Minijob Hours Calculator 2026
How many hours can your Minijob worker work at their hourly wage without exceeding the €603 threshold? Enter the wage — the calculator instantly shows monthly and weekly hours plus a traffic-light check for shifts already scheduled.
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Your details
Statutory minimum wage 2026: €13.90 per hour.
Enter what is already on the schedule — we show you how much room is left.
Result
maximum possible at €13.90 hourly wage — equals approx. 10.0 hrs/week
How we calculated this
Earnings threshold 2026: €603.00 per month (marginal earnings threshold, § 8 SGB IV)
€603.00 ÷ €13.90 = 43.4 hours per month
The weekly approximation divides by an average of 4.3 weeks per month. One-off payments (e.g. a Christmas bonus) count toward the annual limit of €7,236.00.
Guideline value based on the 2026 figures — not legal or tax advice. The Minijob-Zentrale provides binding information.
Guidance values: special rules may differ
Explained clearly
How the calculation works
The math itself is simple: €603 divided by the hourly wage gives the maximum hours possible per month. At the 2026 minimum wage (€13.90) that is around 43 hours a month, or about 10 hours a week.
More interesting is where the threshold comes from: since October 2022 the marginal earnings threshold has been dynamic (§ 8 (1a) SGB IV). It equals the earnings from 10 weekly hours at the minimum wage — formally: minimum wage × 130 ÷ 3, rounded up to whole euros. For 2026: €13.90 × 130 ÷ 3 ≈ €603. That is why the figure of ~43 h/month stays stable over the years for minimum-wage jobs — pay more and there are correspondingly fewer hours available.
Above the threshold begins the transitional range (Midijob) from €603.01 to €2,000: the job becomes subject to social security contributions, with reduced employee contributions. For you as the employer, reporting and contributions change — a switch should happen deliberately, not by accident through two extra shifts.
All the details, worked examples, and changes for 2026 in the in-depth Minijob guide 2026.
From planning practice
4 practical tips for scheduling Minijob workers
Plan in a buffer
Do not schedule Minijob workers at exactly €603 — leave 5–10% of headroom. Otherwise a spontaneous extra shift or a pay raise blows past the threshold straight away.
Keep the annual limit in view
What counts is the rolling year: €7,236 including foreseeable one-off payments. Christmas and holiday bonuses belong in your monthly planning.
Document working times
Minijob workers are subject to the recording obligation under § 17 MiLoG: start, end, and duration of daily working time, no later than 7 days after the shift.
Recalculate pay raises right away
When the hourly wage rises (e.g. a minimum-wage adjustment), the possible number of hours falls. Recalculate after every pay change — otherwise the status flips unnoticed.
Automatic in the product
Shiftdesk warns you before the threshold breaks
Set the Minijob contract type once — after that Shiftdesk shows the earnings-threshold utilization for every scheduled shift and warns across four levels, long before things get critical.
Free shift-schedule template included
Get the free shift-schedule template for Excel and PDF — with automatic hour calculation, target-vs-actual comparison and a working-hours (ArbZG) checklist.
Rather not do the math yourself anymore?
Shiftdesk knows the earnings threshold of every Minijob worker and factors it in live with every shift plan — including a warning before the threshold is exceeded and clean hours documentation under § 17 MiLoG.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the Minijob hours calculator
How many hours may a Minijob worker work in 2026?
Why is the 2026 Minijob threshold €603?
What happens if the €603 threshold is exceeded?
Do Christmas or holiday bonuses count toward the earnings threshold?
Does the statutory minimum wage apply to a Minijob?
How do I keep track of the threshold across several Minijob workers?
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All figures are guideline values based on the statutory amounts announced for 2026 (minimum wage €13.90, marginal earnings threshold €603). They do not replace individual legal, tax, or social security advice. The Minijob-Zentrale provides binding information.