Working while you study in Germany: the short version
In Germany's last big student survey, 63% of students worked alongside their studies, on average about 15 hours a week (2021 data).[1] As an Indian master's student, you can work without approval from the Federal Employment Agency, within a yearly limit.[2]
Key takeaways
- 140 full or 280 half days a year; a working day of up to four hours counts as half a day.[2]
- Student-assistant jobs (HiWi) at universities and research institutions don't count towards the limit.[2]
- Minimum wage: €13.90 an hour in 2026 and €14.60 from 1 January 2027, and it applies to students.[3][4]
- Minijob up to €603 a month in 2026 (€633 in 2027): usually no tax for you.[5][6][7]
- Working student (Werkstudent): up to 20 hours a week in term keeps you free of health, care and unemployment insurance contributions; pension insurance still applies.[8]
- Don't overdo it: working too much can delay your studies and, in the worst case, put your residence permit at risk.[4]
The rules for non-EU students: 140 days, 280 half days
| Rule | What it means |
|---|---|
| Yearly limit | Up to 140 full days or 280 half days a year, without approval from the Federal Employment Agency[2] |
| Half day | A working day of up to four hours[2] |
| 20 hours a week | Make it in Germany also describes an alternative of up to 20 hours a week during the lecture period, and unrestricted work in semester breaks.[2] The Studierendenwerk's flyer describes this weekly method as counting up to 20 hours a week in term, and any work in the lecture-free period (even full-time), as 2½ days a week against the quota; the method can change week by week.[4] If in doubt, ask your foreigners authority. |
| Student-assistant jobs | Academic work at universities (HiWi) isn't subject to the limit[2] |
| Internships | Compulsory internships in your degree don't count; voluntary internships, paid or unpaid, do[4] |
| Self-employment | Needs approval from the foreigners authority, which checks whether it would hinder your studies[2] |
The same rule is printed on our students' visas; you can see one in our main guide. Before you start any job you'll need your tax ID, which arrives after your city registration.
Types of student jobs: minijob, working student, HiWi
| Type | Pay and limits | Tax and insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Minijob | Up to €603 a month (2026), €633 (2027)[5][6] | If the employer pays the 2% flat-rate tax, you pay no tax and don't declare it.[7][9] Pension insurance applies, but you can ask your employer for an exemption.[10] |
| Working student (Werkstudent) | Usually up to 20 hours a week in term; more in semester breaks, for at most 26 weeks (182 days) a year[8][11] | No health, care or unemployment insurance contributions; pension contributions are shared with your employer.[8][11] Wage tax may be withheld. |
| Student assistant (HiWi) | At your university or a research institute; posted on university job boards[12] | Outside the 140/280-day limit[2] |
| Internship | Compulsory internships, and voluntary internships alongside your studies of up to three months, are exempt from the minimum wage[3][13] | Voluntary internships count towards your work days[4] |
Tax and insurance on student jobs
- Tax ID first. Your employer needs your tax identification number.[14]
- Wage tax and contributions are withheld directly from your pay in regular jobs.[14]
- The tax-free allowance is €12,348 for 2026.[14] A bill in the Bundestag would raise it to €12,564 for 2027.[15]
- Get your money back: a tax return is voluntary for most students in tax class I, but filing one can be worth it: it can get back tax that was withheld if your income stays under the allowance.[14]
- Health insurance: as a working student you stay insured as a student and pay no extra health contributions on your job, as long as you keep to the 20-hour rule in term.[8]
Free calculator: your pay and your work days
How much you'd earn, and how many days you'd use
Enter your planned job. You'll get your monthly and yearly gross pay, your work days against the 140/280 limit, and the minijob, working-student and tax thresholds that apply.
An estimate. The day count follows the 140 full / 280 half-day rule; your foreigners authority has the final word.
