US employment law for German companies: how it differs from German law
US employment law compared with Germany: at-will instead of dismissal protection, holiday, sick pay, discrimination rules and state-by-state differences.
Employing people in the US: guides for German employers
All guides on employing people in the US for German companies: employment law, termination, holiday, payroll, contractor classification and postings.
US employment rules differ from German ones in structure, not only in detail: employment is generally at will, many duties sit at state level, and the federal floor is lower than German readers expect. These guides take the German employer's point of view and start from the law, then move through payroll, classification and the choice of hiring model.
Start with the comparison with German law if the rules are new to you, with the hiring guide if you already know you will hire, and with the topic pages for a specific question.
Guides in this topic
Hiring in the US from Germany: guide for German companies
How German companies hire in the US: choose the state first, then payroll, Form I-9, postings, contractor classification and EOR options compared.
Posting employees to the US: D/USA 101 and the 60-month rule
Sending staff from Germany to the US: certificate D/USA 101, the 60-month pension-insurance rule, and what the agreement does not cover, in practice.
Terminating employees in the US: at-will, final pay, WARN Act
How terminations work in the US: at-will in practice, final pay by state, separation agreements and the WARN Act for mass layoffs, for German employers.
US payroll for German companies: registrations and duties
US payroll for German employers: EIN, Forms 941 and 940, FUTA, state registration, workers' compensation, plus when an EOR can replace direct payroll.
Vacation and holidays in the US: what employers should check
Is there statutory holiday in the US? Check the federal baseline, state leave rules, holidays, sick days and the terms employers need to define.
W-2 vs 1099: US employee or contractor classification
W-2 employee or 1099 contractor in the US: IRS, Department of Labor and state tests, the cost of misclassification and alternatives such as an EOR.
Hiring employees abroad: employee, contractor or EOR?
How to hire employees abroad from Switzerland, Germany or Austria: employee vs contractor vs Employer of Record, with cost fields and when an EOR fits.