Class schedule, counter duty and mini-jobs in one plan
Long opening hours, changing classes and many part-time staff. MetronHR holds the plan together and warns before an earnings threshold is breached.
- A warning about the mini-job threshold before it is breached
- Classes planned by qualification rather than by name alone
- Sunday and public holiday premiums separated correctly
In short
Classes run on freelance trainers, the counter and cleaning on mini-jobs, and each carries its own trap: bogus self-employment and the earnings threshold.
Legal position
What to watch legally in a gym
A gym has no special recording duty like hospitality. Instead three other issues meet here that are harmless on their own and expensive together.
- Mini-job threshold per month
- 603 euros
- Mini-job threshold per year
- 7,236 euros
- Statutory minimum wage
- 13.90 euros an hour
- Work-free Sundays per year
- at least 15
Sunday operation is allowed, but not free
Employment in sport and in leisure, recreation and entertainment facilities is exempt from the Sunday rest requirement. Every Sunday worked triggers a replacement rest day within two weeks.
The exemption is in section 10 (1) no. 7 ArbZG, the quid pro quo in section 11 (3) ArbZG. In addition, at least 15 Sundays a year must remain work-free. With a small core team and seven-day operation, that count is the bottleneck.
The mini-job threshold has two figures, not one
Employment is marginal if the pay does not regularly exceed 603 euros a month. The annual view of 7,236 euros is decisive, and occasional overruns do no harm.
The threshold follows from section 8 (1a) SGB IV; it is tied to the minimum wage and equals 130 times the minimum wage divided by three, rounded up. At a minimum wage of 13.90 euros that is 603 euros and about 43.4 hours a month. Anyone not counting cover at the counter breaches the threshold the moment somebody falls ill.
Freelance class trainers are rarely genuinely free
Anyone who is told the place, time and content of the class, is integrated into the operation and bears no entrepreneurial risk of their own is an employee, regardless of what the contract says.
The standard is section 7 (1) SGB IV. A status determination under section 7a SGB IV creates clarity in advance. Without it, social security back-payments of up to four years loom, and thirty in cases of intent. A trainer who appears in the gym's class schedule and uses its equipment is the textbook case.
Premiums are tax-free only when shown separately
Premiums for Sunday and public holiday work are tax-free under section 3b EStG up to 50 and 125 per cent respectively, but only if they are paid for work actually performed at those times and settled per hour.
A flat weekend allowance does not meet that and is fully subject to tax and contributions. For the tax exemption the base wage is capped at 50 euros an hour, and for the contribution exemption at 25 euros (section 1 SvEV).
Further reading:Section 10 (1) no. 7 ArbZG, section 11 (1) and (3) ArbZG · Section 8 (1a) SGB IV, section 7 (1) SGB IV, section 7a SGB IV · Section 3b EStG, section 1 SvEV
As at:September 2026. This is not legal advice; for a specific case in your business it is better to ask someone with a licence to practise.
The class schedule is fixed, the staff plan lags behind
Classes are published months in advance, staff are sorted out weekly. Between the two sits the question of who is actually allowed to work those hours.
The mini-job threshold falls when someone covers a shift
One extra shift a month is enough to go past 603 euros. It is noticed in payroll and has to be corrected retroactively.
A cancelled class gets sorted out by messenger
The trainer cancels, someone steps in, and the old name still stands in the plan. Payroll follows the plan, not reality.
Weekend allowance paid as a flat rate
A fixed amount for the weekend is convenient and costs the tax exemption, which section 3b EStG grants only per hour actually worked.
Plan, actual time and threshold at a glance
Classes and counter duties sit in the same plan, clocking happens on site or in the app, and the earnings threshold runs along live per person, including a warning before assigning.
Warning before assigning
The threshold is detected before the shift is assigned, not afterwards.
Features for gyms
Built for long opening hours, many part-time staff and class operations.
Mini-job guard
The threshold speaks up before the assignment
Hours worked and planned per person are measured against the monthly and the annual threshold, with a warning while the plan can still be changed.
Classes tied to qualifications
No class without the matching licence
Every class format carries the trainer licence it requires. Anyone without it on file cannot be scheduled.
Clock in at the counter or in the app
Actual times instead of planned times in payroll
Whoever steps in clocks in, and payroll follows actual attendance rather than the published plan.
Premiums per hour
Sunday and public holiday tax-free where possible
Premiums are calculated per hour actually worked and shown separately instead of as a flat weekend allowance.
Licences with an expiry date
Expired licences are noticed beforehand
Trainer licences and first-aid certificates sit in the personnel file with a deadline and a reminder before expiry.
For gym management and the team
One plan, two perspectives.
Change staffing without breaching a threshold
Someone drops out, three people could cover, but two of them are close to the earnings threshold.
The selection shows each name's position against the monthly and annual threshold before the shift is assigned.
Your own hours and threshold in view
How many hours do I have this month, and can I still take the extra shift?
Your own hours account and the distance to the earnings threshold are in the app, no need to ask the office.
Frequently asked questions from gyms
What gyms ask about mini-jobs, class operations and Sunday work.
603 euros a month and 7,236 euros a year. Under section 8 (1a) SGB IV the threshold is tied to the minimum wage: 130 times the minimum wage of 13.90 euros, divided by three and rounded up. That corresponds to about 43.4 hours a month.
An occasional and unforeseeable overrun does no harm. The annual view of 7,236 euros is decisive. Anyone regularly above it is no longer in marginal employment, with all the consequences for contributions and tax.
Only if they genuinely are self-employed. Anyone who is given the time, place and format, is integrated into the operation and bears no entrepreneurial risk is an employee under section 7 (1) SGB IV, regardless of the contract wording. A status determination procedure under section 7a SGB IV creates certainty in advance.
Yes. Employment in sport and leisure facilities is exempt from the Sunday rest requirement under section 10 (1) no. 7 ArbZG. In return, every Sunday worked requires a replacement rest day within two weeks, and 15 Sundays a year must remain work-free.
Only if it is paid for work actually performed on a Sunday or public holiday and settled per hour (section 3b EStG). A flat allowance unrelated to the specific hour is fully subject to tax and contributions.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
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ViewClass schedule, counter duty and earnings threshold in one system
Who can step in without breaching a threshold is shown next to the name. Try it free for 14 days.
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