Maids in Germany – Detailed Guide [2024] - Live In Germany

Finding domestic help in Germany can be hard but not preposterous. Germany is well-ranked in terms of cleanliness worldwide. This culture of cleanliness builds a tidy atmosphere in Germany, which makes the streets spotless and the homes homely. 

Managing your work life with household chores can get arduous. Chores and house tasks can consume a lot of your time, and in return makes you stressed. Tidying up your house can be hectic. You can be facilitated with ease by employing a household worker, childcare or a cleaner, to distribute this chore load. 

Getting Domestic assistance on-board in Germany can be a daunting task. This task is made manageable and easy through various domestic help service providers. Yet, many people in Germany overlook these service providers and hire maids illicitly.  According to a finding, almost 90% of ‘cleaning ladies’ are hired illegally without insurance and legal licensing. This can cause major trouble for your house if any mishaps arise.

What Domestic Help Do You Need To Hire?

You might be aware of cleaners and domestic helpers. These two vary in the field of chores, they equip themselves in.

Cleaners

In German, cleaners are known as Putzhilfe; their job includes sweeping every relevant detail in the bathroom, kitchen, and apartment squeaky clean. They perform various cleaning activities. They can come once, daily, or even periodically, for almost 2-3 hours (the working hours may also exceed the 2-3 hour range). Other activities, such as laundry, ironing or washing dishes, should be individually agreed with the cleaning help and recorded in an employment contract, for example.

Domestic workers

Domestic workers also known as Haushaltshilfe in German are responsible for the duties of laundry, cooking, doing the dishes, shopping for groceries, and even looking after your kids and pets.

These workers can enter your house with or without your availability there. You can discuss further cleaning and spectating details directly with them. With such assistance, one can easily work ahead in their busy work life without stressing about the tidiness of their house. 

Extra Services

To get some specific work done, one must hire a domestic help with certain know-how of tricky tasks.

Gardening

Getting a garden looked after is not uncommon in Germany but can be more costly. A gardener may mow the lawn, scrape the leaves and look after the plants. So, for a greener garden, make sure to save a few bills for this service of choice.

Baby Sitting

A babysitter is hired to get this job served. Babysitters provide your child with sufficient care, during their stay. The minimum cost to hire a babysitter is 12 euros per hour, which is the official minimum wage in Germany.

Laundry and Ironing

Dry cleaners (Reinigung) are appointed for this chore. They take in men’s shirts which are called bügeln, for almost 2-4 euros per piece. You can also get mangeln done at a cheaper rate, which is getting tablecloths and linens ironed. 

Despite the typical laundry smell, your clothes get scented with, these German dry cleaners provide the best quality work. These dry cleaners take in a variety of orders, from shirts to curtains and bedsheets.

Window Cleaning

Most of the time, window cleaners are appointed separately to get this task done. The allowance rate shall vary depending on the size of your house and windows. The price to get these windows squeaky clean for an apartment is almost 30 euros and for a house, it can dive into a big number of 82 euros. After getting the windows tidied, the payment is made.

Employment Of Domestic Help in Germany with quitt

An hourly wage or a fixed monthly wage can be agreed with domestic helpers. It is usual to agree on an hourly wage for less frequent work. In Germany, the obligatory minimum wage given to a worker is titled Mindestlohn, which is 12 euros per hour. The person who is hiring cannot pay less than this designated amount. This rate may also vary from location to location but in most cases, the usual rate is 13-25 euros per hour. Some households also hire workers by the month. Here, too, the minimum wage applies.

Depending on the amount of the salary, there are different forms of employment in Germany with different taxes: On the one hand, mini-jobs, which apply up to a monthly salary of €520. And on the other hand, so-called midi-jobs, which apply for a monthly salary between €520.01 and €2,000. If the salary is above €2,000, this corresponds to a conventional job with regular social security contributions. Mini- and Midi-jobs have various cost advantages. In both forms all statutory insurances, such as accident or employer’s insurance, are included.

Mini-jobs are the most common form of employment in the private household sector. Employees then – if they choose to not pay the voluntary pension contributions – have no contributions at all, so gross equals net. Employers pay almost 15% of the monthly salary in social security contributions, which are, however, almost entirely refunded with the income tax statement at the end of the year (20% of the total employer costs, up to €510 annually). Thus, the employee’s contributions are also plus/minus zero.

In the case of a Midi-job or also called sliding zone, the contributions are divided between the employee and the employer. The amount decreases (for the employer) or increases (for the employee) with the salary. The employer’s costs are then between 20% and 28%, depending on the salary level. But a Midi-job is also tax-deductible (up to €4,000 per year is reimbursed).

However, with go-quitt.de you don’t have to worry about the complex regulations. The service of quitt takes care of the correct classification of the employment, registration, administration, and accounting. Quitt even provides all the information for the tax refund at the end of the year.  

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How To Find A Maid in Germany

Various ways have been discussed to employ a maid, but first you need to find one

Look Around In Your Surroundings

Looking around at your family and friends is the most usual way of looking for a helping hand. You also could ask your neighbourhood and at schools your children for the people who are willing to help you do your house chores.

One can also access trusted housekeepers by advertising for a hiring ad in the local newspapers and noticeboards. This process is effective and a lot faster; in hardly any time assistance will be available at your doorstep.

Surfing Domestic Help Service Providers

Sometimes, finding help around can be difficult. This is where domestic help service providers recoup your day. A distinction must be made between placement platforms, which provide domestic help that can then be employed privately, and agencies, which provide a domestic helper employed by the agency or self-employed. Placement platforms should be used for long-term, trusting employment relationships. For one-time and sporadic assignments, the more expensive but faster agencies are a good option. A wide range of websites is accessible for both.

Placement Platforms

Betreut

This site is considered to be all-in-one. This provider not only delivers you with cleaning assistance but child, pet, au pairs, and elderly care and vigilance as well.

Putzperle

This website has a specialty of discovering a cleaner with specific expertise. Other than that, the format of hiring is simple and descriptive. It provides you with quick and easy help right away. 

This website can also help you hire people for laundry, ironing, window cleaning, and many more!

Agencies

Helpling

This well-known service provider offers you a professional experience. With a minimum hiring hour span of 2 hours, this site is considered to be the best source for hiring cleaners and household caretakers. The site is well organized, comprising complete details of the cleaners, and providing trust verification. 

Spic and Span

With a special facility of providing you with English-speaking helpers, Spic and Span is ready to deliver help at your service in Germany. With a starting service rate of 23.90 euros per hour, for customers to get their apartments swept once a month. Their minimum duration of hiring a cleaner is almost 2 hours. They also provide facilities for deep cleaning as well. 

Service providers have shifted to a look of convenience. With assistance at your fingertips, you can easily hire whatever service, whenever you prefer. One can lead a hassle-free chore life, with beneficial help aid like this. This facility not only turns down the hurdles of responsibilities at home but also makes your life streamline again, with effective fluency in your work life.

How Much You Should Tip in Germany?

If you hiring a maid or gardner or babysitter just for once or may once a month then giving something extra is always appreciated in Germany. Usually when you dine in then 10% Tip or Trinkgeld in Germany is expected. You can also do the same with your maid, but if you hired somebody on monthly basis and you just want to give something extra at the end of the month in a form of bonus, then it is your requirement. 

Bottom Line

Hiring a maid is not that difficult, but it is compared to other countries where maid culture is very common and quite affordable. We hoped that this guide, gave you all the info you needed to find your helper.