The statutory minimum wage (Mindestlohn) covers almost everyone working in Germany – full-time, part-time, minijobs and seasonal work, whatever your nationality. Nothing lower can be agreed; such an agreement is invalid.
Minimum wage in 2026 and 2027
| From | Gross minimum wage per hour |
|---|---|
| 1 January 2026 | €13.90 |
| 1 January 2027 | €14.60 |
At 40 hours a week, €13.90 is about €2,400 gross a month. What you take home depends on your tax class and health insurance: German payslip explained
Minijob limit
The minijob limit is tied to the minimum wage: €603 a month in 2026 – about 43 hours at minimum wage. Above that is a "midijob" (up to €2,000, with lower social security contributions). More: minijobs in Germany
Who is not covered?
- Under-18s without a completed vocational qualification
- Apprentices – they get a minimum training allowance instead
- Compulsory internships and some voluntary internships of up to three months
- Long-term unemployed people during the first six months of a new job
- Volunteers
Sector minimum wages
Some sectors have higher sector minimum wages. In care (Pflege), for example, since July 2025:
- Care assistants: €16.10
- Qualified care assistants (at least one year of training): €17.35
- Registered care professionals: €20.50
These rates rise again in July 2026. Trades, building cleaning or scaffolding can have their own minimum wages too – German customs (Zoll) publishes the current rates.
How to check your pay
- Take the gross pay from your payslip.
- Add up all hours actually worked that month, including overtime.
- Divide gross pay by hours. If the result is below €13.90, something is wrong.
Also watch out for:
- Piece rates or pay per room are allowed, but must not fall below the minimum wage per hour.
- Set-up time, compulsory meetings, changing into required workwear at work and travel between customers count as working time.
- Costs for workwear, accommodation or tools cannot simply be deducted from the minimum wage.
- You cannot waive the minimum wage, and deadlines in your contract (Ausschlussfristen) do not apply to it.
If you are paid less
- Record your hours – day, start, end, breaks. How: working hours, breaks and overtime
- Claim the missing pay from your employer in writing.
- The Federal Labour Ministry's minimum wage hotline can advise you, and you can report violations anonymously to the customs unit against undeclared work (Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit).
- Unions and advice centres such as Faire Integration help for free and in many languages.
Frequently asked questions
Is the minimum wage gross or net?+
Gross. €13.90 is the hourly pay before tax and social security. What you take home depends on your tax class, health insurance and church tax.
Do tips count towards the minimum wage?+
No. Tips are yours and do not count. Your employer must pay at least €13.90 gross per hour.
Does the minimum wage apply if my employer is a foreign company?+
Yes. Anyone working in Germany is entitled to the German minimum wage, wherever the employer is based.
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