💼 Part-time jobs and working students
In brief
As a working student you generally work no more than 20 hours per week during the lecture period; during the semester break you may work more. If this 20-hour limit is exceeded in more than 26 weeks within twelve months, working student status lapses – even if the weeks with more hours fell in the semester break. The working student privilege exempts you from compulsory health, long-term care and unemployment insurance arising from this employment; you nevertheless remain subject to compulsory pension insurance.
Step by step
- Limit working hours during the lecture periodDuring the lecture period, stick to the 20-hour limit so as not to put working student status at risk.
- Keep an eye on the 26-week limitIf you work more than 20 hours in more than 26 weeks within 12 months, the working student privilege lapses.
- With BAföG: observe the allowanceOwn income is not offset against BAföG up to a basic allowance (§ 23 Abs. 1 BAföG); higher income reduces the funding amount.
- With family insurance: stay within the marginal earnings thresholdTotal income from all part-time jobs must not regularly exceed the marginal earnings threshold that applies to family insurance.
- Keep an eye on wage taxWage tax withheld can often be reclaimed in whole or in part through the income tax return.
Deadlines
- The working student privilege only applies if studies clearly come first; for work that in practice amounts to a full-time job, the health insurance fund can retroactively demand contributions.
- Despite the exemption from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance, working students remain subject to compulsory pension insurance – this is often overlooked.
- Several part-time jobs count together towards the marginal earnings or minijob limit; if you overlook this, you can lose family insurance or working student status without noticing.
- BAföG recipients must report changes in income from part-time jobs to the BAföG office, even if they only occur after approval (duty to notify).
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals
The working student privilege is administrative practice, not a single statutory provision
The frequently cited "20-hour rule" does not appear literally as a number in a single provision but derives from the "Joint guidelines of the umbrella organisations of social insurance on the assessment of students' employment under insurance law", which are applied by the health insurance funds. The legal point of reference in the statute is the question of whether the employment alongside studies or the studies alongside the employment is the main thing.
BAföG allowance for own income
Own income from employment is not offset against the requirement under BAföG up to a basic allowance (§ 23 Abs. 1 BAföG); the exact amount of this allowance was not conclusively verified against the statutory text itself in this research and is therefore not stated here.
Minijob and midijob limits
According to several consistent secondary sources that were not individually checked officially, the minijob limit in 2026 is €603/month; it is adjusted in line with the development of the statutory minimum wage (§ 8 SGB IV).
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