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Use case · For payroll software and payroll providers

Check the mini-job limit: hours and hourly wage against the limit

A warning before more hours or a higher hourly wage push a mini-job (Minijob) over the limit.

On January 15, 2027, the mini-job limit is €633.00 a month. At the minimum wage of €14.60, that allows at most as many full hours as the limit divided by the hourly wage. Since October 2022, the limit rises automatically with the minimum wage (§ 8 Abs. 1a SGB IV).

1

Record hours and hourly wage for each mini-job.

2

Fetch the mini-job limit and minimum wage for the month, including future levels via naechster_wert.

3

If the limit will be exceeded, warn in good time and prepare the switch to the transition zone (Übergangsbereich).

What pushes a job over the limit

Since October 2022, the mini-job limit has been tied to the minimum wage: minimum wage times 130, divided by 3, rounded up to full euros. A minimum wage increase alone therefore does not push a mini-job over the limit. More hours or an hourly wage above the minimum wage do.

The maximum hours for each level are in the minimum wage table. If pay goes above the limit, the midi-job transition zone begins, with its own contribution calculation.

How the software checks

  • Calculate monthly pay as hours times hourly wage, with one-off payments included pro rata.
  • Compare it with the mini-job limit for the month, and with the future level for the coming months.
  • Exceeding the limit occasionally and unforeseeably is harmless in up to two calendar months within a 12-month period (Zeitjahr), as long as pay stays at or below twice the limit (§ 8 Abs. 1b SGB IV).

What the call looks like

Example with the dataset Minimum wage and mini-job limit. The response comes from the same code as the API.

api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/mindestlohn?datum=2027-01-15
Zur API-Doku →
curl "https://api.quellenkontor.dev/v1/hr/mindestlohn?datum=2027-01-15" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $QK_KEY"
Antwort200 OK · JSON
{
  "datensatz": "mindestlohn",
  "datum": "2027-01-15",
  "mindestlohn_brutto_stunde": 14.6,
  "minijob_grenze_monat": 633,
  "gueltig_ab": "2027-01-01",
  "gueltig_bis": null,
  "rechtsgrundlage": "Fünfte Mindestlohnanpassungsverordnung vom 5. November 2025 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 268), Stufe 2",
  "quelle": {
    "titel": "Fünfte Mindestlohnanpassungsverordnung vom 5. November 2025 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 268)",
    "url": "https://www.recht.bund.de/bgbl/1/2025/268/VO.html"
  },
  "minijob_rechtsgrundlage": "§ 8 Abs. 1a SGB IV (Mindestlohn × 130 ÷ 3, aufgerundet auf volle Euro)",
  "minijob_quelle": {
    "titel": "Bekanntmachung der Geringfügigkeitsgrenze nach § 8 Absatz 1a SGB IV vom 7. November 2025 (BAnz AT 20.11.2025 B1)",
    "url": "https://www.bundesanzeiger.de/pub/publication/VaPRG6wPGXte9CM3jI4/content/VaPRG6wPGXte9CM3jI4/BAnz%20AT%2020.11.2025%20B1.pdf"
  },
  "vorheriger_wert": {
    "gueltig_ab": "2026-01-01",
    "mindestlohn_brutto_stunde": 13.9,
    "minijob_grenze_monat": 603
  },
  "naechster_wert": null,
  "hinweise": [
    "Die Minijob-Grenze gilt je Monat. Gelegentliches unvorhersehbares Überschreiten ist in engen Grenzen erlaubt (§ 8 Abs. 1b SGB IV).",
    "Die Pauschalabgaben des Arbeitgebers für Minijobs (Kranken- und Rentenversicherung, Pauschsteuer, Umlagen) liefert der Datensatz minijob-abgaben (/v1/hr/minijob-abgaben)."
  ],
  "lizenz": "Werte aus amtlichen Werken (§ 5 UrhG). Nutzung der Zusammenstellung nach den Nutzungsbedingungen von Quellenkontor.",
  "stand": "2026-09-23",
  "zitat": "Gesetzlicher Mindestlohn in Deutschland am 15.01.2027: 14,60 Euro brutto je Stunde, gültig ab 01.01.2027. Minijob-Grenze: 633 Euro im Monat. Rechtsgrundlage: Fünfte Mindestlohnanpassungsverordnung vom 5. November 2025, Stufe 2. Quelle: Fünfte Mindestlohnanpassungsverordnung vom 5. November 2025 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 268), https://www.recht.bund.de/bgbl/1/2025/268/VO.html. Daten: Quellenkontor (quellenkontor.dev).",
  "datenstand": "2026-09-23.1"
}

Frequently asked questions

How many hours can a mini-job have?

The mini-job limit divided by the hourly wage, rounded down. At the minimum wage, the maximum hours for each level are in the minimum wage table.

What happens above the limit?

The job becomes subject to social insurance. Up to the upper limit of the transition zone, the midi-job (Midijob) rules apply, with reduced employee contributions.

Datasets used

Minimum wage and mini-job limit

Statutory minimum wage (Mindestlohn) and mini-job earnings limit (Geringfügigkeitsgrenze) for any date since 2015.

APIMCPwith every adjustment

Midi-job transition zone

Lower and upper limit of the transition zone and factor F for any date.

APIMCPyearly and whenever the limits change

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