# Your employment # Deadlines ##### Here you can find all deadlines and dates relevant to your employment.
**Request new employment / changes to employment**by the 10th of the current month
**Register for / cancel the Jobticket**by the 6th of the previous month
**Register for Urban Sports Club**by the 15th of the current month
**Salary payment**on the 28th of the current month
**Submit expense reimbursements and travel expenses from the previous year**by the end of February of the current year
**Termination of the employment contract**two weeks before the end of employment \*\*

\* If you want to start during the current month, no reimbursement for part of the month is possible. More information can be found under [Urban Sports Club](https://guide.smartde.coop/books/weitere-benefits/page/urban-sports-club-Dlz).

\*\* Please let us know as soon as possible if you want to end your employment and would also like to have your remaining budget paid out. In this case, we may need more time to discuss your situation and make the necessary calculations.

# Employment conditions You will receive an employment contract for a job at Smart. The prerequisites for this are **membership of the cooperative** and **orders that cover your employment costs**. Of course, **formal employment law conditions** must also be met. Your membership of Smart does not mean that you are automatically employed by Smart. You must actively inform Smart of your [employment request](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/your-employment/page/submit-an-employment-request-in-the-smart-portal) and [submit orders](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/order-processing/page/creating-orders). Your employment is only confirmed once you have received the employment contract from us by e-mail. ##### Requirements for employment - Ordinary residence in Germany - You must have orders that can be invoiced by Smart and that cover your employment costs. - For employment subject to social security contributions, your income must be at least €860 net on average per month. - The standard duration of a first employment contract is four months. - To be covered by health insurance through employment with Smart, the income from employment with Smart must make up the majority of your total income (if you are self-employed at the same time). Your employee's gross salary should be higher than your profit as a freelancer. - Non-EU nationals must have a valid residence permit that allows employment (gainful employment).

**Deadline** Any request regarding an employment contract must be communicated to us **by the 10th of the month**. For example, if you want be employed in February, you must let us know by February 10th.

Are you interested in a mini-job? Please read more [**here**](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/abc-of-employment/page/minijobs).

# Managing your employment # Submit an employment request in the Smart Portal ##### You'd like to be employed by Smart and you already have orders? Then go ahead and submit a new employment request in the Smart Portal.

Do you already have a contract with Smart and want to prolong it or make a change? Then read further how to [request a change](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/your-employment/page/requesting-changes).

1\) **Select the budget** for your employment. Here you can choose between the Smart eG and the Smart Bildungswerk, depending on the acitivities you are processing.

Please note that your employment request can only be confirmed if you have sufficient available budget to cover the employment costs for your first month of employment. Your available budget consists of confirmed order forms and paid invoices.

Smart eG and Smart Bildungswerk are two separate legal entities. Orders processed via one entitity can only be used to be employed by that company. If you process some orders via Smart eG and other via Smart Bildungswerk, you can request two separate employment contracts to pay out your budget.

2\) Choose the **start and end date** of your employment. 3\) Describe the **job title** as it should appear in your employment contract. 4\) Choose a **service category** that comes closest to your profession. 5\) Choose an **[employment category](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/your-employment/chapter/employment-categories)**. Here you can see the name of the employment category and the total employment costs per month. 6\) The **working hours per week** is a maximum value to guarantee the minimum wage. Make sure that you do not exceed the weekly number of hours. If your working hours per week differ, you can enter this in the comments. [![image.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/scaled-1680-/zbvimage.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/zbvimage.png) Send your employment request. You will receive a notification by e-mail as soon as we have processed your request. # View your employment and find documents ##### List of employments In the list of employments you will see all your current and past employment contracts with Smart. Please note that cancelled employment request are also listed. [![image.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/scaled-1680-/99Eimage.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/99Eimage.png) ##### View of employment and documents The details of an employment period can be opened by double clicking on the relevant line in the employment list. The overview shows the start and end date of the employment, the employment category, the profession as given in the contract and the weekly working hours. Your current contract and contract changes related to this employment can be found under **Documents**. Please choose the correct category from the drop-down list. [![image.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/scaled-1680-/5zUimage.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/5zUimage.png)

If you have several employments at Smart (e.g. at Smart eG and Smart Bildungswerk, or if you had a longer break between two jobs, you will find the relevant documents in the respective contract period in the list)

Employment contract - after you sign your employment contract it will appear here

For legal reasons the employment contract is only available in German.

