What applies in 2027
| Cost driver or rule | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory minimum wage | €14.60 from 1 January 2027 (+5.0%) | adopted |
| Berlin and Brandenburg, pay group 1 | €15.70 from 1 January 2027 (+3.6%), generally binding | adopted |
| Berlin and Brandenburg, pay group 2 | €16.15 from 1 January 2027 (+3.9%), e.g. site security by guards who have passed the competence examination | adopted |
| North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein | Collective agreements end on 31 December 2026; wages for 2027 still open | pending |
| Most other federal states | Collective agreements run until 31 December 2027 | in force |
| Sicherheitsgewerbegesetz (Security Industry Act) | not in force, a ministerial draft bill exists; § 34a GewO (German Trade Regulation Act) and the Bewachungsverordnung (Security Guarding Ordinance) apply | Draft |
What counts for your price is the federal state where the service is performed. Where the collective agreement expires at the end of 2026, the increase for 2027 has not yet been set. If your service provider is already announcing a rate for 2027 there, agree to it only after the pay settlement, and only for the wage share.
What makes up the hourly rate
Security guarding is billed per hour of deployment. At its core is the agreed wage for the pay group, plus collectively agreed surcharges for nights, Sundays and public holidays. On top of this, the provider adds social security, absence time, training, equipment, operations management, administration, risk and profit. Ask for this breakdown to be disclosed: only the wage share follows the collective agreement.
The pay group depends on the activity and on what you require. In the generally binding collective agreement for Berlin and Brandenburg, site security without the competence examination falls into group 1, and with it into group 2. The higher group applies only if your service specification or a law requires the qualification.
Each federal state’s collective agreement sets its own surcharges. In Berlin and Brandenburg, they are 15% for night work between 10 pm and 6 am, 25% on Sundays and 50% on public holidays. If several coincide, only the highest is paid, with the night surcharge added on top.
When the competence examination is mandatory
Every security guard must be reliable and must at least provide proof of an instruction course (Unterrichtung) at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). For certain activities, § 34a(1a) GewO (German Trade Regulation Act) instead requires a competence examination (Sachkundeprüfung) passed before the chamber: for patrols in public spaces or in private premises with de facto public access, for protection against shoplifters, for admission control at nightclubs, and for supervisory roles in refugee accommodation and at large events with access control. So it is mandatory for patrols in a branch during opening hours, but not for guarding a closed warehouse at night.
Six points where security guarding contracts become too expensive
- More qualification than needed. If the service specification requires the competence examination everywhere, you pay the higher pay group even where the law does not require it. In Berlin and Brandenburg, that is €0.45 more per hour in 2027 (€16.15 instead of €15.70) before surcharges and overheads are added.
- Surcharges on the full hourly rate. The collective agreement grants surcharges on wages. If the provider applies them to the full billing rate, you also pay surcharges on administration and profit. Set out the basis and time windows for surcharges in the contract.
- Fixed posts around the clock. A post that is also staffed at night and at weekends accumulates the most surcharges. For each site, check against risk and opening hours when a post is needed and when mobile patrols with alarm and video systems are sufficient.
- Price adjustment on the full rate. Under § 1(2) no. 3 PrKG (German Price Clause Act), a wage adjustment clause is exempt from the prohibition only to the extent that wages directly determine the provider’s costs. If the entire hourly rate is adjusted, overheads and profit rise too. How a fair clause is structured.
- Agreeing before the pay settlement. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein, the collective agreement ends on 31 December 2026. A flat-rate increase for 2027 that you sign now will still apply even if the settlement turns out lower.
- Subcontractors without proof. Anyone who operates a security guarding business needs a licence under § 34a GewO, and that includes subcontractors. Specify whether subcontractors are permitted, and ask to see their licences.
Before you agree to an increase
Ask your service provider in writing:
- Which collective agreement and which pay group apply to each post?
- What is the wage share of the hourly rate, and how high are the surcharges and overheads?
- On what basis do you calculate surcharges for nights, Sundays and public holidays?
- Which posts legally require staff with the competence examination, and where do you deploy such staff only because the contract requires it?
- Do you use subcontractors, and do they hold a licence under § 34a GewO?
For the review, you need: the contract with the service specification and price sheet, the deployment schedules for each site, the invoices for the last twelve months with timesheets, and the most recent price adjustment with its justification.
How we renegotiate security guarding contracts
We have the provider disclose the hourly rate, with the agreed wage, surcharges and overheads for each post. We then check the deployment schedule for each site against opening hours and risk, the required qualification against § 34a GewO, and the price adjustment against the collective agreement at the place of deployment. Our senior negotiators negotiate large contracts in person, together with your buyer. We handle the many small contracts in a standardised, software-supported way, according to your rules. You approve every deal.
Frequently asked questions about security services
How much will security guarding costs rise in 2027?
That depends on the federal state. In Berlin and Brandenburg, the generally binding agreed wage in pay group 1 rises by 3.6% to €15.70 on 1 January 2027. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein, the collective agreements end on 31 December 2026, and wages for 2027 are still open. A collectively agreed pay increase affects your price only in proportion to the wage share of the hourly rate.
Does every security guard need to pass the competence examination?
No. As a rule, an instruction course at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) is sufficient. For certain activities, § 34a(1a) GewO (German Trade Regulation Act) requires a competence examination instead, for example for patrols in areas with de facto public access and for protection against shoplifters.
May a security company pay below the agreed rate?
Not where the collective agreement is generally binding. It then also applies to providers that are not bound by a collective agreement – in Berlin and Brandenburg, for example, retroactively from 1 January 2026. The floor everywhere is the statutory minimum wage: €14.60 from 2027.
How much extra do nights, Sundays and public holidays cost?
This is set by the collective agreement of each federal state. In Berlin and Brandenburg, the surcharge is 15% for night work from 10 pm to 6 am, 25% on Sundays and 50% on public holidays, in each case on the hourly wage. Separate rates apply to special sites such as military facilities.
Is a Sicherheitsgewerbegesetz (Security Industry Act) coming?
It is not in force. There is a ministerial draft bill from the Federal Ministry of the Interior that, among other things, provides for a security industry register to replace the current register of security guards (Bewacherregister). Until a law is passed, § 34a GewO and the Bewachungsverordnung (Security Guarding Ordinance) apply.
Sources
- Entgelttarifvertrag Sicherheitsdienstleistungen Berlin und Brandenburg (pay agreement for security services in Berlin and Brandenburg), declared generally binding on 26 May 2026 with effect from 1 January 2026
- Senatsverwaltung Berlin (Berlin Senate Department): press release of 22 July 2026 on the agreement being declared generally binding in Berlin and Brandenburg
- BDSW (German security industry association): Entgeltübersicht Sicherheitsdienste (pay overview for security services), as of 1 March 2026
- § 34a Gewerbeordnung (German Trade Regulation Act)
- Fünfte Mindestlohnanpassungsverordnung (Fifth Minimum Wage Adjustment Ordinance)
- Bundesinnenministerium (Federal Ministry of the Interior): draft bill for an act regulating the security industry, published by the BDSW
- Preisklauselgesetz (German Price Clause Act), § 1
