How many hours a mini-job allows
Since 2026 the limit has been 603 euros a month. At the minimum wage of 13.90 euros that is around 43 hours.
Your entries
In euros. At least the statutory minimum wage of 13.90 euros.
Leave empty if only the upper limit is of interest.
603 euros since 1 January 2026. Only change this if the threshold changes.
Result
At603,99 € a month the marginal earnings threshold is exceeded. Occasionally and unforeseeably that is permitted, as a rule in up to two calendar months within a year and at most up to twice the threshold. Exceeding it as a matter of course, on the other hand, triggers compulsory insurance.
The threshold is a monthly average: what counts is the regular annual pay, so at603,00 € a month that is7.236,00 €. Fluctuating hours are unproblematic as long as the average is right.
Mini-jobs are also covered by holiday entitlement under the Federal Holiday Act, continued pay when sick and on public holidays, and notice periods. And section 17 (1) MiLoG applies to marginally employed staff: working time must be recorded no later than seven calendar days after the work was done and kept for two years.
Calculation
- Maximum hours per month = 603,00 € ÷ 13,90 € = 43,38 h
- Per week = 43,38 ÷ 4,345 = 9,98 h
- Planned per month = 10 h × 4,345 = 43,45 h
- Earnings = 43,45 h × 13,90 € = 603,99 €
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How it is calculated
The limit is tied to the minimum wage
Since 01/01/2026 the marginal earnings threshold has been 603 euros a month, that is 7,236 euros a year. It is dynamically tied to the statutory minimum wage: 130 times the minimum wage divided by three, rounded up to whole euros (section 8(1a) SGB IV).
At a minimum wage of 13.90 euros that gives 602.33 euros, rounded up to 603 euros, and around 43 working hours a month. If the minimum wage rises to 14.60 euros on 01/01/2027, the limit rises with it.
The month is an average
What matters is the regular pay over the year, not the individual month. Fluctuating hours are unproblematic as long as the yearly figure does not exceed the limit.
Occasional and unforeseeable overshooting is permitted, as a rule in up to two calendar months within a twelve-month period and at most up to twice the limit. Planned overshooting, by contrast, leads to compulsory insurance.
The record-keeping duty applies here too
For marginally employed people, section 17(1) MiLoG applies regardless of the industry: the start, the end and the duration of daily working time have to be recorded within seven calendar days of the work at the latest and kept for two years.
Customs checks these records as part of its enforcement against undeclared work. If they are missing, fines of up to 30,000 euros under section 21 MiLoG are possible.
In employment law terms a mini-job is ordinary employment
Marginally employed people are entitled to paid recreational leave under the Federal Leave Act, to continued pay in case of illness and on public holidays, and to the statutory notice periods. The leave entitlement depends on the number of working days per week.
Calculating once takes a minute. MetronHR carries these accounts forward continuously, for every employee, and shows the balance at the month end.
Further reading:Section 8(1a) SGB IV · Section 17 MiLoG · Minijob-Zentrale, retrieved 02/09/2026
The calculator covers the basic statutory rules. Collective agreements, works agreements and employment contracts may contain more favourable arrangements, and for a specific case it is better to ask someone with a licence to practise.
Frequently asked questions
What we get asked about this most often.
As many as fit into the earnings limit of 603 euros a month at your hourly rate. At the minimum wage of 13.90 euros that is around 43 hours; at an hourly rate of 20 euros, around 30 hours. There is no fixed hours limit, only an earnings limit.
Occasionally and unforeseeably, that is permitted, as a rule in up to two calendar months within a twelve-month period and at most up to twice the limit. Anyone exceeding the limit as a matter of course is no longer marginally employed; the midi-job rules or full compulsory insurance then apply.
Yes. The entitlement depends on the number of working days per week. Someone working two days is legally entitled to two sixths of 24 working days, that is eight days of leave.
Yes, and within seven calendar days of the work at the latest (section 17(1) MiLoG). The records have to be kept for two years. For mini-jobs this applies regardless of the industry.
It follows the minimum wage. At 14.60 euros from 01/01/2027, the formula gives 632.67 euros, so presumably 633 euros a month after rounding up. The official determination is what counts; check it with the Minijob-Zentrale at the turn of the year.
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