Addendum - Amendments to the employment contract After the Smart confirmation of your employment change, you can find and download your addendum in the portal: [![Screenshot 2025-05-20 134028.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/scaled-1680-/VXiscreenshot-2025-05-20-134028.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/VXiscreenshot-2025-05-20-134028.png) You can upload the signed contract directly in the portal: [![Screenshot 2025-05-20 134038.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/scaled-1680-/OTgscreenshot-2025-05-20-134038.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2025-05/OTgscreenshot-2025-05-20-134038.png)
Pay slips - Monthly and yearly payslips as well as other documents related to the payroll are saved in your [Mein Smart](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/meinsmart-and-smart-guide/page/meinsmart) folder, not in the Portal. - Additionally, your monthly payslip will be e-mailed to you at the end of each month of employment.

Payslips are official documents stating your income. Please find out more under [Payroll.](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/abc-of-employment/page/payroll)

Other - Social security registrations and deregistrations - Confirmations of employment for other authorities (e.g. *Arbeitsbescheinigung*, *Entgeltbescheinigung*) - Sickness notifications - Other documents All of these documents are saved in your [Mein.Smart](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/meinsmart-and-smart-guide/page/meinsmart) folder, not in the Portal.
# Requesting changes If you would like to make changes to your employment contract, you can do so by clicking on the **"Request change"** button in the employment detail view. [![image.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/scaled-1680-/ECzimage.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/ECzimage.png) Click the checkmark in front of the respective change type to enter the desired data. Finally, you must send the form to the Smart Team by clicking the **"Send"** button. If the change is approved, you will receive your contract change ("Addendum") per e-mail. You'll also find the contract change in your [Documents](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/your-employment/page/view-your-employment-and-find-documents). You can view the adjusted changes in your budget overview immediately after confirmation. [![image.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/scaled-1680-/ZBWimage.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/ZBWimage.png) ##### You can make following requests:
Prolong employment contract or change end date Choose the new end date and you will receive an addendum to your contract after confirmation by Smart.

Please always prolong your contract via the Portal BEFORE it's end date.

Change salary / employment category

Once you have selected the category, please indicate in the **comment field** from which date the change should take effect. Please note that **changes for the current month** must be submitted **by the 10th of the month at the latest**.

You can find the employment categories here: [Employment categories](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/your-employment/chapter/employment-categories)
Register a leave If you're planning a longer leave, please let us know. Details regarding the different types of leave can be found [here](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/abc-of-employment). [![image.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/scaled-1680-/TJqimage.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2024-02/TJqimage.png)
Add special payment The special payment will be included in your next payroll, provided there is enough budget available. Special payments can include (partial) reimbursement for a Jobticket or Urban Sports Club membership, as well as overtime. Overtime is treated like regular salary, so social security contributions and taxes will be deducted according to your employment category. If you want to receive a bonus with your salary, select **“Other”**. Under **“Amount”**, enter the total amount you want to use from your budget. This amount will be added to your employment costs for the month. As social security contributions and taxes will be deducted, the resulting net salary will be lower than the amount entered. If you're adding a Jobticket or USC Membership, please let us know in the comment section when it's starting. Also, don't forget to actively request the Jobticket and USC Membership (details about how do that are right [here](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/other-benefits)). [![Screenshot 2026-09-10 160404.png](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2026-09/scaled-1680-/screenshot-2026-09-10-160404.png)](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/uploads/images/gallery/2026-09/screenshot-2026-09-10-160404.png)
Request adaptation to a previous month Did something go wrong in the past month? Maybe you selected the wrong category or were on sick leave but forgot to mention it? Let us know!
# Ending your employment If you want to terminate your contract (for example, because there is no budget or you have another job), a formal notice of termination with the following details is required: - Date of the letter (at least two weeks before the end of the desired contract end date) - Sentence "I hereby terminate my employment contract with effect from" (date: the last day of the last month of employment) - Your registration address, first and last name and membership number - Address of the cooperative: SMartDe eG **or** Smart Bildungswerk gGmbH, Wilhelmstraße 150, 10963 Berlin - Signature (digital or original) The original signed notice of termination should be sent by e-mail. The date of termination must be before the desired termination date. **Example:** The employment contract runs until March 31. The employment contract is to be terminated on February 28th. The notice of termination must be submitted two weeks before February 28th. If your employment with Smart ends, you must ensure that you continue to have health insurance yourself. If you have any questions, you can of course contact us.

