From students and pensioners to stay-home mothers/fathers or even employees, many get so-called "mini-jobs" to earn something extra on the side. Here you can learn what a mini-job actually is and what you have to consider as someone with a mini-job.
A mini-job is a marginal job for which you cannot earn more than €538 per month- or a job which only include short-term employment for a few weeks or months. In principle, there are two types of mini-job:
- With the so-called mini-job with "income limit" (Minijob „mit Verdienstgrenze“), you earn a maximum of €538 per month or €6456 per year. So you can make more than €538 in individual months and less in other months during the rest of the year- It is crucial that you do not earn more than €6456 a year as a "mini-jobber", including one-off payments such as holiday pay or Christmas bonus.
- In mini-job as a so-called "short-term employment" ("Kurzfristigen Beschäftigung"), you work less than three months (for a 5-hour week) or 70 working days (if you work less than five days per week) per year. It doesn't matter how much you earn during this time- but you must be only employed for a short time to count as a "mini-jobber".
You can find a mini-job at a company or in private households. Numerous mini-jobs are available in the catering, retail or trade sector. In private homes, many find mini-jobs as, e.g. cleaning aide, domestic helper or babysitter.
Labour law applies to mini-jobbers as well as other employees, i.e. as a person with a mini-job, you are also entitled to the statutory minimum wage and holiday. You can find out more about your rights as an employee in our chapters "Labour rights" and “Employment Contract”.
Mini-jobbers don't have to make social security contributions, i.e. as a mini-jobber, you do not have to pay into long-term care and unemployment insurance. You can also become exempt from the pension insurance upon request. To do so, you need to apply to your employer for exemption from the compulsory pension insurance. Otherwise, part of your wages will be directly deduced and paid into pension insurance. By making contributions to pension insurance, you will earn a little less, but eventually will receive a (small) pension and can retire somewhat earlier. You can find out more about pensions in our chapter "Retiring in Germany".
Please note: Every person in Germany must have health insurance, including mini-jobbers. Since a mini-job does not include social insurance contributions, you have to find another health insurance option, for instance, the family insurance or health insurance for students. Otherwise, you have to pay the regular contributions yourself. You can find out more about health insurance in our chapter "Health insurance".
In principle, incomes obtained from mini-jobs are also subject to taxation.
- In the case of a mini-job with “income limit”, however, a so-called flat-rate tax ("pauschale Versteuerung") is applied, i.e. your employer pays 2% of your gross monthly salary as a flat-rate tax. You will not have any other tax obligations as a mini-jobber.
- In the case of a mini-job as a so-called "short-term employment", there are two options: flat-rate taxation of 25% of income (plus solidarity tax and, if applicable, church tax) or individual taxation through a so-called "Lohnsteuerkarte". In principle, taxation through a "Lohnsteuerkarte" or income tax card will cost you less, since you will only have to pay tax if you earn more than the substance income ("Grundsicherung"). You can find out more about taxation in Germany in our chapters "The German tax system" and "Tax Return".
Yes, you can. Keep in mind, however, that if you earn more than €538 per month or work longer than three months (or 70 working days) per year in total, you will no longer be considered a mini-jobber- which means, for instance, that you have to make social security contributions.
Yes. However, your employer must also agree. As long as you only have one mini-job, the income resulted will be exempt from social security contributions. If you have more than one mini-job alongside your full-time job, however, all the extra mini-jobs and your full-time job are taken into account. You will then have to make social security contributions for the additional mini-jobs.
There is no lower/upper limit for your number of working hours. It is only essential that you do not exceed the €538 income limit or (in the case of short-term employment) the span of three months/70 working days per year.
If you regularly earn more than €538 per month or €6456 per year (i.e., €538 x 12), your job is considered to be a "midi-job" rather than a mini-job. Those with a midi-job have to make social security contributions. You can find out more about midi-jobs in the section "What is a Midi-job?".
If you earn more only exceptionally and without prior planning (e.g. because you stood in for a sick colleague) up to three times in a year, you will still be considered a mini-jobber (up to €7532 annually).
Yes. If you take a mini-job despite receiving unemployment benefit I or financial support from the Jobcentre, however, there are a few things you need to consider.
If you receive benefits from the Jobcenter:
- You must notify the Jobcentre about your mini-job before you start. Otherwise, your benefits will be reduced.
- The benefits from the Jobcentre are reduced according to your additional income. The percentage of your income you can keep (“Freibetrag”) is calculated differently depending on the gross income. The first €100 is always exempt from deductions. In addition:
- If you earn between €100 and €520 gross, you may keep 20 percent of the remaining amount.
- If you earn between €520 and €1000 gross, you can keep a further 30 percent of the remaining amount.
- If your gross income is between €1,000 and €1,200 (or €1,500 in case you look after a child under the age of 18), you can keep an additional 10 percent of your income.
- The amount that exceeds the limit (“Freibetrag”) is deducted from your “Bürgergeld”. As a result, you will receive less “Bürgergeld”, but in total, will have more money at your disposal each month.
