributions to health, nursing care, pension and unemployment insurance. Short-term employees are to be registered with the Minijob-Zentrale. Please note: If seasonal workers are employed for longer than three months, there is a social security obligation.
These rules of German social security apply to seasonal workers from Germany and non-European countries.
What should be considered for seasonal workers from the European Union?
Persons from a member state of the European Union (EU) who are employed in their home country and work as seasonal workers in Germany remain insured in their home country. In this case, the German employer must be given the so-called “A1” certificate. This is proof that the employee is socially insured via his European home country. This avoids double payment of social security contributions. This means that the contributions for the wages paid as a seasonal worker are paid exclusively to the social insurance institution of the country of origin.
However, if seasonal workers from the EU are neither employed nor self-employed in their home country, the German social security law described above applies again.
Offer for employers – register now!
Until July 2023, DRV BW is offering seminars for employers on the topics of mini-jobs, short-term employment and seasonal workers in person. Interested employers can find dates, further information and the possibility of registering at www.drv-bw.de/arbeitgeberseminare.
Are you an employer and would you like on-site advice? Contact the free and regional company service at www.drv-bw.de/firmenservice
