The German statutory minimum wage is EUR 13.90 gross per hour from 1 January 2026. Employers should review actual hours as well as contractual rates. A monthly salary does not by itself establish compliance.
Legal context and practical consequences
Check the treatment of each pay component and any additional hours. Expense reimbursement and salary cannot simply be treated as interchangeable. Mini-jobs remain subject to employment rights, and the applicable earnings threshold needs separate monitoring. Exceptions for particular placements depend on their actual conditions. A further increase to EUR 14.60 is scheduled for 1 January 2027.
Preparing the review
Bring the current contract, amendments, a description of the role and the intended schedule. For special employment models, include relevant status evidence. Record how the arrangement will operate in payroll and personnel administration. Changes in actual practice can require a fresh legal assessment even where the original contract was carefully drafted.
Four practical examples
Example 1
Extra shifts raise earnings. Review the current threshold and whether the increase was foreseeable.
Example 2
A mini-jobber receives no paid leave. Calculate the entitlement by reference to working days.
Example 3
Illness interrupts a regular shift. Check continued-pay conditions rather than excluding mini-jobs automatically.
Example 4
Two mini-jobs overlap. Examine the combined employment and relevant social security consequences.
Source and further information
Official source · Related employment-law topic
Archive allocation: January 2026. Written and reviewed retrospectively on 13 November 2026. Court decisions retain their actual decision dates.