Work & taxes · Germany

Minijobs in Germany: the 2026 rules

The earnings limit is only the first check. Ask how payroll will treat the job, where your health cover comes from and how another job changes the answer.

Fabian BeiningFinanz2Go · English finance guide

Sources checked: 26 October 2026

Start with these three checks.

Check the year

The regular monthly earnings limit is €603 in 2026.

Separate health and pension cover

A minijob does not itself give you health insurance.

Disclose your other jobs

The combined employment situation determines the classification.

What is a minijob in Germany?

A minijob with an earnings limit is a form of employment with special social-insurance rules. In 2026 the regular average monthly limit is €603, or €7,236 over a full twelve months. The Minijob-Zentrale is the official starting point for the classification. This guide covers earnings-limit minijobs; short-term employment follows a different test.

The €603 figure is an earnings ceiling for this category, not a guaranteed salary or a universal tax-free allowance. Your actual pay depends on the contract and hours. A higher hourly wage means fewer hours fit within the same limit.

These figures refer to 2026. Recheck the official limit before using this guide for a later year.

How many hours can you work?

The statutory minimum wage is €13.90 per hour in 2026, subject to the law’s exceptions. At that rate, €603 divided by €13.90 is about 43.38 hours per month. At €15 per hour, the same arithmetic gives 40.2 hours. These are planning illustrations, not permission to ignore the actual earnings assessment or working-time rules.

Ask payroll how predictable bonuses, fluctuating hours and paid absences are included. Do not assume the limit resets independently for every payslip. The official guidance allows certain unforeseeable excess earnings under specific conditions; that exception should not become the basis for scheduling regular overtime.

Why can gross pay differ from your bank payment?

Earnings-limit minijobs are generally subject to pension insurance unless an exemption applies. For an ordinary commercial minijob, the employee share is usually 3.6%; in a private household it is 13.6%. The employer’s share differs between those settings.

Illustration at €603 gross	Employee pension share	After that deduction only
Commercial minijob, 3.6%	€21.71	€581.29
Private household, 13.6%	€82.01	€520.99

The examples assume pension liability, a full month and no other employee deductions. They are not complete net-pay calculations. At low earnings, a minimum pension contribution based on €175 can change the calculation; exceptions apply, including certain other pension-insured activities. Ask payroll which rule it uses.

An exemption removes your employee pension contribution but changes the pension rights acquired. Since 1 July 2026, the official rules permit a one-time reversal of the exemption for the future, through the employer. Check the effective date and consequences with Minijob-Zentrale or DRV before deciding.

Does a minijob include health insurance?

No. The minijob itself does not create health-insurance cover. An employer’s flat-rate contribution must not be confused with membership or an individual entitlement to benefits.

Identify your separate route: for example, an insured main job, eligible family insurance, student cover or another valid arrangement. The conditions depend on your circumstances and other income. Ask your health insurer to confirm your status before relying on family or student cover. Our health-insurance guide explains the wider categories.

Is every minijob tax free?

Minijob-Zentrale explains that the employer chooses between flat-rate taxation at 2% and individual taxation using the employee’s wage-tax class, where the relevant conditions apply. “Minijob” therefore does not mean that income tax can never arise.

Before accepting the stated net amount, ask which method will be used and whether a flat-rate tax will affect your payment under the employment arrangement. Keep the answer with the first payslip. If individual taxation is used, read our tax-class guide; a withholding category alone does not establish your final annual tax liability.

Can you have a minijob alongside a full-time job?

Without an insured main job, earnings from several earnings-limit minijobs are generally added together. Two jobs paying €350 each therefore cannot each be assessed as if the other did not exist.

Alongside a main job subject to social insurance, only one earnings-limit minijob generally retains that separate treatment. A second and further minijob are normally combined with the main job and become subject to social contributions, except unemployment insurance. Tell every employer about other employment and changes in it; ask for a classification of the complete situation.

Three employment examples for 2026

These examples assume separate employers and regular earnings-limit jobs. They illustrate classification, not a full payslip or an individual decision.

Situation	What to check
Insured main job + one €300 minijob	The first earnings-limit minijob can generally retain separate minijob treatment. Confirm its pension and tax deductions with payroll.
Insured main job + €300 minijob + a later €200 minijob	The additional job is generally combined with the main job for social-insurance treatment, except unemployment insurance. The €500 total of the side jobs does not preserve two separate minijobs.
No insured main job; two minijobs paying €280 and €290	The regular total is €570, below the 2026 limit. Payroll must still assess the combined jobs; neither job by itself provides health-insurance cover.

Classification rules: Minijob-Zentrale: several jobs. Ask payroll to reassess before adding a job, changing employers or increasing regular earnings.

Which employment rights remain?

Minijobbers have employment rights, including paid annual leave and continued pay in qualifying circumstances such as illness. Minimum annual leave corresponds to at least four weeks, calculated according to regular working days. Working only a few hours on a day does not make that day disappear from the leave calculation.

Ask for the agreed working days, hourly wage, paid-leave calculation, illness-notification process and payroll contact in writing. Immigration permission and any student working restrictions are separate questions: a minijob label does not establish a right to work.

Before your first shift

Confirm the hourly wage, regular hours and expected annual earnings.
Tell payroll about every other job.
Confirm your separate health-insurance arrangement.
Ask about pension liability, exemption and the actual deductions.
Record the tax method and employment rights.
Check the first payslip against the agreement and your bank payment.

Use the budget planner with the payment you actually expect. The ordinary salary calculator is for its stated regular-employment model; do not substitute it for this minijob classification.

Common questions about minijobs

Does a €603 minijob automatically include health insurance?

No. You need a separate valid health-insurance arrangement. The employer’s flat-rate contribution does not itself give you health cover or a sickness-benefit entitlement. Ask your insurer to confirm your actual status.

Can two minijobs each use the €603 limit?

Not independently of each other. Without an insured main job, their regular earnings are generally combined. With an insured main job, the first minijob and an additional minijob are treated differently.

Will €603 gross always mean €603 in my bank account?

No. Pension contributions and the chosen tax treatment can affect the payment. Check the deduction examples above and ask payroll for the expected net amount.

Health-insurance explanation: Minijob-Zentrale: insurance in a minijob.

For the household picture, compare the expected payment with your monthly living costs. If you are considering housing support, the Wohngeld guide explains why the authority’s income calculation needs a separate check.

Sources and scope

Checked on 26 October 2026. General information; individual eligibility and contract outcomes require the relevant authority, payroll team or insurer to assess the facts. No provider ranking or personal advisory service is offered.