Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (ANÜ): What the License Changes for Consultant and ESN
As of 2026-08-16
Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (ANÜ) and Scheinselbständigkeit test the same two underlying facts — Weisungsgebundenheit and Eingliederung — applied to different legal subjects: ANÜ to a formally employed worker leased by an ESN, Scheinselbständigkeit to a nominal freelancer. An ESN placing consultants under full client hierarchical direction without a license risks the full §9/§10 AÜG chain: voided contracts, a deemed direct employment relationship between the client and the worker, and fines up to €500,000 under §16 AÜG. The license itself is inexpensive — €377 for a first application, €2,060 for the unlimited-license renewal after three consecutive years — which makes holding it, where placements genuinely require client-directed integration, cheap insurance against a six-figure exposure. Two statutory limits matter for any licensed placement: the 18-month Höchstüberlassungsdauer (extendable to 24 by sector Tarifvertrag) and the §8 Equal Pay requirement, which caps Tarifvertrag pay deviation at 9 months and requires wage parity by month 15. For the individual consultant, the practical takeaway is that there is no gap between the two regimes: a genuinely subordinated arrangement either needs an ANÜ-Erlaubnis or falls into Scheinselbständigkeit — it cannot legally avoid both by choosing a label.
What you will learn
- Understand the legal mechanics behind Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (ANÜ) exposure for consultants and ESNs
- Apply Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (ANÜ) exposure for consultants and ESNs correctly to a typical German SAP engagement
- Recognize the 3-5 common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Position this compliance knowledge in client conversations and contract negotiation
Not professional advice. This module explains the Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsgesetz (AÜG) mechanics for consultants and the ESNs that place them. It is not a substitute for review by a Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht. Verified 2026-08 against gesetze-im-internet.de and Bundesagentur für Arbeit guidance.
Why ANÜ is a different legal animal from consulting
§1 Abs. 1 AÜG requires a license (Erlaubnis) for any employer who, as Verleiher, leases out its own employees (Leiharbeitnehmer) to a third party (Entleiher) for pay, where the worker is integrated into the Entleiher's work organization and subject to the Entleiher's instructions (gesetze-im-internet.de/a_g/__1.html, verified 2026-08-16). Those are the same two markers — Weisungsgebundenheit and Eingliederung — that define Scheinselbständigkeit under §7 SGB IV, applied here to a formally employed worker rather than a nominal freelancer. A genuine Dienst- or Werkvertrag consulting engagement is the structural opposite: instructions to the contractor come only from the client as principal on the "what," never from the client's line staff on the day-to-day "how," and the contractor is not embedded in the client's team structure the way ANÜ deliberately allows.
The license, its cost, and its limits
Prerequisites
- Complete M320 (Scheinselbständigkeit) first
- Review core concepts first: C065, C314
Outcomes
- Understand the legal mechanics behind Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (ANÜ) exposure
- Apply Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (ANÜ) exposure in a real German SAP engagement
- Explain the core decision points and risk map for Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (ANÜ) exposure
- Apply a repeatable due-diligence pattern in a 15-minute lab format
Full module available to members. The full module adds: the decision framework · the end-to-end scenario walkthrough · the KPI scorecard · the anti-patterns · the knowledge check · the diagrams.