Mini-job
A mini-job is marginal paid employment: the regular monthly pay does not exceed the marginal earnings threshold. In 2026 it is 603 euros a month.
As of:September 2026
The limit follows the minimum wage
Since October 2022 the marginal earnings threshold has been dynamic: it equals 130 times the minimum wage, divided by three and rounded up to whole euros (section 8(1a) SGB IV). At a minimum wage of 13.90 euros that gives 603 euros.
Behind it lies the idea of a fixed working week of ten hours. On paper, 603 euros at the minimum wage is around 43.4 hours a month. Anyone paying more than the minimum wage can deploy correspondingly fewer hours.
The annual view and occasional exceeding
What counts is not the individual month but the forward-looking annual view: 12 × 603 euros = 7,236 euros. Occasional and unforeseeable exceeding is harmless; it is permitted in up to two calendar months within a twelve-month period, in each case up to twice the limit.
Anyone regularly above it as a matter of course, by contrast, is no longer marginally employed. The consequences take effect retroactively, with contributions for up to four years.
MetronHR works these figures out itself: time accounts, premiums, overtime and the limits of the German Working Hours Act, with every booking.
In employment law terms a mini-job is an ordinary employment relationship
Leave entitlement under the Federal Leave Act, continued pay in case of illness and on public holidays, notice periods, maternity protection and the entitlement to an employment contract in text form apply unchanged. Disadvantageous treatment compared with full-time staff is impermissible under section 4 TzBfG.
The record-keeping duty under section 17(1) MiLoG applies to all marginally employed people, regardless of the industry: the start, the end and the duration within seven calendar days, to be kept for two years.
Example: the hours limit at different hourly rates
- At the minimum wage of 13.90 euros: 603 ÷ 13.90 = 43.4 hours a month.
- At 16.00 euros: 603 ÷ 16.00 = 37.7 hours.
- At 20.00 euros: 603 ÷ 20.00 = 30.2 hours.
- Anyone paying more has to deploy fewer hours, otherwise the limit is breached.
Common mistake
Cover during illness does not get counted. Two extra shifts a month are enough at the minimum wage to go over 603 euros, and the correction runs retroactively.
Further reading
- Section 8(1a) SGB IV
- Section 4 TzBfG, section 17(1) MiLoG
- Section 3 BUrlG, section 2 EFZG, section 3 EFZG
This is not legal advice; for a specific case at your workplace you are better off asking someone qualified to give it.
Published by: AMNAU GmbH
Editorial responsibility: Ugur Aydogan, Product development.
Last reviewed: September 2026
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Related terms
Midi-job
A midi-job is employment in the transitional band: the regular pay is above the marginal earnings threshold but not above 2,000 euros a month.
Minimum wage
The statutory minimum wage is the amount every employee can claim as a minimum per clock hour. Since 1 January 2026 it has been 13.90 euros gross.
Work on demand
Work on demand means the work is performed according to the volume of work arising. The employer determines the timing at short notice, and in return section 12 TzBfG protects employees with four firm rules.
Sector minimum wage
An industry minimum wage is a collectively agreed minimum wage declared binding by statutory instrument for all employers and employees in an industry.