Minijob — Work up to €603 in Germany

What is a Minijob?

A Minijob (geringfügige Beschäftigung, 603-Euro-Job) is work with earnings of max €603 per month (as of 2026). The limit is not fixed — it rises with the minimum wage and corresponds to 130 hours at minimum wage rate (€13.90/h in 2026). Annually, this gives €7,236.

For the employee: almost no deductions

From a Minijob salary, you don't pay income tax or health, care, or unemployment contributions. The employer pays a flat rate (Pauschalabgaben, ~30%) to Minijob-Zentrale (Knappschaft).

One exception is pension: Minijob is by default covered by mandatory pension insurance (Rentenversicherung) — approximately 3.6% is deducted from your salary. You can submit an exemption request (Befreiungsantrag) to your employer, but then you don't build up pension entitlements.

Who can work a Minijob?

• Anyone with the right to work in Germany (check your residence title)
• Students, retirees, people already employed (as additional work)
• Unemployed — with restrictions (earnings deducted from benefits)

Note: you can have one Minijob alongside your main job without tax. A second Minijob is added to your main salary and taxed.

Your rights — the same as a regular job

✅ Paid leave (proportional to days worked)
✅ Sick pay for 6 weeks (Entgeltfortzahlung)
✅ Minimum wage €13.90/h (2026)
✅ Written employment contract and paid holidays

Minijob vs Midijob

Midijob (Übergangsbereich) is a "bridge" — contributions increase gently with salary, so it makes sense to exceed €603 noticeably rather than by just a few euros.

How to find a Minijob?

• Minijob-Zentrale
• Kleinanzeigen, gastronomy, retail, cleaning, care

Important for foreigners!

• Minijob does not provide health insurance — you must have it from another source (it's mandatory in Germany!)
• Income from a Minijob is not sufficient to demonstrate means of support (Lebensunterhalt) when extending a work visa
• A Minijob settled by flat rate does not go into your tax return