The Employment Contract: 12 Things to Check Before You Sign

As of October 2, 2026. An employment contract is not a grand document. It is one page listing the conditions of your job, and five minutes of reading before signing is enough. Skip those five minutes and you will pay for it for months.

The law sets out what an employment contract must state. You do not need to read everything — just go through these 12 in order.

1. Pay — is the number and the breakdown right?

• Is the monthly or hourly wage written as a number? (a verbal promise is not enough)
• The components: what the base pay is and which allowances are added on top
• How and when it is paid: which day each month, by what method

It is surprisingly common for the figure in the contract to differ from what was said at the interview. The contract is what counts.

2. Scheduled working hours — how many a day and a week?

How many hours a day, how many a week. "9 to 6" alone does not settle it: whether lunch counts as working time changes the actual total.

Weekly holiday rules apply at 15 hours or more a week. That part is covered separately in the post on the weekly holiday allowance.

3. Holidays and breaks

• What the weekly rest day is (or whether it is fixed as "one paid day off per week" and the like)
• Whether breaks within working hours are guaranteed

4. Annual leave

How annual leave accrues, and whether the company has its own rules. If the company's rules are better than the legal minimum, those apply. The conditions under which unused leave turns into money are covered in the post on annual leave pay.

5. Workplace and duties

Where you work and what you do. If it says something broad like "headquarters and any place designated by the company", it may mean you will be asked to travel.

6. Term of contract

• Whether the term is open-ended, or if it is fixed, until when
• If you are on a fixed-term contract, it can convert to open-ended after two years
• Whether there is a probationary period — and pay must be given during it

7. Deductions from pay

Statutory deductions such as the four social insurances and income tax, and whether the company subtracts anything of its own choosing. A deduction that works against the employee requires that employee's written consent.

8. Unfavorable changes — what the company may change later

Check whether the company can cut your pay or extend your hours unilaterally. Changing working conditions to the worker's disadvantage requires the individual worker's consent. A clause saying only "we may change this for company reasons" is not enough.

9. Severance pay and retirement pension

Whether there is a severance clause, and whether the company has a retirement pension (DB/DC). Severance is set by law and does not disappear just because the contract is silent, but knowing the company's settlement method in advance saves trouble later.

10. Bonus — fixed or variable

Whether it is paid on a fixed schedule each year, or varies with performance. That distinction comes back later in average wage and severance calculations.

11. Overtime, night and holiday work

How overtime is recognized and how it is paid. If the contract says "all-inclusive wages", you need to check concretely which hours that covers.

12. Get the written contract — keep your copy

Once you have signed, the procedure includes receiving a copy for yourself. The law requires the employer to give the worker the contract in writing.

• If the company says "the original stays with us" → ask for at least a copy
• A contract received by email or message also works as evidence later

The checklist

#	Item	What to look for
1	Pay	Is the figure, breakdown and payday written down
2	Scheduled hours	Hours per day and per week
3	Holidays and breaks	Weekly rest day and guaranteed breaks
4	Annual leave	How it accrues and company rules
5	Workplace and duties	Where you actually work and on what
6	Term	Open-ended or fixed; probation
7	Deductions	Anything beyond the statutory deductions
8	Unfavorable change clause	Any unilateral change right
9	Severance	Type of severance / retirement pension
10	Bonus	Fixed or variable
11	Overtime	Overtime pay rules and all-inclusive scope
12	Written copy	Keep your own copy

If checking all twelve before signing is too much, look at 1, 2 and 12. Pay, hours, and a copy in your own keeping — those three are the skeleton of the contract.

Reading the contract is not a sign of distrust toward the company. It is the minimum courtesy to yourself so that you do not have to argue later.