Where to find student jobs in Germany
- Your university's job boardStudent-assistant (HiWi) jobs are posted there. TUM, for example, has a digital bulletin board and points to the Munich Studierendenwerk's job board.[12]
- The Federal Employment Agency's job searchIt lists internships and student jobs; a search for "Studenten" returned 4,562 results when we checked.[16]
- Studierendenwerk job servicesSome run free job boards for student assistants and working students, such as the Studentenwerk Gießen.[17]
- Company career pages and LinkedInSearch "Werkstudent" plus your field and city. Engineering and IT firms post working-student roles all year.
- Your networkProfessors, labs, alumni and seniors from India often hear about roles first.
What helps you get hired: a German-style CV (see our German-style CV guide) and German. The Federal Employment Agency says English alone is often not enough;[18] read our guide on the German level employers expect.
What can you realistically earn?
At the 2026 minimum wage of €13.90, a 20-hour week during term comes to about €1,200 a month gross; many working-student jobs in engineering and IT pay more. In Germany's 2021 student survey, students had average total monthly income of over €1,100 (from all sources).[1] Work helps with living costs, but it doesn't replace the blocked account for your visa, and it shouldn't come before your exams. Your monthly budget is in our cost of studying guide.
Student jobs and your residence permit
- Study progress comes first. The Karlsruhe foreigners authority, for example, says you must not unreasonably delay your studies and asks for proof of progress; exceeding the average study duration by up to three semesters is generally accepted.[19]
- Your permit states the limit. Berlin's study residence permit allows employment for a total of 140 full working days a calendar year.[20]
- Funding proof: Make it in Germany says a student assistant can generally prove their own funding with a job paying at least €992 a month (2026); confirm with your authority.[2] See our guide to the residence permit extension.
8 student job mistakes international students make
- Losing count of work days across several jobs and going over 140.
- Working full-time in term and losing working-student insurance status.
- Accepting less than the minimum wage "because you're a student".
- Cash-in-hand work with no contract or payslip.
- Freelancing without the foreigners authority's approval.
- Not filing a tax return and leaving withheld tax unclaimed.
- Treating a voluntary internship as free when it counts towards your days.
- Letting work delay exams, which can cost you your permit extension.
How Yastudy helps you land a student job
The students who find working-student roles quickly arrive with German, a German-style CV and a plan. We help with all three.
- B1 German opens far more roles in our experience: our German B1 course, or start with A1.
- A CV in the format German employers expect: our CV service.
- The Premium Germany master's plan includes a job-ready kit: German CV, working-student job search and LinkedIn review.
Let Yastudy do this with you: Germany master’s plans
This step is part of every Yastudy plan for public universities in Germany. Pay online and your counsellor calls you within one working day with a dated plan for APS, the dMAT, tests, applications and the visa.
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Student jobs in Germany: 14 questions Indian students ask
Rules
How many hours can international students work in Germany?
Non-EU students can work 140 full days or 280 half days a year; a day of up to four hours is a half day. Make it in Germany also describes an alternative of up to 20 hours a week during lectures. Student-assistant jobs at universities don't count.
Can I work full-time in semester breaks?
Yes. Counted day by day, every full day uses one of your 140. Under the weekly method, Make it in Germany says work in semester breaks is unrestricted, and the Studierendenwerk counts each break week, even full-time, as 2½ days. Ask your foreigners authority which method applies. As a working student, you keep your insurance status for more than 20 hours a week for up to 26 weeks a year, in breaks or evenings and weekends.
Do internships count towards the 140 days?
Compulsory internships in your degree don't; voluntary internships, paid or unpaid, do.
Can I freelance or start a business as a student in Germany?
Only with approval from your foreigners authority, which checks that it won't hinder your studies.
Do I need permission to work as a student?
Not from the Federal Employment Agency for jobs within the 140/280-day limit. The limit is printed on your visa and residence permit.
Pay and tax
What is the minimum wage in Germany in 2026?
€13.90 an hour gross, rising to €14.60 from 1 January 2027. It applies to students.
How much can a student earn in Germany?
