In the labor courts, in the social courts, administrative courts, tax courts, commercial divisions of the regional courts (commercial judges), and, in some cases, in the criminal courts (lay judges), lay judges participate in the administration of justice with full judicial voting rights.
Pursuant to Section 15 of the Judicial Remuneration and Compensation Act (JVEG), compensation is provided for
- Necessary travel expenses (e.g., costs for public transportation, mileage allowance when using a motor vehicle)
- Expenses (e.g., per diem, lodging allowance)
- other expenses
- Loss of time
- Disruptions to household management, and
- loss of earnings
paid. The requirements for claiming compensation, as well as the amount of compensation, are governed by the relevant provisions of the JVEG.
Compensation for time lost amounts to 7 EUR per hour.
Lay judges who manage a household for several people receive, in addition to compensation for time lost, an additional compensation for household management difficulties of 17 EUR per hour. Lay judges who receive income in lieu of earnings are treated the same as employed lay judges. Compensation for part-time employees is granted for a maximum of ten hours per day, minus the number of hours corresponding to the agreed-upon regular daily working hours. Compensation is not granted to the extent that costs for a necessary substitute are reimbursed.
Additional compensation is granted for loss of earnings, calculated based on regular gross earnings, including social security contributions payable by the employer, but not exceeding 29 EUR per hour. Compensation amounts to up to 55 EUR per hour for lay judges who are called upon to serve in the same proceeding on more than 20 days or who are prevented from performing their regular gainful employment on at least six days within a 30-day period. It amounts to up to 73 EUR per hour for lay judges who are called upon for more than 50 days in the same proceeding.
A special provision applies to the compensation of commercial court judges.