You can earn money while studying as a minijobber, a working student, a student assistant, a freelancer or with a small business. Three figures decide which route suits you: a minijob ends at €603 a month, the working student privilege applies up to 20 hours a week during term, and with BAföG your own income stays exempt only up to €603 gross a month.
The statutory minimum wage in 2026 is €13.90 gross per hour. As an employee, you reach the minijob limit after just over 43 hours a month. If you want to work more, you usually end up in a working student job, where your working hours limit your earnings.
The most important points at a glance
- A minijob may not exceed €603 a month. From 1 January 2027, the limit is €633. The minimum wage rises to €14.60 on the same date.
- As a working student, you may work at most 20 hours a week during term. Then contributions to health, long-term care and unemployment insurance no longer apply, but pension insurance remains compulsory.
- With BAföG, €603 gross a month is exempt. Anything above that is checked by the BAföG office.
- Child benefit does not depend on your earnings during your first degree. After completing a first degree, regularly up to 20 hours a week is harmless, as is a minijob.
- Contribution-free family insurance ends when your total income exceeds €565 a month, or only above €603 if you have a pure minijob.
Which ways are there to earn money while studying?
Six routes are the most common while studying: minijob, working student job, holiday job, student assistant, freelancing and small business. They differ mainly in which limit applies and how much organisation you take on yourself.
| Route | Framework | Suits you if you … |
|---|---|---|
| Minijob | Up to €603 a month, the employer pays flat-rate contributions | are looking for fixed, manageable hours |
| Working student job | At most 20 hours a week during term | want to earn more than €603 and work in your field |
| Holiday job | At most 3 months or 70 working days in a calendar year, the amount earned does not matter | want to work full-time during the semester break |
| Student assistant | Contract with the university, usually for one year | want to work at an institute, chair or library |
| Freelancing and private tutoring | Self-employed, no fixed number of hours | want to organise your time freely |
| Small business | Registration with the trade office, small business scheme (Kleinunternehmerregelung) possible | offer products or services under your own name |
How much may a student earn?
There is no single income limit for students. Which figure applies to you depends on whether the question concerns minijob status, BAföG, family insurance or child benefit.
| Limit | Value | What it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Minijob | €603 a month (from 2027: €633) | Flat-rate contributions paid by the employer |
| BAföG | €603 gross a month exempt | How your income is counted against the grant |
| Family insurance | €565 total income a month, €603 for a pure minijob | Contribution-free health insurance through your parents |
| Working student privilege | 20 hours a week during term | No contributions to health, long-term care and unemployment insurance |
| Child benefit after the first degree | Regularly up to 20 hours a week, minijob harmless | Continued payment during a second qualification |
| Income tax | Basic allowance €12,348 a year (2026) | Income up to this amount remains tax-free |
A working student job has no upper limit on pay, only working hours limit it. With employment, family insurance remains possible up to an earnings level of €667.50 a month, because the €102.50 work-related expenses allowance is deducted. Above that, you lose it, and from €603 gross the BAföG office checks whether the income is counted.
Minijob or side job: what is the difference?
A side job is the umbrella term for any work alongside your studies. A minijob is one form of it, where your earnings stay at up to €603 a month. Working student positions and holiday jobs are other forms.
With a minijob, the employer pays flat-rate contributions: 13% for health insurance, 15% for pension insurance and a 2% flat-rate tax. The number of hours you work does not change this. You yourself pay 3.6% into pension insurance, which at €603 is €21.71 a month. On written application to your employer, you can be exempted from this. However, no contribution periods of your own then accrue, and the exemption can cost you protection in case of reduced earning capacity and Riester subsidies.
Example calculation: at an hourly wage of €13.90, you reach €603 after just over 43 hours, which is roughly 10 hours a week. From 2027, the minimum wage is €14.60 and the limit €633. Even then, the figure remains about 43 hours a month. Exceeding the limit unexpectedly is harmless in at most two calendar months a year.
A holiday job counts as short-term employment if, from the outset, it is limited to at most three months or 70 working days in a calendar year. The amount earned does not matter, as long as the work is not carried out on a professional basis. The Minijob-Zentrale explains the details.
