Configuring rate cards

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.

Creating a new rate card

1. Go to Settings → Rate cards.
2. Click Add card.
3. Enter a name (e.g. "Standard hospitality DE").
4. In the editor, set weekday × time window × percentage.
5. Save with Create.

Sample card for hospitality

Weekday	Time window	Surcharge
Mon–Fri	20:00–06:00	25% (night)
Sat	00:00–24:00	25% (Saturday)
Sun	00:00–24:00	50% (Sunday)
Public holiday	00:00–24:00	100% (public holiday)
Dec 24 from 14:00	14:00–24:00	100% (Christmas Eve)
Dec 31 from 14:00	14:00–24:00	100% (New Year's Eve)

How overlaps are handled

When multiple rules apply to one hour (e.g. Sunday night), the higher surcharge is applied by default — not both added together. You can switch this behavior to cumulative per card if your collective agreement provides for it.

Tax exemption (§ 3b EStG)

Shiftdesk automatically marks which surcharges are exempt from tax and social security contributions under § 3b EStG (e.g. Sunday up to 50%, public holiday up to 125%, night up to 25%). This information feeds into payroll and the DATEV mapping.

Assigning a card

• Per contract type: Store it as defaultratecard in the contract type — it then applies to all employees of that type.
• Per employee: Override it in the employee profile under Contract → Custom rate card.

Testing cards

Via Calculate preview, you can enter a sample week and immediately see how the surcharges apply. This way you avoid surprises at the end of the month.