EOR Contract Amendment API
The EOR contract amendment API lets you update contract terms through a structured approval process that follows predefined compliance rules.
An amendment is a change to one or more contract terms, referred to as data points, such as employment type, job title, scope, or salary. Instead of modifying the original contract document, the amendment is issued as a separate addendum to the employment agreement. The contract entity in the database, including its ID, remains the same. Only specific values, like salary, are updated with a new effective date.
You or Deel can initiate an amendment. The process includes multiple steps and requires approval from both you and the employee. Modification and approval rules vary based on the amended data point and country-specific regulations.
Amendment flows
Amendments can be initiated by you or or by Deel. The steps an amendment goes through are different depending on who initiates it.
Scenario when you requests an amendment
Follow these steps to create and process an amendment programmatically.
- Create an amendment with the Create amendment endpoint.
- Update fields as needed with the Update amendment endpoint.
- Confirm the amendment with the Confirm amendment endpoint.
After you confirm the amendment:
- If the change is applied immediately, the API response includes the updated status.
- If the change requires approval, Deel reviews it and sends it to the employee for signing. The employee then reviews the amendment and signs it with the Sign amendment (employee) endpoint.
Scenario when Deel requests an amendment
Follow these steps to process an amendment requested by Deel.
Follow these steps to process an amendment requested by Deel.
- Deel creates an amendment.
- You review the amendment and either:
- Accept it with the Accept amendment (client) endpoint.
- Cancel, it with the Cancel amendment.
- If you accept the amendment, the employee reviews and signs it with the Sign amendment (employee) endpoint.
When does deel create amendments?
Deel may create amendments in the following cases:
- At your request. When you ask for a change that requires Deel involvement.
- To ensure compliance. When a contract update is needed to meet legal or regulatory requirements.
- For restricted changes. Some updates are only available through admin amendments due to system limitations or internal policies.
Webhook events
Webhooks are triggered at key stages of the amendment process and provide automatic updates on status changes.
Amendment types
Each amendment has a type that determines how it is processed. The type is returned in the response when creating or updating an amendment. It is based on the amendment settings and the data points being amended.
An amendment can have one of the following types:
INSTANT: Activated immediately after you confirm it. No Deel review or employee signature is required.AUTOMATED: Activated once the employee signs it. Deel review is not required.LEGALorOPS: Requires Deel review because at least one data point is set to require internal review. The difference betweenLEGALandOPSis internal only and relates to how Deel conducts the review. For example, the review may involve document preparation. After Deel completes the review, the amendment is sent to the employee for review and signature. The amendment is activated once the employee signs it.DISABLED: Contains at least one data point that is restricted from being changed by the amendment settings.CUSTOM: Manually created by a Deel admin.
LEGAL or OPS), the amendment type is set to match. Data points that would otherwise be INSTANT or AUTOMATED follow the same review and activation flow as LEGAL or OPS amendments. Examples
Example 1: Germany (instant amendment)
In this Germany example, both holidays (holiday increase) and timeOffType changes are instant. They are activated once the amendment becomes active.
The amendment type is INSTANT. In items, each data point also has INSTANT as its type:
Example 2: Greece (legal amendment)
For Greece, the same data points require Deel review because one of the items has the LEGAL type:
Retrieve contract information for amendment
To retrieve available amendment settings, you first need the contract ID. Use the List of contracts endpoint to retrieve your contracts. You can filter and sort the list to find the correct contract_id.
Use the returned contract_id in the next step.
Retrieve amendment settings
Once you have a contract ID, use it to retrieve valid amendment settings using Get Amendment validation settings endpoint. These are based on the contract and country-specific rules.
Use the contract_id path parameter to fetch available data points and rules. This returns all configurable data points and validation logic.
The validation settings endpoint accepts optional employment_state query parameter to provide more accurate validation rules based on intended state/region for the employee. Use this when you need to amend the employment_state and need validation rules specific to the new state. For example, hourly rate minimum wages can vary by state. If not provided, the current contract’s employment state is used for validation rules.
Example with query parameters
Example response
Understand how amendment settings work
The response for amendment-settings includes a list of configurable contract fields. Each field is described by a data_point object that defines how it can be changed.
