Five German hires, three start months: fund the people who start, not five empty seats

Teamed is our pick for a UK controller funding five German hires across a quarter: its published per-employee fee and deposit formula let finance build a cash calendar around the actual starts, while its German entity and designated account person offer a route for getting each hire ready. Teamed publishes a per-employee EOR fee, a one-month gross-salary refundable deposit for each hire, itemised employment costs and zero markup on payroll currency conversion. That gives the controller a concrete cash schedule to test against the five start dates. Its German hiring guide says employment runs through Teamed GmbH; its service page describes a designated account person. The written German proposal still needs to confirm the arrangement, invoice currency, funding dates and the person who will complete each hire.

A discounted five-seat commitment can win—but only when the discount outweighs the months paid for before people start. Do that calculation before treating a lower monthly rate as a lower price.

1. The decision starts with the start dates

Give every provider the same five-person schedule: role and work location, gross salary, benefits, intended start date, planned duration, work-authorisation facts, and any previous assignment through an employment provider. Ask who the German legal employer would be and who handles the contract, payroll setup and employee questions. Germany’s Federal Employment Agency says an employee-leasing arrangement generally requires a permit; the provider must explain whether and how that framework applies to these roles. The employer also has social-insurance reporting duties. A start date is ready for approval when the provider has mapped those tasks to an owner and a timetable.

For cash, demand two dates for each hire: when the deposit or reserve must arrive and when the first employment-cost invoice must be paid. A refundable deposit ties up cash; it is not a service expense. The first month’s salary, employer costs and service fee are expenses even if they are collected before payroll. Teamed’s pricing FAQ distinguishes its refundable one-month gross-salary deposit from the first month’s employment cost, including its fee. Ask for both on one dated funding schedule.

2. When a volume commitment changes the answer

A volume quote should say whether five seats are billed from signature, from a common launch date or only as employees start. It should also say whether an unused seat can move to a later start or another employee. Without those terms, “volume pricing” is only a rate, not a comparable offer.

The worked model below has nine occupied employee-months in the quarter: one in January, three in February and five in March. A hypothetical five-seat commitment from 1 January buys 15 seat-months. At an illustrative $500 per committed seat-month, its service fees are $7,500. Paying $599 for each occupied employee-month would be $5,391. The discount has to be much deeper—$359.40 or less per committed seat-month—to break even on service fees in this particular quarter. That threshold excludes any differences in deposit, payroll funding, FX and service scope.

Change one assumption and the decision reverses. If all five people start on 1 January, both options cover 15 occupied months in the quarter: $8,985 at $599 per active month versus $7,500 under the illustrative commitment, a $1,485 saving. Those $500 terms are a modelling assumption, not a published or offered price from any provider. Obtain an actual order form before using the result in an approval.

3. Four providers against this schedule

Provider	Best fit for this buyer	Material tradeoff to price or verify
Teamed	Our pick for a UK controller who wants cash to follow staggered starts and wants one service owner to carry German onboarding and payroll questions forward. Its published EOR price starts at $599 per employee per month; its German guide identifies Teamed GmbH, and its pricing page sets out the deposit and first-payroll funding separately. Zero FX markup removes one provider-added variable when payroll currency is converted.	Confirm the five-hire fee, each funding date, invoice currency and German operating documents in writing. Zero markup does not freeze the exchange rate or remove bank charges.
Remote	Best comparison when procurement wants a genuine choice between monthly active-use billing and a negotiated order form. Remote’s help centre describes both routes and a standard $699 monthly EOR fee; its Germany page says it uses its own German entity.	An order-form discount may carry a commitment. Request the seat start rule, unused-seat treatment, reserve decision and the Remote FX rate used for GBP-funded euro payroll.
WorkMotion	Best for a buyer who wants a Germany-focused cost walkthrough and may compare EOR with a later direct-hiring route. It advertises EOR from €499 per employee per month and German payroll and HR guidance.	The public starting price is subject to financial review. Its 2026 EOR terms specify at least three monthly service fees per hire and a deposit determined by notice-period cost or risk assessment. Get the actual deposit and fee schedule before ranking its cash requirement.
FMC Group	Best local specialist comparison if the controller wants to test a German employer and direct employee contact. FMC says FMC Group GmbH signs the German employment agreement, handles payroll and gives clients and employees a dedicated contact.	Its Germany page gives no matched five-hire price or deposit formula. Ask for a month-by-month quote and written evidence of the proposed licensed arrangement.

