Why work in Germany is limited? 400 euros...?

Question

Hi All,

I've heard that You can't work a lot in Germany. For example, if you have 2 jobs, you can't make more than 400 euros in your second job. Why is that?

Answer 1

Hi,

kat is right. The 400 Euro rule only applies for jobs you don't want to pay social security fees, which are almost 20 percent of your salary, usually split by half between employer and employee.

Answer 2

Hi,

that must sound confusing - and the reason it does is because it's not true, or let's say it's been simplified.

The 400-euro-rule applies to so-called mini jobs. This means that, while you have to register this job with social security, your employer doesn't have to cover insurance cost for you. That makes you a desirable employee for him, of course, and minijobs are supposed to make it attractive to employers to give jobs to people they wouldn't normally give jobs to, or to establish one more post that they wouldn't establish if they had to pull the full insurance rates.

Also, the job has to be short-term (there's an actual definition of this) and it's not supposed to be your actual job - more like a side-job, like stacking shelves in the evening or something.

So, you can have two jobs and make as much from them as you like. But if you want your second one classified as a minijob with the benefits that come with this, then it's true you are not allowed to make more than 400 euros per month.

(you're allowed to make 500 in one of the months if a colleague is sick or on holiday and covering for him)