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Everyone needs a break from time to time! Luckily, Temper offers complete flexibility. You schedule your own shifts, work whenever it suits you, and take time off whenever you want. You’re not tied to anything, except, of course, the shifts you’ve already signed up for.

But how does it work with holiday pay and vacation days? That depends on the type of shift you do.

Being sick is never pleasant, especially when you can’t work but your fixed expenses continue. If you’re unable to work due to illness (temporarily or longer), it’s understandable that you want to know what applies to you financially. This depends on the shifttype.

Travel allowance helps cover the cost of getting to and from work. Whether you’re eligible depends on the shift.

Breaks are typically not paid. During the checkout you fill in your total break time and this time is not counted as part of your working hours.

Exceptions for employed shifts

Sometimes different arrangements apply. For example, for short breaks or when an employed shift falls under a CAO (collective labour agreement) that requires breaks to be paid. You can always see which CAO applies to your shift on the shift page and in your employment contract.

Check before your shift whether you need to bring your own food, as meals aren’t always provided. Sometimes the company will give you a free meal, and other times they may ask for a small contribution.

Checkout

If there’s a contribution, you can mention at checkout that you had a meal, and it’ll be deducted from your payment.

Contact the company

If you have any dietary requirements or questions, you can contact the company directly. Once you’re accepted, you’ll find the contact details on the shift page.

Only for employed shifts you may receive extra pay when working in the weekend, at night, or on public holidays.

Whether you end up earning more with employed or freelance shifts depends on the specific shift and your personal situation. Make sure you understand what each model involves, what additional costs may apply, and which guarantees you have.

Guarantees

For employed shifts, you will receive guaranteed payments on a set weekly schedule. For freelance shifts, the timing of your payment depends on your client, unless you’ve chosen DirectPay.

Gross to net

In general, you often earn slightly more gross with freelance shifts. But, keep in mind that for employed shifts, part of your pay is already withheld for things like insurance, pension, and taxes. For freelance shifts, you are responsible for setting aside a portion of your earnings for taxes, insurance, and savings for retirement.

For more details about the differences between working as a freelancer or as an employee via Temper, check out this article.

For freelance shifts, the hourly rates you see on the shift page don’t include VAT. That means an extra 21% VAT will be added on top.

VAT declaration

You’ll see the VAT amount on your invoice, but remember, you’ll need to pay it to the Belastingdienst (Tax Administration) when you submit your VAT return. It’s best to set this money aside so you’re not caught off guard once it’s time to declare your taxes.

Income tax

Also, don’t forget about income tax. Make a rough estimate of your total yearly earnings and set aside a little from each shift so you’re covered.

Once your shift is done, you can complete the checkout by filling in the exact hours you worked, including any breaks. So if you worked more than your initially scheduled shift time, you’ll get paid for all hours worked.

Employed shifts

If you worked overtime during your employed shift, those hours might be paid at a higher rate. This depends on the relevant CAO (collective labour agreement) and how many hours you worked that day.

Your overtime will be settled by Temper on your payslip.

For freelance shifts overtime surcharges do not apply.

For employed shifts, you’ll get an hourly wage. This can vary depending on the shift. The company offering the shift (hiring company) decides the hourly salary, always following the applicable CAO and minimum wage rules.

The amount you see on the shift page is an estimate of what you’ll earn. This may differ slightly in the end, for example if you work longer or qualify for an additional allowance.

What’s included in the amount you see on the shift page?

• Base wage: This can vary per shift. The hiring company sets the rate based on the CAO for their sector and the minimum wage requirements.
• Holiday pay and holiday hours: For every hour you work, you build up holiday pay (8.33%) and holiday hours. These are paid out directly and therefore included in the hourly wage shown on the shift page. They are listed separately in your contract and on your payslip.
• Allowances for irregular hours: If you work on weekends, at night, or on a public holiday, additional allowances may apply. If so, these are already included in the amount shown on the shift page. You can read more about allowances in this article.

What could be added later?