Key elements:
- Each
data_pointrepresents an attribute in the contract that may be amended. - The
requiresobject defines conditions that must be met for the change to be allowed. All fields inrequiresmust match either the current contract or the amendment request. - Numeric fields include
minandmaxconstraints. possible_optionslists the allowed values for the data point.is_editableindicates if the field can be updated. If a field is not editable, the reason is not returned in the API. It may be due to country rules, amendment restrictions, or other pending amendments, for example, currency.additional_detailsmay include validation notes or business constraints.- Date fields can include
min_dateandmax_date, formatted asYYYY-MM-DD, for example,2025-06-17.
Examples of amendment rules
These examples show how the API applies rules to control when you can update specific fields.
Require a field in the contract or request
You can only apply this rule if the contract or amendment request includes contract_term: "DEFINITE".
Employment type restriction
You can set employment_type to FULL_TIME only if contract_term is INDEFINITE.
Numeric constraints
This rule allows minimum and maximum values when employment_type is FULL_TIME.
Use external validation
This rule indicates that complete validation requires calling the validate-amendment endpoint. When external_validation: true, you can either:
-
Call the validate amendment endpoint for server-side validation.
-
Skip validation entirely and let the create/update endpoints return validation errors.
Amendment effective date
The effective date is the date when the amendment becomes active. It defines when the changes take effect and when they appear in payroll, invoices, or other downstream processes.
Different amendment fields trigger different business logic. Based on what you are changing, Deel dynamically calculates a valid effective date range.
To support this flexibility, Deel exposes the Effective Date Limitations API that you need to call to retrieve the valid effective date limits for a specific amendment. This ensures that:
- Your system always works with the correct date limits.
- Deel applies the correct validations automatically based on the amendment content, helping you avoid false validations or user errors.
- You can choose to show or disable the effective date field in your UI.
- You can apply validation rules or pre-fill values based on internal workflows.
Fetching effective date limits
You must fetch the effective date limitations:
- Immediately after creating or updating an amendment.
- Before setting or submitting the effective date.
- Before confirming the amendment, if any changes were made after fetching the last effective date.
Status behavior by effective date
upcoming status do not affect payroll, invoicing, or contract terms until they are activated by Deel’s internal job on the effective date.High-level flow
The diagram below shows how the effective date influences the amendment lifecycle, from creation to activation:
UI behavior: is_hidden and is_disabled
When you fetch effective date limitations, the response includes flags that guide you in rendering the field in your UI.
Effective date validation rules
The validation logic for effective dates ensures that all amendments respect configuration limits, providing flexibility while preventing invalid data entry.
Validation runs at two points:
- On create or update. Runs when you send the effective date in the request payload.
- On confirmation. The effective date is always validated when the amendment is confirmed, regardless of its draft status.
Create a draft amendment
Create a new draft amendment by specifying the contract_id. You can include all, some, or none data points you plan to amend. This allows you to start with a basic amendment and add more details later.
OR
Update existing draft amendment
Update an existing draft amendment by including the amendment_id returned when the amendment was created. You can add additional data points, modify existing ones, or set the effective date. This endpoint allows you to build your amendment incrementally.
Amendment validation approaches
You have these options for validating amendment data points:
- Client-side validation: Use the validation rules from the amendment settings endpoint to validate fields before submission.
- Server-side validation: Use the validate amendment endpoint to validate fields before submission.
- Hybrid approach: Use client-side validation for basic fields and server-side validation for complex fields with
external_validation: true. - No pre-validation: Skip validation and let the create/update endpoints return validation errors.
The amendment submission endpoint always performs validation and returns errors, so pre-validation is optional. However, for fields with external_validation: true, you may want to validate beforehand to provide better user experience or to perform AI-job-scope checks and job categorization.
Hybrid approach
The hybrid approach combines both validation methods for optimal performance and user experience:
- Use client-side validation for fields with
external_validation: falseto provide immediate feedback. - Use server-side validation for fields with
external_validation: trueto get complete validation.
Validate amendment data points
Use the validate amendment endpoint to validate amendment data points before submission.
/validate endpoint is deprecated. Use validate amendment for new implementations.Response format
The response includes validation results with field-specific error mapping:
Error response with field mapping
When validation fails, errors include a field parameter for easy frontend integration:
Seniority ID
To amend seniority_id:
- Retrieve the list of avaialble levels using the Get Seniority List endpoint.
