Here you can get help if you are not being paid the minimum wage or the industry-specific minimum wage:

If the statutory minimum wage or an industry-specific minimum wage from a generally binding collective agreement is not being paid, you can defend yourself against this. You can sue for your rights in court. Trade unions, for example, have their own legal defence with lawyers. They will help you if you are a member of the trade union. It is possible to report the employer to customs. This can mean a heavy fine for the employer. However, customs will not help you to get your wages. There is a time limit in the law of 3 years for claiming the statutory minimum wage in court.

In the case of industry-specific minimum wages, the deadline for asserting claims is set out in the generally binding collective agreements. It is set at a minimum of 6 months (Section 9 sentence 3 of the Act on Mandatory Working Conditions for Workers Posted Across Borders and for Workers Regularly Employed in Germany – AEntG).

Please note: if you are unsure whether you have been paid correctly, contact your Fair Integration advice centre! You should also seek advice beforehand in case you want to go to court.

You should always write down your working hours, because: If fewer hours are paid than you actually worked, this can lead to a breach of the statutory minimum wage. It is therefore important that you always write down the hours you work. Your documentation of the hours helps you to prove how many hours you worked and then claim the correct wage.