Working student or student assistant: what applies?
As a working student with at most 20 hours a week during term, you are exempt from compulsory contributions to health, long-term care and unemployment insurance. You remain insured through student health insurance. Pension insurance is always compulsory. The contribution is 18.6%, which you share equally with your employer. Between €603.01 and €2,000 a month, you pay reduced contributions, but your pension entitlement continues to be based on your full earnings.
When counting hours, the following applies: several jobs are added together. If you mainly work on weekends, in the evenings or at night, or only in a fixed-term arrangement during semester breaks, you may exceed 20 hours, each for at most 26 weeks a year. The privilege ends with the month in which you are notified of your examination result in writing. From the 26th subject semester onwards, it is presumed that your studies are no longer the main focus. This presumption can be rebutted.
As a student assistant (in German), you work directly at the university. The collective agreement for the German states (TV-L) does not apply to them. Their pay follows a guideline of the Tarifgemeinschaft deutscher Länder. It sets €15.20 per hour for student assistants without a degree since the summer semester 2026, and €15.90 from the summer semester 2027. Academic student assistants with a bachelor’s degree earn at most €15.81 per hour, and those with a master’s at most €21.03. Individual states may deviate. Contracts usually run for one year.
How do you earn money online as a student?
Online, you mainly earn money with services you provide from home: writing texts, designing graphics, programming, translating, managing social media channels, working as a virtual assistant or giving tutoring by video. You find jobs through freelancer platforms and tutoring pupils through tutoring portals, or within your personal network. Fees and terms differ between providers, so compare them before you sign up.
If you prefer to work from home as an employee, you will find positions in home office. Which platforms suit this, and what to watch for with remote jobs for students (in German), is covered in a separate article.
You can sell digital products such as learning templates, planners or Excel spreadsheets through online marketplaces. Once created, a product can be sold several times. If you use a laptop and software for professional purposes, you can claim them for tax. Up to €800 net, an immediate write-off as a low-value asset (geringwertiges Wirtschaftsgut) is possible.
Self-employed while studying: trade, small business scheme and health insurance
You register a trade with the trade office, while freelance professions are registered with the tax office. Within one month of starting, you send the questionnaire for tax registration to the tax office via ELSTER. It contains your revenue forecast, which should be realistic. After checking it, the tax office sends your tax number by post.
The small business scheme under § 19 UStG applies as long as your revenue in the previous year was at most €25,000 and in the current year at most €100,000 (ELSTER). In the founding year, revenue above €25,000 is already subject to standard taxation. Revenue, not profit, is decisive, and all self-employed activities of one person are added together. You then issue invoices without VAT and note that you use the small business scheme. An income tax return remains required where it is necessary. For trade businesses, there is also a €24,500 profit allowance for trade tax.
For health insurance, it matters whether your self-employment is a main occupation. Family insurance remains possible if your total income is at most €565 a month and you are not self-employed as a main occupation. In student health insurance, self-employment must remain a side activity. As a guide, 20 hours a week during term applies, with self-employment and employment added together. Even below that, a main occupation can exist. If you are self-employed as a main occupation, you are no longer compulsorily insured as a student. You then insure yourself voluntarily, with a minimum assessment base of €1,318.33 a month. How this interacts with other jobs is explained in the article on health insurance with a side job (in German).
What does your income mean for BAföG, child benefit and health insurance?
BAföG
Your own income up to €603 gross a month remains exempt from BAföG. The limit is linked to the minijob limit. The rules on how income is counted are explained by the Studierendenwerke. How a higher income affects your grant is calculated case by case by the BAföG office at the Studierendenwerk.
Child benefit
Child benefit is generally paid for students up to the age of 25, currently €259 per month. During your first degree, your employment does not matter for it. A master’s degree that builds on your bachelor’s still counts as part of your first training. Only after completing a first degree does the family benefits office examine your working hours. Regularly up to 20 hours a week are harmless then, as is a minijob. A temporary increase beyond that is allowed if it lasts at most two months and the average over the calendar year stays at 20 hours. A master’s degree after gainful employment counts as a second qualification. Please report changes to the family benefits office immediately.