- Include the selected
seniority_idin your amendment request.
Effective date limitations
Follow these steps to use effective date limitations:
- Create an amendment using the Create Amendment endpoint endpoint.
- Call the Get Effective Date Limitations endpoint.
- Use the returned rules to set the effective date in the UI.
- (Optional) If required, submit the amendment with an effective date.
AI job scope check and job categorization
AI review check
- When a job title/scope amendment is created or updated, an AI review check is triggered to ensure the new job title/scope aligns with the existing job description and responsibilities.
- You can trigger the validate amendment endpoint for the AI review check to be performed before creating/updating the job title/scope amendment.
- You can submit the amendment regardless of the AI review outcome, but if the AI review fails, the amendment will be flagged for manual review by Deel’s internal team.
- You will get
ai_scope_check_public_idwhen using validate amendment endpoint if the AI review succeeds, which can be used to track the review status. - You need to send this
ai_scope_check_public_idin the amendment request so it won’t require any manual review.
- Validate job title/scope values using the validate amendment endpoint:
Response:
- Create or update amendment request using
ai_scope_check_public_id:
Job categorization with AI recommendations
- Job categorization is only available for specific countries. You can see the list of countries where job categorization is supported in the following table:
- Every time when a job title is amended, an AI job categorization is triggered to classify the new job title into a predefined job category and code.
- You can trigger the validate amendment endpoint for the AI job categorization to be performed before creating or updating the job title amendment.
- You can submit the amendment regardless of the AI job categorization outcome, but if the AI job categorization fails, the amendment will be flagged for manual review by Deel’s internal team.
- You will get
job_categorization_log_idwhen using validate amendment endpoint if the AI job categorization succeeds, which can be used to track the review status. - You will also get
job_codeandjob_categoryalong withjob_categorization_log_idin the response if the AI job categorization succeeds. - You need to send this
job_categorization_log_idandjob_codeandjob_categoryin create or update amendment request so it won’t require any manual review.
- Validate job title value using the validate amendment endpoint:
Response:
- Create or update the amendment using
job_categorization_log_id:
When you trigger the validate amendment endpoint for job title amendments:
- In countries where job categorization is supported:
- Both AI check and job categorization run.
- You must send
ai_scope_check_public_idandjob_categorization_log_idtogether withjob_codeandjob_categoryin the update amendment request to avoid manual review.
- In countries where job categorization is not supported:
- Only AI check runs.
Update amendment with both ai_scope_check_public_id and job_categorization_log_id
Use this request to update an amendment with both the AI check and job categorization identifiers:
Validation errors and disabled amendments
Amendment requests can fail if validation rules are not met. In these cases, the API returns an error response that includes details about validation errors and disabled data points.
Standard error format
All error responses have been standardized to follow a consistent format, making them easier to interpret and integrate.
If your amendment request fails validation, the API returns an error response. The response includes details about the validation errors and disabled data points.
Each response includes a code and a message field, while the field attribute remains optional. This ensures that you can reliably handle errors while still receiving additional context, when available.
Mandatory fields:
Optional fields
Common amendment error codes
Error response examples
The following examples show the different types of validation and amendment errors you may encounter.
Request validation errors
These errors occur when the request payload fails general validation checks.
General amendment errors
These errors indicate that the amendment request cannot proceed due to one or more issues.
Amendment field validation errors and disabled amendment
These errors appear when specific fields are invalid or disabled for the requested amendment.
Amendment processing failed errors
These errors occur when an amendment cannot be updated or confirmed.
Amendment statuses
Amendments pass through multiple statuses from creation to completion. These statuses are returned in an array within the API response. Check the most recent status to determine the amendment’s current state.
Amendment status structure
Amendment statuses are hierarchical, meaning they can be read at multiple levels of detail. Each status has two key properties:
- NAME → Machine-readable identifier
- FRIENDLY_NAME → Human-readable label
Draft stage
Amendments that are still being prepared and can be modified.
Preparing documents stage
Statuses related to document preparation and internal review. Documents are being created, reviewed, or paused for input before signatures can begin. No action required by you in this case, fetch the amendments to get the latest status.
Signature stage
These statuses indicate the amendment is awaiting or in the process of being signed. Either it awaits Deel countersign or waiting for client or employee signature.
