Planning mini-jobbers in 2027: earnings limit, hours, obligations
On 1 January 2027 Germany's statutory minimum wage rises to €14.60 per hour – and with it, automatically, the mini-job earnings limit to €633 per month. For businesses with many temps this means contracts, hour budgets and rosters need checking at year-end. This post shows what changes, where the typical mistakes are and how to plan mini-jobbers properly in 2027.
Short answer: what applies to mini-jobs in 2027?
From 1 January 2027 the minimum wage is €14.60 per hour (previously €13.90). The mini-job limit rises to €633 per month or €7,596 per year (previously €603). The midi-job transition zone runs from €633.01 to €2,000. At minimum wage this allows about 43 hours per month, roughly 10 hours per week.
How the limit is calculated
Since October 2022 the limit is tied to the minimum wage (§ 8 (1a) SGB IV): minimum wage × 130 ÷ 3, rounded up to full euros. For 2027: €14.60 × 130 ÷ 3 = €632.67, rounded up to €633. The formula reflects ten weekly hours at minimum wage. When the minimum wage rises, the limit rises automatically – no separate ordinance needed.
The typical year-end trap
Many businesses simply raise the monthly pay from €603 to €633 and keep the hours. Anyone planned for 43.4 hours at €603 ends up at about €14.58 per hour at €633 – just below the new minimum wage. Always check both hourly rate and hours: at €14.60 and €633, at most about 43.3 hours per month are possible.
How many hours at a higher hourly rate?
Rule of thumb: €633 ÷ hourly rate = maximum hours per month. At €14.60 about 43 hours, at €17.50 about 36, at €20 about 31. Surcharges and one-off payments generally count as earnings, so weekend and night surcharges in hospitality and events reach the limit faster than the roster suggests.
Special case: temporary agency work has a higher minimum wage
Agency workers are not covered by the €14.60 statutory minimum wage but by the higher wage floor under § 3a AÜG. It equals pay group 1 of the DGB/GVP collective agreement and applies to all agency workers deployed in Germany – mini-jobbers included: €15.33 per hour from 1 September 2026 and €15.87 from 1 April 2027 (Seventh Ordinance on a wage floor in temporary agency work, valid until 30 September 2027). At €633 this allows at most about 41 hours per month until 31 March 2027 and just under 40 hours from 1 April 2027. Second trap of the year: the mini-job limit rises on 1 January, the agency wage floor on 1 April – hour budgets need adjusting twice. Higher pay groups, sector surcharges and equal pay reduce the possible hours further. Include holiday and Christmas pay: the agency collective agreement provides annual bonus payments. Where there is an entitlement, they count as regular earnings even if paid only once a year. The annual limit of €7,596 then applies: ongoing pay plus holiday and Christmas pay must stay below it. Waiving collectively agreed entitlements is generally not effective. If contracts ignore this, the job is not a mini-job but employment subject to social security. In practice: set monthly hours so bonus payments still fit into the annual view.
Fluctuating shifts: exceeding the limit
Average annual earnings are decisive. Occasional, unforeseeable overruns are allowed in at most two calendar months within a twelve-month period and up to twice the monthly limit. Plannable extra work does not qualify. Regularly earning over €633 turns the job into a midi-job with social security contributions.
Recording duty: 7 days, 2 years
Under § 17 of the Minimum Wage Act, start, end and duration of daily working time for mini-jobbers must be recorded by the end of the seventh day after the working day and kept for at least two years. Without clean time tracking, neither minimum wage compliance nor the earnings limit can be proven in an audit.
Practical tips for hospitality and events
1. Plan against a monthly hour or euro budget per mini-jobber. 2. Include surcharges in the earnings per shift. 3. Check mid-month who is close to the limit and offer open shifts to colleagues with headroom. 4. Let staff pick open shifts themselves so they see their own budget and plan along.
Year-end checklist
Check all hourly rates are at least €14.60 – in agency work at least €15.33, or €15.87 from 1 April 2027. Adjust monthly hours so €633 is not exceeded permanently. Update contracts with fixed hours or pay. Include surcharges and one-off payments. Ensure same-week time records for all mini-jobbers. Inform staff about the new limit.
FAQ
What is the mini-job limit in 2027? €633 per month or €7,596 per year. – How many hours can a mini-jobber work in 2027? About 43 hours per month at €14.60. – Which minimum wage applies to mini-jobbers in temporary agency work? The agency wage floor: €15.33 from 1 Sep 2026, €15.87 from 1 Apr 2027 – roughly 41 or just under 40 hours per month. – Can the limit be exceeded? Only occasionally and unforeseeably, at most two months per year and up to twice the monthly amount. – Must working time be recorded? Yes, by the seventh day after the working day, kept for two years.
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