Health insurance
Through your parents, you are insured as a family member free of contributions, as long as your total income is at most €565 a month and you have not passed the age limit of 25 for studies. BAföG, maintenance and child benefit do not count as income here. If you earn more, you use student health insurance. It applies until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. Up to age 22, or with a child, it costs €118.16 a month. Without children from age 23, it costs €123.29. In each case, your insurer’s additional contribution comes on top.
Example: Lea, 24, has no children and is doing a master’s directly after her bachelor’s. She works 15 hours a week as a working student at €16 gross (assumption). That makes 15 × €16 × 4.35 weeks, so about €1,044 a month. For BAföG, she is above the €603 limit. Child benefit is unaffected, because the master’s belongs to her first degree. Family insurance ends above €565. Lea is insured through student health insurance, pays €123.29 plus the additional contribution, and also pays pension insurance contributions.
How do you find a student job?
Employers in town and the university itself offer jobs for students, for example at institutes and in the library. Where to search best and what to watch for in job offers is covered in the article on finding a side job (in German).
Which industries fit with timetables and exam periods is shown in the overview of the best student jobs (in German). For internships: a compulsory internship under your study regulations is exempt from the minimum wage. A voluntary internship is usually paid at least the minimum wage once it lasts longer than three months.
Do you have to file a tax return as a student?
Not automatically. An obligation can arise if you have income without tax deduction of more than €410 a year, if the tax office asks you to file, or if you are self-employed. You can file voluntarily until 31 December of the fourth following year. For 2025, that deadline is 31 December 2029.
It can pay off if wage tax was withheld, for example with a working student job, a holiday job or a paid internship. Minijobs taxed at a flat rate usually do not lead to a refund. BAföG is tax-free. For secondary activities such as trainer or instructor at a non-profit club, the 2026 training allowance (Übungsleiterfreibetrag) is €3,300 a year. The honorary allowance (Ehrenamtspauschale) is €960. The two cannot be combined for the same activity.
Frequently asked questions
How much may a student earn per month?
There is no general limit. Up to €603 a month, a minijob remains a minijob, and the same amount of income stays exempt for BAföG. Family insurance ends above €565 in total income. For a working student job, the working hours count: up to 20 hours a week during term, any wage is possible.
Do I lose child benefit if I work alongside my studies?
Not during your first degree. Your earnings and hours are irrelevant then. After completing a first degree, such as a master’s degree after gainful employment, regularly up to 20 hours a week or a minijob is harmless. The family benefits office decides case by case whether your studies still count as first training.
Which is better, a minijob or a working student job?
It depends on your time and your target earnings. The minijob ends at €603 a month, which at the minimum wage is about 10 hours a week. The working student job allows up to 20 hours a week and therefore usually more pay. However, it brings pension contributions and the end of family insurance.
Do I need a trade if I work as a freelancer?
You register a trade with the trade office, while freelance professions are registered with the tax office. The tax office decides which classification applies to your activity. In both cases, you submit the questionnaire for tax registration within one month of starting.
How to proceed now
- Work out how much you need each month, and compare hours times hourly wage with the limits of €603 and €565.
- If you earn more than €603, ask the BAföG office. With a master’s degree after gainful employment, ask the family benefits office. If you are self-employed, ask your health insurer. Do this before you sign the contract.
- Have your employment contract confirm in writing whether it is a minijob, a working student job or a holiday job, and how many weekly hours are agreed.
- Register a trade or freelance activity, and submit the questionnaire for tax registration within one month.
- If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage (in German).
You can find reviews of us on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was mentioned, among other places, in a report in the VersicherungsJournal. An overview of all mentions is on the press page (in German).
Related reading
- Finding a side job as a student: where to search and what to watch for (in German)
- Best student jobs: these industries suit your studies (in German)
- Remote jobs for students: opportunities, platforms and tips (in German)
- Health insurance with a side job: family insurance, KVdS or PKV (in German)
- Students over 30 with a minijob or part-time job (in German)
- Family insurance during studies under 25 (in German)
- Working student and health insurance (in German)
- Child benefit and side job: what your child may earn (in German)
- Maintenance for studying children: amount and duration 2026 (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