Active or upcoming stage
Statuses when an amendment is in effect or scheduled for the future.
Cancelled, rejected, or void stage
Statuses for amendments that were canceled, rejected, or voided.
How to read amendment statuses
Amendment statuses are structured in a hierarchical format, where each level provides increasing detail about the amendment’s progress.
1. Parent phase
- Represents the overall stage of the amendment, for example
PREPARING_DOCUMENTS. - Indicates the broad area of progress, such as document preparation, review, or approval.
2. Sub-step
- A more specific action within the parent phase, for example
PREPARING_DOCUMENTS.AMENDMENT_REQUESTED. - Helps identify what part of the larger process is currently active.
3. Detailed checkpoint
- Provides the most detailed level of the amendment’s status, for example
PREPARING_DOCUMENTS.AMENDMENT_REQUESTED.SOW.PENDING_DOCUMENT_SUBMIT. - Clarifies the current condition of the amendment, such as pending submission, under review, or awaiting approval.
By reading an amendment status from left to right, you can move from the broad phase to the precise checkpoint, making it easy to understand exactly where the amendment stands in the process.
Why this matters
- Each nested level gives increasing detail about the amendment’s progress.
- The high-level phase always represents the current overall state of the amendment, for example
PREPARING_DOCUMENTS,ACTIVE,UPCOMING, orCANCELLED. - Sub-steps and detailed checkpoints record the lifecycle progression of the amendment. This is useful for auditing, troubleshooting, and tracking how the amendment evolved over time.
The parent status is the single source of truth for the amendment’s current state. The history should not be used to infer the current status, for example by taking the last status in the array.
Below is an example of an amendment status array from the API response. In this example:
- The amendment is in the
PREPARING_DOCUMENTSphase. - The request is logged as
PREPARING_DOCUMENTS.AMENDMENT_REQUESTED. - The amendment is waiting for Deel review (
PREPARING_DOCUMENTS.AMENDMENT_REQUESTED.SOW.PENDING_DOCUMENT_SUBMIT). Further actions are required before it can proceed.
Confirm an amendment
To confirm a draft amendment, use the contract_id and amendment_id. Only draft amendment can be confirmed.
After confirmation, the flow depends on the amendment type. If the type is instant, the amendment becomes active immediately. If it requires signatures, Deel or the employee must approve it first.
Cancel an amendment
To cancel an amendment, use the contract_id and amendment_id. You can cancel an amendment any time before the employee signs it. After cancellation, you can delete it if needed.
Download an amendment PDF
Retrieve the download URL for the Statement of Work (Employee Agreement, EA) of a confirmed amendment. The URL is available only after the amendment is confirmed and the contract is in progress.
The download URL expires after 15 minutes.
Accept an amendment
Use this endpoint to accept an amendment submitted by a Deel admin.
After acceptance, the amendment either becomes active immediately or moves to the signature step, depending on its type.
Sign an approved amendment
An employee can sign an amendment approved by both the client and admin. After signing, the amendment becomes active.
Retrieve the list of amendments
Retrieve all amendments for a specific contract.
Retrieve a specific amendment
Retrieve details of a specific amendment
Custom amendment items
Custom amendment items are used when you request changes that:
- Involve data points not supported or not available in the standard amendment flow.
- Modify general employment agreement wording for active contracts.
- Include other ad-hoc or unique change requests not covered by standard items.
Once the amendment is confirmed, these custom items are reviewed by internal Deel teams.
Lifecycle and behavior
-
Custom amendment items are part of an amendment, just like standard amendment items, and therefore follow the same overall amendment lifecycle:
created → confirmed → reviewed -
Custom items also have a separate internal lifecycle. They have their own statuses and can be approved or rejected independently of the overall amendment.
-
If an amendment includes both standard and custom items, and only the custom items are rejected, the amendment may still proceed with the standard changes.
-
Exception: If the amendment contains only custom items and they are rejected, the entire amendment will be rejected.
Custom amendment item types
If a specific data point is not available in the standard amendment flow, you can use one of the predefined custom item types to request the change. These types represent the area of the contract or employment terms you want to amend:
Use the OTHER custom amendment type for ad-hoc or unique changes that are not covered by the predefined types.