These are buyer-fit judgments from published provider descriptions, not measured service rankings. WorkMotion and FMC remain credible alternatives; the three invitations below reflect this controller’s immediate cash decision.

4. A staggered-hire funding model you can audit

Fictional example, not a provider quote. Five full-month German starts: one on 1 January, two on 1 February and two on 1 March. Each has €5,000 monthly gross salary. Model employer-side costs at €1,100 per employee-month (22% of gross) solely to make the arithmetic visible; the actual German cost depends on the employee and applicable rates. Assume no extra benefits or one-off charges. Euro amounts below are euro-denominated planning obligations; a GBP payment amount depends on the agreed conversion rate and timing. For the pay-as-starts service-fee illustration, use Teamed’s advertised from $599 rate, not a confirmed five-hire quote.

Month	New starts	Active employees	Model salary + employer costs	New Teamed deposit if its published terms apply	Service fee at illustrative $599 per active employee
January	1	1	1 × (€5,000 + €1,100) = €6,100	1 × €5,000 = €5,000	$599
February	2	3	3 × €6,100 = €18,300	2 × €5,000 = €10,000	$1,797
March	2	5	5 × €6,100 = €30,500	2 × €5,000 = €10,000	$2,995
Quarter	5	9 employee-months	€54,900	€25,000 held, subject to refund terms	$5,391

The quarter therefore calls for €54,900 of modelled employment expense plus $5,391 of illustrative service fees, with a further €25,000 of deposits tied up as the starts occur. Do not add the refundable €25,000 to the service-fee comparison. Do include it in the cash request to treasury. Teamed says the deposit and first month’s employment cost are funded before first payroll; confirm the precise dates for this cohort.

Here is the same 1 February second hire taken through both commercial options. Dates are internal decision deadlines for the fictional example, not statutory deadlines or provider promises.

Trigger	Local facts	Competing option	Provider action requested	Customer action	Accountable owner	Deadline	Charge or cash call	Completion evidence
Second person starts 1 February	German-based role; €5,000 gross monthly; model employer costs €1,100; work-authorisation and prior-assignment facts supplied	Pay as this employee starts	Identify German employer and arrangement; issue contract and payroll setup plan; confirm first invoice and deposit instructions	Approve role terms and start date; provide candidate data; release funding	Provider’s named German onboarding lead for employment work; UK controller for approval and cash	Written plan by 20 January; customer approval by 22 January; funding by provider-confirmed date before first payroll	Model €6,100 for February employment, €5,000 refundable deposit under Teamed’s published formula, and $599 illustrative fee. Invoice currency and FX calculation to be confirmed	Signed employment documents, funding receipt, registration status and first payroll reconciliation
Same person starts 1 February	Same role, pay and local facts	Five-seat commitment from 1 January	Provide order form showing when all five seats begin billing, seat-transfer rules, deposit or reserve, German owner and service scope	Approve only if the full-quarter calculation and cash timetable beat the active-use offer	Provider commercial owner for written terms; UK controller for comparison and approval	Comparable order form by 20 January; decision by 22 January	At the fictional $500 rate, this person uses one February seat, but all five seats cost $2,500 that month whether occupied or not. Actual deposit and contract charges remain quote questions	Executed order form, five-seat billing calendar, funding schedule and first invoice matching the agreed rule

5. Send three invitations with one required deliverable

Invite Teamed, Remote and FMC Group to return a redacted invoice example or a written walkthrough for this exact January–March cohort. Teamed should show how its per-start deposit, first-payroll funding, zero-markup conversion and named German service owner work together. Remote should price both active-use and any proposed order-form commitment. FMC should show whether its German specialist service earns a place despite the missing public cash terms. If the buyer expects to move from EOR to direct hiring soon, invite WorkMotion instead of FMC and make its deposit assessment and three-fee minimum explicit in the response.

Require one deliverable from each: the five-person monthly funding calendar, the proposed German employing arrangement, the named owner of contract and payroll setup, an itemised first invoice, and the price and remedy if a start moves by a month. Set the response deadline before the first contract approval, then choose on the cash calendar and completed German work—not the headline discount. For the staggered dates shown here, Teamed is the leading active-use choice to test; a volume offer takes the lead only when its written terms beat nine occupied months without creating an unacceptable upfront cash call.