A 20-hour week at the 2026 minimum wage is about €1,200 a month gross during term; working-student jobs in engineering and IT often pay more.
What is a minijob?
A job paying up to €603 a month in 2026 (€633 in 2027). If your employer pays the flat-rate tax, you pay no tax on it; pension insurance applies unless you ask for an exemption.
What is a working student (Werkstudent)?
An enrolled student working usually up to 20 hours a week in term. You pay no health, care or unemployment insurance contributions on the job, only your share of pension insurance.
Do students pay tax in Germany?
Wage tax may be withheld from regular jobs, but income up to the tax-free allowance (€12,348 in 2026) isn't taxed, so a voluntary tax return can get withheld tax back if your income stays under it.
Finding a job
Where can I find student jobs in Germany?
Your university's job board (for HiWi jobs), the Federal Employment Agency's job search, Studierendenwerk job services, company career pages and LinkedIn.
Can I get a student job without German?
Some, especially in IT and research, but the Federal Employment Agency says English alone is often not enough. B1 German opens many more jobs.
Can I work on a student visa before my course starts?
The same 140/280-day rule applies on the student visa and residence permit; if you're in Germany on the visa to apply for a university place, Make it in Germany says you can work up to 20 hours a week.
Can a student job replace the blocked account?
Not for the visa from India: you need the blocked account (or another accepted proof) first. Later, a student assistant earning at least €992 a month can generally use that job as proof of funds; confirm with your authority.
About this guide
Who wrote it
The Yastudy Germany Desk, with our team in Freising, Germany, who help students into their first jobs.
How we checked the facts
Checked on 11 October 2026 against Make it in Germany, Deutsches Studierendenwerk, BMAS, the Minijob-Zentrale, TK, BARMER, the German pension insurance, the NRW tax administration, the Bundestag, the Federal Employment Agency, TUM and foreigners authorities in Karlsruhe and Berlin.
When we update it
Each January (new minimum wage, minijob limit and tax allowance), and when work rules change.
Our standards
- We cite the rule behind every number.
- We never encourage working beyond your limits.
- Spotted something out of date? Email admission@yastudy.com.
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Sources
All checked on 11 October 2026. Where a source has a publication date, it's shown.
- Die Studierendenbefragung in Deutschland (22nd Social Survey): Executive summary: 63% of students work, about 15 hours a week (data from 2021) (May 2023)
- Make it in Germany (Federal Government portal): Working while studying (140 full days or 280 half-days) (Sep 2026)
- Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS): Minimum wage: €13.90 from 2026, €14.60 from 2027; exemptions (Jan 2026)
- Deutsches Studierendenwerk: Job regulations for international students in Germany (flyer) (Sep 2024)
- Minijob-Zentrale: Minijob 2026: earnings limit €603 a month (Apr 2026)
- Minijob-Zentrale: Minijob limit 2027: €633 a month (7 Oct 2026)
- Minijob-Zentrale: Paying tax in a minijob (Feb 2026)
- Techniker Krankenkasse (TK): What is the working-student rule? (Jun 2026)
- Minijob-Zentrale: FAQ: the 2% flat-rate tax
- Minijob-Zentrale: Exemption from pension insurance in a minijob
- BARMER: Health insurance for working students (Sep 2026)
- Technical University of Munich: Jobs and internships (Sep 2026)
- Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS): Glossary: internships and the minimum wage
- NRW tax administration (Finanzverwaltung NRW): Tax information for pupils and students (2026)
- German Bundestag: Income tax reform 2027: basic allowance to rise to €12,564 (bill, first reading) (8 Oct 2026)
- Federal Employment Agency: Job search: results for "Studenten" (11 Oct 2026)
- Deutsches Studierendenwerk: Studentenwerk Gießen launches a free job board (Dec 2022)
- Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit): German language skills for work in Germany
- City of Karlsruhe (foreigners authority): Residence permit for study: extension and study progress (Jul 2025)
- State of Berlin (service.berlin.de): Residence permit for study (documents)