If you receive unemployment benefit I:
- You must notify the Jobcentre about your mini-job before you start.
- You can work for a maximum of 14 hours and 59 minutes a week. If you work 15 hours or more per week, you are no longer considered unemployed and will not receive unemployment benefit I.
- Your unemployment benefit is reduced according to your additional income. You can earn €165 per month when receiving unemployment benefit I. Anything you make beyond that will be deducted from your unemployment benefit I.
When your monthly income is between €538,01 to €2000, you are considered a midi-jobber (as of 2024. In contrast to a mini-job, a midi-job is subject to social security contributions. However, people with midi-jobs make a smaller contribution to pension, health, nursing and unemployment insurance compared to regular employees. So midi-jobbers, too, are entitled to pension coverage. You can find out more about the German pension system in our chapter "Retiring in Germany".
Please note: If you have several midi-jobs, the salaries you earn from all these jobs are summed together. You can only benefit from the Midi-job scheme if your salary altogether is less than €2000. If you combine a mini-job and a midi-job, the mini-job remains exempt of social security contributions. If you have more than one mini-job, the income resulted from all extra mini-jobs will be added to your midi-job. If you, then, earn more than €2000 in total, you are no longer considered a midi-jobber.
Mini-jobbers and mid-jobbers are entitled to the statutory minimum wage. You can learn more about the minimum wage and much more in our chapter “Employment Contract“.
Job Hunting and Application
The job market in Germany has numerous rules and regulations. In addition, you must meet some requirements to get a job. Many employers choose their employees mainly based on their certificates or degrees in the desired field. But even without the relevant certificates, you still have a chance to find a job.
Here you will learn about the steps you need to take to start your first job in Germany and the ways you can increase your chances of finding your dream job.
Here are two essential points you need to consider in advance:
- German is spoken in most companies in Germany. In some cases, English will do; but for most jobs, you need to be able to communicate in German. There are many ways to learn German or to improve your proficiency. Find out more in our chapters on "Language".
- You need a work permit before you can start to work in Germany. For migrants, the work permit is directly linked to the residence permit. You can find out more about this in our chapter "Migration to Germany". If you have fled to Germany, whether you can work or not depends on your current residence status. You can find out more in our chapter "Work Permit for Refugees".
Labour rights
Labour law in Germany is very complicated as there are numerous regulations in several bodies of law regarding the subject. However, it is crucial to know your rights and obligations as an employee. You can only demand your rights if you are aware of them.
Employment Contract
Searching for the proper job can be tedious- but it is fabulous when you finally get a "yes" from a company you like. Before you sign the contract and start to work, you should examine the proposed employment agreement thoroughly.
Subcontracted Jobs
Subcontracted labour ("Leiharbeit") is also known as temporary employment or temporary work. Subcontracted workers sign a contract with a company which "lends" them as employees to various other companies. When you have an employment contract with a temporary employment agency, you will be temporarily sent to other companies which are in urgent need of staff. Although you will work for the designated company, you will not be considered a regular staff, as the temporary employment agency will be paying your wages. The temporary employment agency remains your employer, i.e. for instance, they will be the authority at which you need to apply for your holidays, and they cover your social insurance contributions.
Please note: Subcontracted work does not mean "short-term work". As a subcontracted worker, you are mainly employed by your temporary employment agency and only occasionally change the company in which you work. The contracts signed between the workers and the temporary employment agencies are usually open-ended.
Temporary employment is often available in the metal and electronic industries as well as the security, logistics, transport, administration and office sectors. In general, however, one can do temporary work in any industry. Even unskilled workers are sought-after and hired by temporary employment agencies.
Discrimination
Discrimination is prohibited in Germany –nevertheless, many are affected by it. Whether when looking for accommodation, dealing with authorities, at work, schools, doctors' surgeries, during leisure time or with the police. Discrimination can occur in all areas of life. Am I not allowed into the club because I have a disability? Did I not get the job because I wear a headscarf? Are my children treated worse at school because they speak little German? Does the police pick me to check on the long-distance bus because I have a different skin colour? Does the cab driver refuse to take me because I am trans*? Experiences like these lead to feelings of anger, powerlessness and helplessness. Such discrimination also harms social coexistence.
However, you do not need to simply accept discrimination: you have the legal right to defend yourself against it – everyone in Germany does; regardless of their origin or residence status. This right is enshrined in the German Basic Law as one of the human rights. It is also regulated in the General Equal Treatment Act ("Allgemeinen Gleichbehandlungsgesetz" or AGG). You can take legal action against discrimination - and in certain cases, it is worthwhile to do so.
Here you will find a counseling centre nearby which can help you on employee rights and working conditions.
The website of Federal Employment Agency offers detailed information about Mini Jobs in Germany.
Here you can calculate the amount of social security contribution you should make as someone with a "Midi-job".
hr integrate supports job-seeking Refugees by connecting them to Human Resources Managers in different organisations.