Here is a request example for custom items with amendment:
Amendment general rules and settings
Amendments follow certain global rules and configuration options. These settings define how specific data points behave across different contract types and countries.
Probation period settings
The probation_period data point supports multiple rule types and constraints, depending on the contract type and country-specific settings.
Probation period values are returned with their applicable time unit in the additional_details.time_unit field of the validation rules response. Time units can vary by country and employment type and may be DAY, WEEK, or MONTH. Always check the time_unit field to correctly interpret the min and max values for probation period.
Rule-based configuration
Set the probation period based on a rule and cap value:
Tenure-based configuration
Other configurations define probation periods based on the employee’s expected duration of employment:
Employment terms configuration
- For
INDEFINITEcontracts, the probation period must be between 90 and 180 days, regardless of whether the employment type is FULL_TIME or PART_TIME. - For
DEFINITEcontracts, the minimum probation period is 20 days. The maximum value is calculated dynamically.
Dynamic calculation for definite contracts
When the contract term is DEFINITE, the API calculates the maximum probation period using contract_duration_in_days and the country-specific rule eor_country_data.max_probation_type_for_definite.
Available rule types:
HALF_OF_CONTRACT_DURATION
- Maximum probation period is half the contract duration. Example: A 180-day contract allows up to 180 / 2 = 90 days.
ONE_QUARTER_OF_CONTRACT_DURATION
- Maximum probation period is one-quarter of the contract duration. Example: A 180-day contract allows up to 180 / 4 = 45 days.
ONE_THIRD_OF_CONTRACT_DURATION (Default)
- If no country rule is defined, the fallback is one-third of the contract duration. Example: A 180-day contract allows up to 180 / 3 = 60 days.
Cap on maximum probation period
The API may apply a cap to limit the maximum probation period, even when it uses a duration-based rule.
- If
additional_detailsincludes a cap value, the system uses the lower value between the calculated maximum and the cap. - The cap applies only when the probation period is based on:
HALF_OF_CONTRACT_DURATIONONE_QUARTER_OF_CONTRACT_DURATIONONE_THIRD_OF_CONTRACT_DURATION
Example:
If the contract duration is 180 days and the rule is HALF_OF_CONTRACT_DURATION, the calculated maximum is 90 days. However, if a cap of 60 days exists in additional_details, the maximum probation period is limited to 60 days.
This ensures that the probation period for DEFINITE contracts remains proportional to the contract length while complying with country-specific regulations and additional constraints.
probation_period settings for DEFINITE contracts only support the rule-based configurations listed above.
Notice period settings
The notice period defines how far in advance either party must give notice to end the contract. Different rules apply depending on probation and contract configuration.
additional_details.time_unit field of the validation rules response. Time units can vary by country but are typically WEEK. Always check the time_unit field to correctly interpret the min and max values for notice period. See the example rule definition below which shows "time_unit": "WEEK".Settings for notice period after probation rules
The notice_period_after_probation data point follows specific rules based on employment_type and notice_period_type.
Notice period general rules
These rules apply only when notice_period_type is set to CUSTOM.
- The
minandmaxnotice period values range from 0 to 12 weeks. - Rules vary for
FULL_TIMEandPART_TIMEemployees. - The notice period before probation must always be shorter than the notice period after probation.
Tenure-based notice period
Only notice_period_after_probation supports tenure-based rules. These rules depend on the contract duration and define different notice period values for different tenure ranges.
Example rule definition
How to create and process amendment with examples
1. Retrieve amendment settings
Response:
2. Create amendment
Response
2.1 (Optional) Update the amendment using id from the response, if needed
Response
2.2 (Optional) Use the amendment id to fetch the effective date limits. If you support it, display a calendar using the date limits and flags returned in the response
Response
2.3 Set the effective date by calling the update amendment endpoint, using the id from the response
Response
3. Confirm the amendment using the id from the response
Response
4. Wait for the amendment to be reviewed. You can monitor its status using the following endpoint
Or you can use the webhook to get the status of the amendment
To get link to download the EA document:
Response
If you want to cancel the amendments, you can fo it as long as it is not active. Use the following call:
Response
5. Once its review by Deel, the employee needs to sign it
If the amendment requires countersignature by Deel, it will be reviewed by our internal team.
Once signed, the amendment will either become active immediately or be scheduled to take effect on the specified effective date