Employment Contracts

Information on employment law and what a Hungarian employment contract should include...

An employment contract (munka szerz?dés) in Hungary should include the following information:

  • Names and addresses of the employer and employee
  • Salary
  • Job description
  • Place of work

The employer also has to inform an employee within 15 days of signing a work contract of the following: tasks related to the job, perks and bonuses, due date for salary payment, start date of employment, holidays, regulations related to the termination of the contract, and if they exist, the collective bargaining agreement, trade union representatives and the work council.

Most work contracts start with a three-month probation period (próbaid?) after which the contract is either renewed or terminated.

The Hungarian working week is 40 hours per week, with a maximum of 48 hours, and no more than 12 hours a day.

  • For further information on Hungarian labour regulations from Europa: Click here

Types of Contract

Employment contracts can be fixed-term (határozott id?re szóló munkaszerz?dés) or for an indefinite period (határozatlan id?re szóló munkaszerz?dés).

There is also a contract called an "assignment contract" (vállalkozói szerz?dés), where the person works as a sole trader and invoices the company. These workers are also known as "forced sole traders" (kényszer vállalkozók). This type of contract is much cheaper for an employer, as taxes and social security contributions are high in Hungary. The Hungarian Tax Office (NAV) has tightened conditions relating to assignment contracts due to abuse.

A fixed-term contract is used for temporary work (alkalmi munka) of a professional nature. There are also seasonal, agricultural and tourism jobs. The employer has the duty to inform the tax authorities (NAV) and pay a fixed daily fee for employing a person temporarily.

Part-time jobs (rész munka) and flexible working (rugalmas munka) are not yet widespread in Hungary.

Further Information