Class schedule, counter duty and mini-jobs in one plan
Long opening hours, changing classes and many part-timers. MetronHR keeps the roster together and shows the hours worked per person while the month is running.
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- Mini-jobs without target hours, hours per person visible at all times
- Classes planned by qualification rather than by name alone
- Sunday and public holiday premiums separated correctly
In shortGyms may open on Sundays, but every Sunday worked needs a replacement rest day within two weeks (sections 10 and 11 ArbZG). For mini-jobs at the front desk, the limit in 2026 is 603 euros a month. In the Professional plan, MetronHR plans classes and front desk shifts in one roster, and mini-jobs run without target hours, with the hours worked per person.
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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).
The key duties and how they are met day to day
| Duty | Source | With paper or Excel | With MetronHR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini-job limit of €603 a month | Section 8(1a) SGB IV | only noticed in payroll | hours worked per person visible at all times |
| Premiums per hour for tax exemption | Section 3b EStG | flat weekend allowance | Sunday and holiday premiums shown separately |
| Record all working time | Section 3(2) no. 1 ArbSchG, Federal Labour Court 1 ABR 22/21 | class cancelled on WhatsApp, the plan stays outdated | clock in on site or with the app |
Shift and duty planning, the day plan and client hour packages are part of the Professional plan.
Mini-job limit of €603 a month
- Source
- Section 8(1a) SGB IV
- With paper or Excel
- only noticed in payroll
- With MetronHR
- hours worked per person visible at all times
Premiums per hour for tax exemption
- Source
- Section 3b EStG
- With paper or Excel
- flat weekend allowance
- With MetronHR
- Sunday and holiday premiums shown separately
Record all working time
- Source
- Section 3(2) no. 1 ArbSchG, Federal Labour Court 1 ABR 22/21
- With paper or Excel
- class cancelled on WhatsApp, the plan stays outdated
- With MetronHR
- clock in on site or with the app
Shift and duty planning, the day plan and client hour packages are part of the Professional plan.
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
In detail, with examples: Working hours in gyms: what applies to the front desk, classes and weekends
As at: November 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.
- Problem
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.
- Problem
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.
- Problem
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 front desk shifts are in the same roster, clocking happens on site or via the app, and the hours worked per person are visible at all times, not only in payroll.
Hours per person, always currentThe hours are settled before payroll needs them, not afterwards.
Features for gyms
Built for long opening hours, many part-time staff and class operations.
- Overview
Mini-jobs without target hours
Hours worked instead of targets and overtime
Mini-job contracts run without target hours and without an overtime account. The hours worked per person are in the system at all times and, at the end of the month, in the Excel overview and the payroll file for DATEV.
- Planning
Classes tied to qualifications
Class format and qualification belong together
The required qualification can be stored for each class format, and the roster in the Professional plan shows who meets it.
- Time
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.
- Pay
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.
- File
Records in the personnel file
Licences and first aid certificates in one place
Trainer licences and first aid certificates are kept as documents in the digital personnel file, with versions instead of copies in folders.
For gym management and the team
One plan, two perspectives.
- Gym management
Changing the line-up with qualifications and hours in view
- Someone drops out, three could step in, but not all of them may teach the class, and two already have many hours this month.
- The roster in the Professional plan shows who has the qualification for the class, and the hours worked per person are in the system before the shift is given out.
- Trainers and counter staff
Your own hours in view
- How many hours have I already worked this month?
- Your own clocked hours are in the app, without asking the office.
Frequently asked questions from gyms
What gyms ask about mini-jobs, class operations and Sunday work.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageHow high is the mini-job threshold in 2026?
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.
May the threshold be exceeded once?
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.
Can we engage class trainers as self-employed?
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.
May we open on Sundays?
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.
Is our weekend allowance tax-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.
Other industries
Car workshops
The workshop order is calculated in labour units, the Working Time Act in hours. And emissions test authorisation depends on people whose training has to be repeated every 36 months.
ViewCall centres
Every phone system produces performance data. That makes time tracking here a co-determination question under section 87 (1) no. 6 BetrVG before it is a software question.
ViewClubs and associations
In a club, volunteers, instructors and employees work side by side. The Working Time Act applies only to the last group, and the line between them determines contributions and charitable status.
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Class schedule, front desk and mini-jobs in one system
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