Work & employment
Minijob
A Minijob is marginal employment in Germany capped at €603 per month in 2026. Mini-jobbers pay no income tax or health-insurance contributions on this income, and students can hold a Minijob in addition to or instead of a working student position.
A Minijob (officially geringfügige Beschäftigung) is a form of marginal employment where monthly pay may not exceed the Geringfügigkeitsgrenze, which is €603 per month in 2026. The limit is tied to the statutory minimum wage and rises with it. Income from a Minijob is essentially net: the employer pays flat-rate contributions, while the employee usually pays nothing except a small pension contribution they can opt out of.
Minijobs are registered through the Minijob-Zentrale rather than the regular social-security system. Typical student Minijobs include retail, gastronomy, tutoring, and delivery work, but plenty of office Minijobs exist too. You can combine one Minijob with a regular job or a working student position without losing the Minijob's favorable treatment.
What it means for working students
For students the practical question is usually Minijob versus Werkstudent contract. Below €603 per month both end up nearly identical in net pay, so take whichever role advances your career more. Above that threshold the Werkstudent contract wins: there is no earnings cap, you keep the social-security exemption, and the hourly rates for degree-relevant work are usually higher. Hours from a Minijob also count toward the 20-hour weekly limit for non-EU students.