Defining contract types

Contract types are the basis for Shiftdesk correctly distinguishing between full-time, part-time, mini-job, and freelance workers. Each employee is assigned to exactly one contract type — payroll calculation, working time rules, and plus/minus hours are derived from it.

Creating a contract type

Go to Settings → Contract types.
Click Add contract type.
Fill in the fields (see table below).
Save with Create.

Important fields

Field	Description	Example value
`name`	Display name	"Full-time 40h"
`paymentbasis`	Payment basis	`hourly` or `salary`
`isminijob`	Mini-job flag (538 € limit in 2026)	`true` / `false`
`plusminusenabled`	Plus/minus hours active	`true` / `false`
`weeklyhours`	Target working time per week	`40`
`defaultratecard`	Default rate card	"Standard DE"
`defaultabsencepolicy`	Vacation/sick leave rule	"30 days full-time"

Standard contract types

Shiftdesk ships with four templates that you can adopt or adjust:

Full-time — salary or hourly, 40 h/week, plus/minus active
Part-time — hourly, individual weekly hours, plus/minus active
Mini-job — hourly, isminijob: true, automatic 538 € warning
Freelance — hourly, no plus/minus, no vacation entitlements

Mini-job specifics

With isminijob active, Shiftdesk automatically warns you as soon as the employee would exceed the 538 € limit in the current month. The calculation is based on the stored hourly wage × planned/clocked hours.

Plus/minus hours

If plusminus_enabled is active, Shiftdesk collects differences between target and actual time in a working-time account. For mini-jobs and freelancers, you usually leave this option deactivated.

Assigning employees

In the employee profile under Contract, you choose the contract type and override default values if needed (e.g. differing weekly hours).

Importing and managing public holidays

Configuring rate cards

Managing locations

Locations are the top level of your organization structure in Shiftdesk. Each location has its own address, time zone, and a country and state — these values affect clock-in/out times, reports, and the automatic public holiday import.

Configuring rate cards

Rate cards govern when and at what level employees receive surcharges on their hourly wage — for example for night, Sunday, or public holiday work. You can create any number of cards and assign them to contract types or individual employees.

Custom employee fields

The standard master data in Shiftdesk covers the most common HR requirements. If you need additional fields of your own — such as "Driver's license class", "T-shirt size", or "Date of last safety briefing" — you create them as **custom fields**.

Setting up departments and teams

Shiftdesk structures your organization into three levels: **Location → Department → Team**. This hierarchy helps you plan shifts clearly, assign permissions cleanly, and run targeted reports.

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Defining contract types