Minijob Salary in Germany in 2026 and Changes Over the Years

What is a Minijob

Minijob is a term for small or short-term jobs where the worker’s salary does not go above a set legal maximum (geringfügige Beschäftigung) or where the work is only for a limited number of days in a year (kurzfristige Beschäftigung).

This type of job is regulated by § 8 of the Fourth Book of the German Social Code (SGB-IV) ¹. In the law, it is called marginal employment (geringfügige Beschäftigung). There are two main types of Minijobs:

• Income-based Minijob (Entgeltgeringfügige Beschäftigung) – where your monthly earnings do not go above the set income limit;
• Short-term employment (Kurzfristige Beschäftigung) – where you work for a limited time, but there is no limit on how much you can earn.

For short-term employment, the law sets a time limit. This work counts as a Minijob if it is done for no more than 3 months or 70 working days in a calendar year. This rule is in § 8 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 SGB IV.

A Minijob in Germany is a small or short-term job where your monthly salary or working time does not go above the legal limit.

Minijobs are a popular way to earn extra money. They are often taken by students, pensioners, people with another main job, and part-time workers. Even though the rules are simpler, Minijob workers have the same basic rights as other employees, including the minimum wage and paid holiday.

Maximum Minijob Salary in Germany

The main feature of a Minijob is the income limit. If your salary goes above the legal maximum, it is no longer considered a Minijob and normal social insurance rules apply.

As of 1 January 2026, the maximum salary for a Minijob is 603.00 euros per month ². This limit is set by § 8 SGB-IV and is linked to the minimum wage in Germany.

Since 2022, the Minijob income limit is calculated automatically based on the minimum wage. The law assumes that someone with a Minijob works about 10 hours per week at the minimum hourly rate. If the minimum wage goes up, the Minijob income limit also increases.

From 1 January 2027, the minimum wage in Germany will rise to 14.60 euros per hour. Since the Minijob income limit is directly linked to the minimum wage, the monthly limit will also increase — to about 633.00 euros per month.

Exceptions and Going Over the Limit

Your monthly salary in a Minijob can sometimes be slightly higher or lower than the set limit. However, your total income for the whole calendar year must not go above 7,236.00 euros. This yearly limit matches an average monthly income of 603.00 euros.

In some cases, such as an unexpected need at work, you can temporarily earn more than the monthly limit. The law allows this for no more than two months in a year. In these months, your salary can be up to double the monthly limit — 1,206.00 euros. In this case, your total yearly income can be up to 8,442.00 euros.

How Many Hours Can You Work on a Minijob in 2026?

The number of hours you can work on a Minijob depends on two things: the income limit and the hourly wage. In 2026, the maximum Minijob income is 603.00 euros per month, and the minimum hourly wage is 13.90 euros per hour.

If you earn the minimum wage, you can find out the maximum possible working hours by dividing the income limit by your hourly rate:

603.00 € / 13.90 € ≈ 43 hours per month.

This means you can work about 43 hours per month — roughly 10 hours per week or 1–2 days per week (depending on how long your shifts are). If your hourly wage is higher than the minimum, then you can work fewer hours.

The maximum number of hours you can work on a Minijob is possible if you earn the minimum wage of 13.90 €. This equals about 43 hours per month. If your hourly pay is higher, then you are allowed to work fewer hours.

How the Maximum Minijob Salary Has Changed Over the Years

The maximum salary for a Minijob in Germany changes regularly. Usually, it goes up when the minimum wage increases or after changes to the labour market laws. Before 2022, the income limit was a fixed amount, but then the rules changed. Now, when the minimum hourly wage goes up, so does the maximum allowed income for a Minijob.

Table 1: Minijob Salary Limit by Year

As you can see from the table, the maximum Minijob salary has gradually increased. This is mainly because of rises in Germany’s minimum wage and changes in the law.

Chart 1: Changes to the Minijob Limit in Germany by Year

Taxes and Social Contributions for Minijobs: Gross and Net Salary

How much tax and social contributions does someone with a Minijob pay from their salary? An important factor is where you work: in a company or in a private household. Depending on this, tax and social contribution rules for employers and employees may be different. Here we look at the most common case — working for a company.

Pension and Social Security Contributions

If you have a Minijob, you usually do not pay most types of social security contributions from your salary. In particular, nothing is taken out for:

• state health insurance (Krankenversicherung)
• unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung)
• long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung)

However, you can take part in state pension insurance (Rentenversicherung). If you do not opt out, 3.6 % will be deducted from your salary. For example, if you earn the maximum Minijob salary of 603.00 euros, your pension contribution will be about 21.71 euros per month.

Income Tax

Salaries from Minijobs are subject to income tax. In most cases, your employer pays a flat tax of 2.00% (Pauschsteuer). The employer pays this tax, so it is usually not taken out of your salary directly. Alternatively, your employer can calculate tax using normal rules with tax classes (Steuerklasse). In this case, tax will be deducted from your salary. However, if your Minijob is your only job, depending on your tax class you may not have to pay any tax at all.

Gross and Net Salary

In most cases, your gross and net salary for a Minijob are almost the same. If you have opted out of paying into the pension fund and your employer pays the flat 2.00% tax (Pauschsteuer), then your gross salary will be exactly equal to your net salary.