Working as a student in Germany

Payment, Taxes and Health insurance

When students take work in Germany, they need to be aware of how it could affect their health insurance and tax position.

How much money can a student earn in Germany?

If students work more than 20 hours a week, they risk breaching annual limits (120 full days and 240 half days).

There is also a monthly income limit of €450. Above that point, you will need to pay standard German taxes, while income below €450 is tax-free.

Working too many hours can lead to students losing their health insurance subsidies. For instance, if you are insured with TK, you will be able to earn €435 per month. Above that point, contributions for long-term nursing care and social security kick in, adding a significant amount to annual bills.

Can a student work more than 20 hours a week in Germany?

There are some exceptions. Most importantly, academic jobs are categorized differently. If you take a student assistant role within your university or college, this won’t count towards your 120-day quota – a big help for many young researchers to add to your work experience.

If you take an internship while being registered with an insurer, don’t worry about losing your subsidized coverage. It will last until your student registration lapses, by which point you should be a fully-fledged employee.

So, as you can see, there are a few things to be aware of when looking for work in Germany as a student. The most important thing is to make sure that you don’t breach the annual limit on hours worked, as this could lead to problems with your health insurance or tax status.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that many jobs in the hospitality industry will pay around the minimum wage, so if you’re looking for something that pays a bit better, you might want to look into office work or online jobs. With all that in mind, we wish you the best of luck in your job search!