**Don't have any new orders planned?** Contact us, and we'll try to find an individual solution. For example, we could reduce your salary or offer you unpaid leave.

**Do you still have any budget remaining after the payment of your last salary?** Please let us know in good time if you would like to use your full remaining budget before the end of your employment.

**Ending your employment contract does not mean terminating your membership with Smart.** We recommend keeping your membership in the cooperative so that you have the flexibility to resume your employment when you need to.

# Employment categories # Employment categories Smart eG Here you will find the salary categories that can be selected for the employment contract with **Smart eG**. If you are employed by **Smart Bildungswerk**, please refer to the [employment categories of Smart Bildungswerk](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/your-employment/page/employment-categories-smart-bildungswerk).

**\*Important**: All amounts in the table are rounded in € and refer to calculations based on the following: Year of validity 2026, tax class 1, without church tax, without child allowance, health insurance contribution 17,29% (Techniker Krankenkasse), pension insurance exemption for Minijob.

As your personal characteristics may differ from this calculation, the exact total cost of employment will be adjusted monthly in your budget. Minor differences are possible.

In the Smart Portal, you can select the employment category in the **employment form**. In the dropdown list you will be able to see the category number and the total employment costs including social security contributions and tax. #### **1. Employment categories with access to social security system** In the table below you can find further information on the **gross wage** that will be shown in your employment contract, projected **net salary** as well as the **minimum turnover** needed to finance the category.
**Cat.** **Total employment costs incl. Taxes and contributions** **Gross Wage amount in your employment contract in €** **Net sum to be transferred to your bank account\* in €** **Required monthly net turnover (Total employment costs + Smart Fee) in €**
1 776 605 601 852
2 788 615 608 866
3 877 690 660 964
4 966 765 712 1.062
5 1.061 845 768 1.166
6 1.150 920 819 1.264
7 1.245 1.000 875 1.368
8 1.334 1.075 927 1.466
9 1.424 1.150 979 1.565
10 1.516 1.228 1.033 1.666
11 1.608 1.305 1.086 1.767
12 1.697 1.380 1.138 1.865
13 1.792 1.460 1.189 1.969
14 1.881 1.535 1.231 2.067
15 1.975 1.615 1.277 2.170
16 2.065 1.690 1.317 2.269
17 2.154 1.765 1.357 2.367
18 2.249 1.845 1.400 2.471
19 2.338 1.920 1.438 2.569
20 2.427 1.995 1.475 2.667
21 2.524 2.075 1.522 2.774
22 2.616 2.150 1.566 2.875
23 2.707 2.225 1.610 2.975
24 2.804 2.305 1.657 3.081
25 3.035 2.495 1.767 3.335
26 3.266 2.685 1.877 3.589
27 3.504 2.880 1.988 3.851
28 3.735 3.070 2.096 4.104
29 3.954 3.250 2.197 4.345
30 4.203 3.455 2.310 4.619
31 4.671 3.840 2.521 5.133
32 4.866 4.000 2.608 5.347
33 5.170 4.250 2.742 5.681
34 5.474 4.500 2.874 6.015
35 5.626 4.625 2.939 6.182
36 5.778 4.750 3.004 6.349
376.082 5.000 3.133 6.684
38 6.484 5.330 3.300 7.125
39 6.603 5.428 3.350 7.256
40 6.980 5.738 3.504 7.670
41 7.146 5.880 3.578 7.853
42 7.279 6.000 3.645 8.000
43 7.648 6.332 3.827 8.404
44 8.032 6.677 4.013 8.826
45 8.151 6.784 4.069 8.957
46 8.391 7.000 4.183 9.221
47 8.653 7.236 4.305 9.509
48 8.947 7.500 4.440 9.832
49 9.174 7.703 4.544 10.081
50 9.333 7.847 4.611 10.256
51 9503 8.000 4.683 10.443
52 9.729 8.203 4.778 10.691
53 10.033 8.480 4.909 11.025
54 10.256 8.703 5.027 11.270
55 10.633 9.080 5.227 11.685
5611.053 9.500 5.450 12.146
5711.553 10.000 5.715 12.696
5814.053 12.500 7.074 15.443
5916.580 15.027 8.481 18.220
6021.553 20.000 11.251 23.685
6126.553 25.000 14.025 29.179
100 0 0 0 0
#### **2. Mini-job categories** (without access to social security insurances)

