Working student (Werkstudent) in Germany: what you keep in 2026
The working student privilege
If you are a regular student and work at most 20 hours a week during lecture periods, you are exempt from health, care and unemployment insurance (Section 6 (1) No. 3 SGB V, Section 27 (4) SGB III). You stay compulsorily insured in the pension system; unlike a mini-job there is no opt-out. Hours from all jobs are added together.
More than 20 hours are allowed when the extra work happens only in the semester break or in the evenings and at weekends. Once you work more than 20 hours a week for more than 26 weeks within a year, the privilege ends.
What comes off
| Monthly gross | Pension | Net (class I) |
|---|---|---|
| €800.00 | €26.23 | €773.77 |
| €1,000.00 | €52.86 | €947.14 |
| €1,200.00 | €79.49 | €1,120.51 |
| €1,500.00 | €119.43 | €1,343.40 |
| €2,000.00 | €186.00 | €1,672.75 |
| €2,500.00 | €232.50 | €2,009.00 |
Compared with a regular job you save about 12.45 percentage points of social insurance. You still need health insurance: usually student health insurance, available until age 30, which you pay yourself. Free family insurance ends once your regular total income is above €565 a month, so most working students cannot use it.
When wage tax starts
Working students pay wage tax by tax class. Because no health or care contributions run through the job, the payroll allowance for social insurance only covers the pension share, so in tax class I pay stays free of wage tax only up to about €1,251.00 a month. In class VI, for a second job, tax is due from the first euro. Wage tax is a prepayment: in your tax return you deduct your health and care insurance, and many students get some or all of it back.
Working student or mini-job?
Up to €603 a month a mini-job is often simpler: you pay at most the small pension share, or nothing after opting out. Against a regular part-time job a working student saves social insurance but pays their own student health insurance. A mini-job with another employer is possible alongside, but its hours count toward the 20-hour limit.
Frequently asked questions
Does the 20-hour limit apply in the semester break?
No. You may work more during the break. Afterwards your hours must drop back to 20 or fewer, and over a year you may not work more than 26 weeks above 20 hours.
What if I work more than 20 hours during lecture periods?
The working student status usually ends, and health, care and unemployment insurance apply as in any regular job.
Is the pension contribution worth it?
It builds pension rights and qualifying periods. In the transition zone you pay less, but pension points still count on your full pay.
Sources: Section 6 SGB V, Section 27 SGB III, Section 20 SGB XI, Section 20 SGB IV, social insurance circular on employing students, BMF letter on the payroll pension allowance of 14 August 2025. Updated 2026-11-04.