Quick answer: A Minijob is a low-earnings employment arrangement widely used in Germany. The regular earnings limit is €603 per month in 2026 and is set to rise to €633 in 2027. Minijobs have not been abolished, but pension, employer health-insurance and tax rules are changing or under legislative review.
What is a Minijob in Germany?
If you study or live in Germany, you will hear the word Minijob quickly.
Restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, warehouses, universities and small businesses commonly use this employment model.
A Minijob is still a legal employment relationship. Employees have employment rights, should be registered correctly and should receive proper payslips.
What is the Minijob limit in Germany in 2026?
The regular Minijob earnings ceiling in 2026 is €603 per month on average.
The ceiling is dynamically linked to Germany's statutory minimum wage.
That means the monthly limit can change when the minimum wage changes.
What will the Minijob limit be in 2027?
The statutory minimum wage is scheduled to rise to €14.60 per hour in 2027.
As a result, the Minijob earnings ceiling is set to rise to €633 per month.
So the key figures are:
- 2026: €603/month
- 2027: €633/month.
How many hours can you work in a Minijob?
There is no single fixed number of monthly hours for every Minijob.
The permitted hours depend on the employee's hourly wage because the earnings ceiling cannot normally be exceeded on a regular basis.
If you are paid the statutory minimum wage, the dynamic Minijob limit is designed around roughly ten hours of work per week.
If you earn more per hour, you can work fewer hours before reaching the monthly earnings ceiling.
Do Minijobbers pay tax in Germany?
Minijobs can be taxed in different ways.
A common arrangement is a flat-rate tax paid by the employer.
Germany's Federal Cabinet approved a draft Income Tax Reform Act on 2 September 2026 that includes an increase in the uniform flat-rate Minijob tax from 2% to 5%.
Important: this is now a Cabinet-approved legislative proposal, but it is not yet the same as final enacted law.
Do Minijobbers pay pension contributions?
Minijob employees are generally subject to statutory pension insurance, although exemptions can be possible under the applicable rules.
A July 2026 change also allows certain Minijobbers who had previously opted out to reverse that exemption and return to pension-insurance coverage once.
This can matter because pension contributions are connected not only with future pension payments but also with contribution periods and certain social-security entitlements.
Before opting out, understand what you are giving up.
Does a Minijob provide health insurance?
A Minijob does not automatically give the employee full health-insurance coverage simply because the employer pays a flat-rate contribution.
This is particularly important for international students, spouses and newcomers.
You must have valid health-insurance coverage through an appropriate route of your own.
What changes for employers in 2027?
One already enacted change makes commercial Minijobs more expensive for employers.
From 1 January 2027, the employer's flat-rate health-insurance contribution for relevant commercial Minijobs is expected to rise from 13% to 17.5%.
This is an employer-side contribution.
It does not mean 17.5% will automatically be deducted from a Minijobber's salary.
Are Minijobs being abolished in Germany?
No, not currently.
This confusion comes from several separate developments being discussed at the same time.
| Change | Status |
|---|---|
| €603 earnings limit in 2026 | Current rule |
| €633 earnings limit in 2027 | Confirmed via minimum-wage linkage |
| One-time reversal of pension opt-out | Current rule from July 2026 |
| Employer health contribution around 17.5% from 2027 | Enacted |
| Flat Minijob tax from 2% to 5% | Cabinet-approved draft |
| Ending broader special Minijob status | Commission recommendation / policy debate |
The important Germany lesson is to distinguish between law, a Cabinet-approved draft and a recommendation.
Can international students have a Minijob?
Yes, a Minijob can be useful for international students, but immigration and student-employment rules still apply.
A Minijob being below €603 does not make it invisible for residence-law purposes.
Third-country students must still respect the work limits attached to their residence status.
Minijob vs Midijob: what is the difference?
A Minijob is employment within the low-earnings ceiling.
A Midijob falls into Germany's transitional earnings zone above the Minijob threshold, where employees generally participate more fully in the social-security system while receiving reduced employee contributions compared with ordinary employment at the lower end of the range.
If your monthly income regularly exceeds the Minijob ceiling, your job may fall into the Midijob or normal-employment rules instead.
What should newcomers check before accepting a Minijob?
Ask:
- What is my hourly wage?
- How many hours will I work?
- Am I registered correctly?
- Will pension contributions be deducted?
- Am I being asked to opt out of pension insurance?
- How is the job taxed?
- Does the job affect my student or residence work limits?
- Will I receive payslips?
Avoid undeclared cash-only work simply because the income is below the Minijob ceiling.
WhyGermany takeaway
Germany is not currently abolishing Minijobs.
But the system is changing.
For newcomers, the important figures are €603 in 2026 and €633 in 2027, while pension, employer health contributions and taxation should be understood separately.
Sources
- Federal Government – minimum wage and Minijob limits
- Minijob-Zentrale – current Minijob developments
- Federal Government – Income Tax Reform 2027 draft
Last reviewed: September 2026.