Side job health insurance depends on your type of cover, your earnings and your weekly hours. Students who are family insured may earn at most €565 per month in total in 2026, or €603 with a mini-job. Students in compulsory student insurance remain exempt from contributions in the job, whatever the salary, as long as they work at most 20 hours a week during the lecture period. Students who took out private insurance at the start of their studies generally keep it, even with a mini-job.
The key points at a glance
- Family insurance: €565 total income per month, or €603 for a mini-job alone. For employment subject to contributions, up to €667.50 of earnings is possible after deducting the €102.50 flat-rate allowance.
- Compulsory student insurance: up to 20 hours per week during the lecture period, you remain exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance. Pension insurance stays compulsory.
- Mini-job limit 2026: €603 per month. The transition zone (midi-job) runs from €603.01 to €2,000.
- Privately insured students stay insured through a mini-job as before. It does not bring you back into statutory insurance. Clarify with your health fund and insurer in advance how a regular job subject to compulsory insurance affects you.
How does side job health insurance work for each status?
The effect depends on how you are currently insured. The table shows the three routes and the respective limit for 2026.
| Your status | Decisive limit | Consequence if exceeded |
|---|---|---|
| Family insured | €565 per month (mini-job €603) | Family insurance ends, own insurance required |
| Compulsory student insurance | 20 hours per week during the lecture period, studies must predominate | If you regularly work more hours, you are generally treated as an employee |
| Privately insured after exemption | No earnings limit for the status | Return to statutory insurance normally only possible after your studies |
Several jobs are added together for health and long-term care insurance. An overview of all options is given in health insurance for students (in German).
How much can you earn in a mini-job without losing family insurance?
In 2026 the mini-job limit is €603 per month. This applies if you are exclusively in marginal employment. Without a mini-job, family insurance is possible up to total income of €565 per month. The fund checks your entire income under section 10 SGB V. How long you remain co-insured overall is covered in the article on family insurance during your studies (in German).
Child benefit, BAföG, parental allowance, housing benefit and tax-free scholarships do not count as income. Rental income, profits from self-employment or interest above the savings allowance of €1,000 can reach the limit faster. An occasional, unpredictable excess can be harmless, but clarify with your health fund in advance how long this applies. In a mini-job, the employer pays a flat 13 per cent for health insurance, 15 per cent for pension insurance and 2 per cent flat-rate tax. You pay 3.6 per cent for pension insurance yourself, but you can apply to your employer to be exempted from it.
What applies to a midi-job as a student?
A midi-job falls in the transition zone from €603.01 to €2,000 per month. For family-insured students there is little room here: for employment subject to contributions, the limit is €667.50 of earnings. Above that, family insurance ends and you need your own cover. Clarify in advance with your health fund whether your midi-job triggers its own compulsory insurance.
For students in compulsory student insurance, working hours decide, not the salary. At most 20 hours per week during the lecture period keeps you exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance, including in the transition zone. Pension insurance remains compulsory. More on the rules for working students is in the article on PKV for working students (in German). Additional work of up to 26 weeks a year is harmless if it falls only on weekends, evenings, nights or during semester breaks and is unpredictable or limited in advance.
Two worked examples
Assumptions: in the first example the hourly wage is the statutory minimum wage of €13.90 (Federal Government), and a month averages 52 ÷ 12 weeks.
- Tom, 21, family insured: He works 10 hours per week in a mini-job. That gives €13.90 × 10 × 52 ÷ 12 ≈ €602 per month, just under the €603 limit. At 11 hours it would be around €663, more than the mini-job limit of €603. Tom should check with his health fund whether family insurance still applies before he changes his contract.
- Ben, 26, in compulsory student insurance: He studies full-time and works 18 hours per week as a working student at €15 per hour. That is €15 × 18 × 52 ÷ 12 = €1,170 per month, which falls into the transition zone. Because he works at most 20 hours during the lecture period, he remains exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance. Pension contributions are due.
What applies to a side job and PKV?
If you were exempted from compulsory insurance at the start of your studies, you remain privately insured. The exemption cannot be revoked and normally applies to the whole course of study. A mini-job does not bring you back into the statutory fund. A switch is usually possible only after your studies, for example through employment subject to compulsory insurance. Family insurance is not available for the duration of the exemption.
As a privately insured student, you pay the contributions yourself. They depend on entry age, health, tariff and deductible. You submit the application for exemption to the health fund within three months of the start of compulsory insurance.
What changes in 2027 for mini-jobs and family insurance?
| Figure | 2026 | 2027 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | €13.90 | €14.60 | decided |
| Mini-job limit | €603 | €633 | decided |
| Transition zone | €603.01 to €2,000 | €633.01 to €2,000 | decided |
| Income limit for family insurance | €565 | €590 (mini-job €633) | planned |
From 2027, the flat-rate health insurance contribution for the employer in a mini-job also rises, while your net pay stays the same.
Frequently asked questions
How much can a student earn without changing health insurance?
That depends on your status. In 2026, family-insured students may earn at most €565 per month in total, or €603 in a mini-job. Students in compulsory student insurance remain exempt, whatever the salary, as long as they work at most 20 hours a week during the lecture period. There is no earnings limit for privately insured students.
Do I have to report my mini-job to my health fund?
You must inform the fund at the latest when family insurance ends. If your job could push your income over the limit, speak to the fund in advance.
Does my midi-job become subject to compulsory insurance as a student?
Not in health, long-term care and unemployment insurance, as long as you work at most 20 hours per week during the lecture period and your studies predominate. Pension insurance is always compulsory. If you regularly work more than 20 hours, you are generally treated as an employee.
What applies to my health insurance if I change course or drop out?
When you change university, your insurance status is reassessed and reported. Details are in the article on changing degree course and your health insurance (in German). If you drop out, compulsory student insurance ends with the semester of your last enrolment, after which membership continues voluntarily. What applies to your insurance after deregistration (in German) is explained in a separate article.
So what should you do now
- Clarify how you are currently insured: family insured, in compulsory student insurance or privately insured after exemption.
- Calculate your monthly gross pay from hourly wage, weekly hours and the factor 52 ÷ 12, and compare it with the limit for your status.
- Keep working time during the lecture period to at most 20 hours per week if you want to keep compulsory student insurance.
- If in doubt, speak to your health fund before you sign a contract, especially if you have several jobs.
- If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage.
You can read about our work on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex. Academycon was also mentioned in an advertisement on FAZ.net. An overview of all mentions is on the press page.
Related reading
- Health insurance for students: compulsory insurance, options, special cases (in German)
- Health insurance with a side job abroad: what applies to students (in German)
- PKV and a second degree: what applies to insurance and contributions (in German)
- Health insurance when changing degree course (in German)
- Health insurance as a student over 25: costs and options 2026 (in German)
- Student over 30 with a mini-job or part-time job (in German)
- Family insurance during your studies under 25 (in German)
- Working student and health insurance (in German)
- No place at university: child benefit and family insurance (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This article provides general information and does not replace individual advice.
