Minimum wage 14.60 € and Minijob 633 €: what changes in January 2027

The new numbers at a glance

The rise is 70 cents per hour, a bit more than 5 %. The Minijob limit is not a random number. It is tied to the minimum wage: minimum wage × 130 ÷ 3, rounded. That works out to about 10 hours a week. So when the minimum wage goes up, the Minijob limit goes up with it.

What it means for a full-time job

Many people in our community work in kitchens, warehouses, cleaning, delivery or security. A lot of these jobs pay exactly the minimum wage, or just a little more.

If you are paid 13.90 € today and nothing in your contract says otherwise, your employer must raise you to at least 14.60 € from the first working day of 2027. You do not need to ask for it. It is the law.

A quick example with 40 hours a month: in 2026 that is 556 € gross. In 2027 it is 584 € gross. That is 28 € more a month, or 336 € a year. For a full-time job, the difference is several times bigger.

What it means for a Minijob

A Minijob stays a Minijob as long as you earn on average up to 633 € a month (7,596 € over the year). The number of hours you can work at minimum wage stays almost the same, about 43 hours a month. What changes is the money: those 43 hours now pay more.

If you are paid more than the minimum, for example 15 € or 18 € an hour, the higher limit is good news. You can earn about 30 € more per month and still stay in the Minijob.

Going over the limit once or twice

Life is not always planned. If a colleague is sick and you cover for them, you may go over the limit. That is allowed in up to two months within 12 months, if it was not foreseeable. In those months you can earn up to 1,266 € (double the limit). If it happens often or was planned, it is no longer a Minijob, and the employer has to register you differently.

Pension contribution

In a normal (commercial) Minijob, 3.6 % of your pay goes to the pension insurance. On 633 € that is about 22.79 €. You can ask your employer in writing to be exempted from this. Think before you do it: those months count toward your German pension. Our page on pension and contributions explains why that can matter later, even if you move back to India one day.

Midijob: the zone between 633 € and 2,000 €

If you earn more than 633 € but not more than 2,000 € a month, you are in the "Übergangsbereich", often called Midijob. Here you pay lower social insurance contributions than in a normal job, but you are fully insured. In 2027 the lower edge moves up to 633.01 €. The upper edge stays at 2,000 €.

Why this matters: if you had a Midijob of, say, 620 € in 2026, it may become a Minijob in 2027 without any change in your hours. Your payslip will look different. Ask your employer or the payroll office if you are not sure what you have.

Your 3-step check in January 2027

1. Look at your first 2027 payslip. Find "Stundenlohn" or divide the gross pay ("Brutto") by the hours you worked. It must be 14.60 € or more.
2. Compare the hours. Are the hours on the payslip the same as the hours you wrote down? If not, write to your boss and keep a copy.
3. Act in time. Many contracts have an "Ausschlussfrist", often three months. After that, missing pay can be lost. Claim it in writing before that.

Not sure how to read the payslip? Use our gross-net calculator to see what should arrive in your account.

Some jobs have a higher minimum

14.60 € is the floor for everyone. Some sectors have their own higher minimum. Care work (Pflege) is the best-known example. If you work in care, read our Pflege jobs page for the care minimum wages. Many collective agreements (Tarifvertrag) also pay more. If your company has one, it is worth asking about it.

Sources

• Minijob-Zentrale: Minijob-Grenze 2027 (7 Oct 2026)
• Minijob-Zentrale (official)
• Federal Ministry of Labour (BMAS): Mindestlohn
• Zoll: checks on minimum working conditions

This page gives general information, not legal advice. Numbers checked on 11 October 2026.