Minimum wage 2027: €14.60 per hour and a new Minijob limit of €633
From 1 January 2027, nobody in Germany may be paid less than €14.60 gross per hour. Right now it is €13.90. Because of this, the Minijob limit also goes up, from €603 to €633 a month. Many people in our community work in kitchens, warehouses, delivery and cleaning. This change is for you. Here is what it means in real life.
The new numbers at a glance
| 2026 | From 1 Jan 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage (gross per hour) | €13.90 | €14.60 |
| Minijob limit per month | €603 | €633 |
| Minijob limit per year | €7,236 | €7,596 |
| Midijob range (Übergangsbereich) | €603.01 – €2,000 | €633.01 – €2,000 |
The minimum wage rises by 70 cents. That is about 5 percent. The government took this from the proposal of the Mindestlohnkommission in June 2025. So this is already decided. It is not a plan that can still fall away.
The Minijob limit is not a random number. It is linked to the minimum wage: minimum wage × 130 ÷ 3. With €14.60 that gives €632.67, rounded to €633. The idea is simple. You can work about 10 hours a week at minimum wage and still stay in a Minijob.
What changes in your payslip
If you work full time at the minimum wage, the difference adds up. Here is a simple example with 40 hours a week. We count about 173 hours a month (40 × 52 ÷ 12).
| Hours per month | At €13.90 | At €14.60 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 173 hours (full time) | €2,404.70 | €2,525.80 | + €121.10 gross |
| 86 hours (half time) | €1,195.40 | €1,255.60 | + €60.20 gross |
| 43 hours (Minijob) | €597.70 | €627.80 | + €30.10 |
These are gross amounts. Net depends on your tax class and insurance. You can check your own net pay on our Brutto-Netto calculator.
Do I need to ask for the raise? No. The minimum wage is the law. Your employer must pay at least €14.60 for every hour from January, even if your contract still says €13.90. You do not need a new contract for this.
The Minijob trap nobody talks about
Many Minijob contracts do not say "43 hours". They say "€603 per month". Look at what happens in January if nothing changes:
- €603 ÷ €13.90 = about 43.4 hours a month (OK in 2026)
- €603 ÷ €14.60 = about 41.3 hours a month (the most you may work for €603 in 2027)
So if your boss keeps paying you €603 and you keep working 43 hours, you are paid below the minimum wage. That is not allowed. There are only two fair ways:
- Your pay goes up (up to €633), or
- Your hours go down.
Talk about this in December, not in March. A short, polite message is enough: "From January the minimum wage is €14.60. How will my hours or my pay change?"
Write down your hours. For Minijobs, the employer must record your working time and keep it for two years. Keep your own list too. Our free working hours tracker does this on your phone, without login.
If you earn a bit more than €603 now
Some people earn €610 or €620 today. In 2026 this is no longer a Minijob. It is a Midijob, with normal social insurance. From January, the same pay can fall back under the new €633 limit. Then it may count as a Minijob again.
That sounds good, but think first. In a Midijob you build up full health insurance, unemployment insurance and pension. In a Minijob you do not have your own health insurance through the job. If you have only this one job, ask your employer and your Krankenkasse before anything changes.
The Minijob limit is checked over the year. You may go over it in up to two months within 12 months, if it was not planned. In those months you may earn at most double the limit, so €1,266 in 2027.
Who does not get the minimum wage
The law has a few exceptions. Know them, so nobody can trick you:
- People in an Ausbildung (they have their own minimum training pay)
- Long-term unemployed people in their first six months back at work
- Volunteers and some interns, depending on the type of internship
- The self-employed
Everyone else gets it. It does not matter where you come from, which passport you have, or whether you are in a Minijob, part time or full time. Before a trial day (Probetag), ask clearly whether it is paid.
Warning: "You are new, so €10 is fine for now" is not a deal. It is against the law. So is "the meals count as part of your pay" or unpaid extra hours after closing time.
What to do if you are paid too little
- Collect proof. Your hours, your payslips, your bank statements. Photos of rota plans help too.
- Ask in writing. A short, polite email or letter to your employer. Keep a copy.
- Watch the deadline. Many contracts have an Ausschlussfrist — often three months. After that, missing money can be lost. Read your contract.
- Get free help. The Mindestlohn hotline of the government: 030 60 28 00 28 (Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 8 pm). A trade union or a migration counselling service (Migrationsberatung) can also help you.
Customs (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit) checks the minimum wage. You can also go to the labour court for your money. More on this: unpaid wages – what you can do.
Your short checklist for December
- Find your contract. Does it say an hourly wage or a fixed monthly amount?
- Minijob: count your hours. More than about 41 hours for €603 is too much from January.
- Check your January payslip in February. Is every hour paid with at least €14.60?
- Midijob close to €633? Ask what happens to your health insurance.
Sources
- BMAS – Fünfte Mindestlohnanpassungsverordnung
- Bundesregierung – Fragen und Antworten zum Mindestlohn
- Minijob-Zentrale – Minijob-Grenze 2027
This page explains the rules in simple words. It is not legal advice. For your own case, ask a trade union, a counselling service or a lawyer.