The calculations of the total costs are based on a mini-job that is exempt from pension insurance. If no exemption is desired, the net payment amount is reduced. You can find out more about exemption and mini-jobs [here](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/abc-of-employment/page/minijobs).

You can choose the mini-job category as well as set the pension insurance preference in the employment form.
**Cat.** **Total employment costs incl. Taxes and contributions** **Gross Wage amount in your employment contract in €** **Netto- sum to be transferred to your bank account\* in €** **Required monthly net turnover (Total employment costs + Smart Fee) in €**
M1 93 71 71 102
M2 131 100 100 144
M3 215 165 165 236
M4 280 215 215 308
M5 373 286 286 410
M6 467 358 358 513
M7 560 430 430 615
M8 587 450 450 645
M9 622 480 480 684
M10 678 520 520 745
M11 704 540 540 774
M12 757 580 580 832
M13 787 603 603 865
# Employment categories Smart Bildungswerk Here you will find the salary categories that can be selected for the employment contract with **Smart Bildungswerk.**

**\*Important**: All amounts in the table are rounded in € and refer to calculations based on the following: Year of validity 2026, tax class 1, without church tax, without child allowance, health insurance contribution 17,29% (Techniker Krankenkasse), pension insurance exemption for Minijob.

As your personal characteristics may differ from this calculation, the exact total cost of employment will be adjusted monthly in your budget. Minor differences are possible.

In the Smart Portal, you can select the employment category in the **employment form**. In the dropdown list you will be able to see the category number and the total employment costs including social security contributions and tax. #### **1. Employment categories with access to social security system** In the table below you can find further information on the **gross wage** that will be shown in your employment contract, projected **net salary** as well as the **minimum turnover** needed to request the category.
**Category** **Total employment costs incl. Taxes and contributions ** **Gross Wage amount in your employment contract in €** **Net- sum transferred to your bank account\* in €** **Required monthly net turnover (Total employment costs + Smart Fee) in €**
1 787 605 601 865
2 799 615 608 878
3 890 690 660 978
4 980 765 712 1.077
5 1.077 845 768 1.183
6 1.167 920 819 1.282
7 1.264 1.000 875 1.388
8 1.354 1.075 927 1.488
9 1.445 1.150 979 1.588
10 1.539 1.228 1.033 1.691
11 1.632 1.305 1.086 1.794
12 1.723 1.380 1.138 1.893
13 1.819 1.460 1.189 2.000
14 1.909 1.535 1.231 2.098
15 2.005 1.615 1.277 2.203
16 2.096 1.690 1.317 2.304
17 2.187 1.765 1.357 2.403
18 2.283 1.845 1.400 2.509
19 2.374 1.920 1.438 2.608
20 2.464 1.995 1.475 2.708
21 2.562 2.075 1.522 2.816
22 2.656 2.150 1.566 2.918
23 2.748 2.225 1.610 3.020
24 2.847 2.305 1.657 3.128
25 3.081 2.495 1.767 3.386
26 3.316 2.685 1.877 3.644
27 3.557 2.880 1.989 3.909
28 3.792 3.070 2.096 4.167
29 4.014 3.250 2.197 4.411
30 4.267 3.455 2.310 4.689
31 4.742 3.840 2.521 5.211
32 4.940 4.000 2.608 5.429
33 5.249 4.250 2.742 5.768
34 5.557 4.500 2.874 6.107
35 5.712 4.625 2.939 6.276
36 5.866 4.750 3.004 6.446
37 6.175 5.000 3.133 6.785
38 6.583 5.330 3.301 7.234
39 6.703 5.428 3.350 7.366
40 7.086 5.738 3.504 7.787
41 7.255 5.880 3.578 7.972
42 7.390 6.000 3.645 8.121
43 7.765 6.332 3.827 8.533
44 8.156 6.677 4.013 8.962
45 8.277 6.784 4.069 9.095
46 8.521 7.000 4.183 9.363
47 8.787 7.236 4.305 9.656
48 9.086 7.500 4.440 9.984
49 9.317 7.704 4.544 10.238
50 9.478 7.847 4.611 10.416
51 9.651 8.000 4.683 10.605
52 9.881 8.203 4.778 10.858
53 10.190 8.480 4.909 11.198
54 10.417 8.703 5.027 11.447
55 10.801 9.080 5.227 11.869
56 11.229 9.500 5.450 12.339
57 11.738 10.000 5.715 12.899
58 14.284 12.500 7.074 15.697
59 16.858 15.027 8.481 18.525
60 21.923 20.000 11.251 24.091
61 27.016 25.000 14.025 29.687
100 0 0 0 0
#### **2. Minijob categories** (without access to social security insurances)