• Travel allowance: Depending on the CAO, you may receive a travel expense reimbursement. Travel allowance is not taxable income.
• Allowances we couldn’t calculate upfront: Most allowances are known in advance, like working on a public holiday. But sometimes things change, for example if you work overtime and because of that the work takes place partly at night which makes you eligible for an extra allowance.
• Bonuses: Some shifts or companies offer bonuses.

What will be deducted?

• Tax: The hourly rates shown for employed shifts are gross amounts. This means income tax will still be deducted.
• Your pension contribution: Temper pays most of the pension premium. You contribute a small amount per employed shift.

You can always check the full breakdown of your pay for a shift on your payslip.

The amounts shown on the shift page are always gross amounts. The amount you ultimately receive may differ, as this depends on the type of shift.

Tips are handled directly at the workplace. If you want to know how it works before your shift, just reach out to the company for details. There are some differences between employed and freelance shifts, read more below.

For employed shifts, you receive an hourly wage. For freelance shifts, you agree on an hourly rate with the client. How much you can earn per shift depends on a few factors.

For employed shifts, a minimum wage applies and is determined by several factors, while for freelance shifts, you set the minimum hourly rate you want to earn for yourself.

For employed shifts, you might get extra allowances depending on the collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst (cao) for your role.

Not sure if you qualify or how much you’ll get? Just check the relevant cao on the shift page or in your contract.

Types of surcharges

• Overtime: If you work beyond the standard hours set in your contract, you may be entitled to an overtime surcharge.
• Weekend work: Shifts that take place on weekends often come with additional pay to compensate for working outside regular hours.
• Night shifts: Working during nighttime hours may also qualify you for a night surcharge, reflecting the different demands of night work.
• Holiday shifts: If you work on public holidays, you might receive a surcharge as well, recognising the inconvenience of working on days typically reserved for rest.

Other allowances

Apart from surcharges or working irregular hours, you might receive travel allowance based on the relevant CAO.

No surcharges for freelance shifts

For freelance shifts, you work as an independent contractor rather than an employee. This means the rules from CAO’s don’t apply, and freelance shifts don’t include surcharges. But you’re always free to negotiate your hourly rate.

In the temporary staffing industry, such as with employed shifts, pay increases are not based on performance but on experience.

The rules for this are set out in the NBBU CAO (collective labour agreement). These rules determine when your hourly wage increases through a new wage step.

This does not apply to freelance shifts since you work them as a freelancer.

How pay scale steps work

You move to the next wage step once you have worked 52 weeks in the same role at the same company. Those weeks may have been accumulated through Temper or through another staffing agency, as long as it was the same role at the same workplace. Please note that this only applies if you previously worked through a staffing agency, not if you were employed directly by the client company.

If you previously worked for the same client company through another staffing agency and this was no more than 6 months ago, your previously worked weeks will still count. We always verify this with the client company before determining your pay scale step. Your accumulated experience resets after a break of 6 months or more.

Phase B contract

A pay scale step should not be confused with a Phase B contract.

Through Temper, you can work for a maximum of 52 weeks on a Phase A contract, potentially across multiple client companies. After that, you may become eligible for a Phase B contract. A Phase B contract runs for a longer period and includes an agreed minimum number of hours. But, this does not directly affect your hourly wage.

A Phase B contract based on previous experience with a client company is only possible if two conditions are met: the client company specifically requested that you work through Temper, and you have worked for that same client company in the same role within the last 6 months.

A wage step is separate from this. You are entitled to a higher hourly wage once you have worked for more than 52 weeks in the same role at the same company. These weeks may have been accumulated through Temper or through another staffing agency. This means you can qualify for a pay increase while still working under a Phase A contract.

How do I report my previous experience?

If you have worked for a company before and plan to work there through Temper in the same role, please contact Support. We will ask for proof of your previous work experience (such as an employment contract or payslips) and verify the number of weeks you have worked. We will then confirm this with the client company and, if applicable, apply the correct pay scale step to your future shifts.