The calculations of the total costs are based on a mini-job that is exempt from pension insurance. If no exemption is desired, the net payment amount is reduced. You can find out more about exemption and mini-jobs [here](https://guide.smartde.coop/en/books/abc-of-employment/page/minijobs).

You can choose the Minijob category as well as set the pension insurance preference in the employment form.
**Category** **Total employment costs incl. Taxes and contributions BW** **Gross Wage amount in your employment contract in €** **Net- sum transferred to your bank account\* in €** **Required monthly net turnover (Total employment costs + Smart Fee) in €**
M1 93 71 71 102
M2 131 100 100 144
M3 215 165 165 236
M4 280 215 215 308
M5 373 286 286 410
M6 467 358 358 513
M7 560 430 430 615
M8 587 450 450 645
M9 622 480 480 684
M10 685 520 520 745
M11 704 540 540 774
M12 760 580 580 835
M13 790 603 603 868
# Social security contributions When you are employed, social security contributions and wage tax are financed from your budget and paid to the relevant authorities by the cooperative. You are responsible for both the **employer’s and the employee’s share**. You can freely decide how much income per month to allocate to an employment arrangement based on the [employment categories](https://guide.smartde.coop/books/deine-anstellung/page/anstellungskategorien). The **social security contributions** are made up as follows:
Public health insurance14.6% plus additional contribution
Long-term care insurance3.6 - 4.2%, with/ without child
Pension insurance18.6%
Unemployment insurance2.6%
Additional employer costscontributions variable between 0.5% and 3.5%
Income tax progressive, depending on income

The basic tax-free allowance for income tax (*Grundfreibetrag*) changes every year and depends on your personal circumstances. Use the [income tax calculator](https://www.bmf-steuerrechner.de/bl/bl2024/eingabeformbl2024.xhtml) on the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance to calculate accurately how much income tax you may have to pay.

# Gross, Net and Turnover When you are employed as a member at Smart, you encounter different figures: **net salary, gross salary, employer gross, and turnover**. **Net turnover:** This is the amount Smart invoices to your clients. From this amount, the **9% Smart fee** is also deducted. What remains goes into your budget. **Employer gross (total employment costs):** Also called employment costs or total costs. This is the total amount needed to finance your employment for one month in your chosen category. This amount includes your net salary, social security contributions, and income tax. From the employer gross, a first part of the social security contributions is deducted, resulting in the gross salary. **Gross salary (employee gross):** This is the amount stated in your employment contract. It is calculated as the employer gross minus a portion of the social security contributions (at least half). From the gross salary, the second part of the social security contributions as well as the wage tax are deducted, resulting in the net salary. **Net salary (employee net):** This is the amount you receive in your bank account at the end of the month. It is calculated as the gross salary minus the remaining social security contributions and income tax. Social security contributions and income tax are paid by Smart directly to the relevant authorities.