Guide to Working as a Werkstudent in Germany (2025)
The term Werkstudent refers to a university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) student who works part-time in a field related to their studies, gaining practical experience without pushing their academic work into the background.
Basic requirements:
You must be enrolled at a state or state-recognised university or Fachhochschule.
Your job should have a professional or thematic connection to your degree programme or academic research.
During the lecture period
| Period | Maximum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture period | 20 hours/week | Exceeding 20 hours (e.g. evenings or weekends) is only tolerated in exceptional cases and must not interfere with your studies (TimO – Time Management Office). |
During university holidays
There is no strict upper limit.
You may work full-time or close to full-time during official semester breaks and public holidays.
26-week rule
You may work more than 20 hours per week for up to 26 weeks per calendar year.
If you exceed this and work more than 20 hours/week for more than 26 weeks, you will be treated as a regular employee for social insurance purposes, with full contributions to all branches of social security (Die Techniker).
The statutory minimum wage is €12.82 gross per hour as of 1 January 2025.
Employers must pay at least this amount also to students, regardless of the industry (مين بركتكم).
Example calculation:
20 hours/week × €12.82 ≈ €1,000 gross per month, depending on the number of weeks in the month.
Exemptions for Werkstudenten:
As long as you comply with the 20-hours rule during the lecture period, you are usually exempt from employee contributions to:
Health insurance (Krankenversicherung – KV)
Long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung – PV)
Unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung – ALV)
Statutory accident insurance
(Die Techniker).
Pension insurance (Rentenversicherung – RV):
For monthly incomes between €556 and €2,000, the so-called transition zone (Übergangsbereich / Gleitzone) applies.
In this range, the employer pays the larger share, while your share of the pension contributions gradually increases as your income rises (gruendung.de).
If you earn more than €2,000 gross per month, the pension contribution is essentially split 50/50:
roughly 9.35% of your gross salary is paid by you,
roughly 9.35% is paid by your employer.
Student health insurance:
If you are enrolled in statutory student health insurance, you pay a fixed monthly contribution for health and long-term care insurance, independent of your Werkstudent job.
No additional KV/PV share is deducted from your Werkstudent salary; the employer pays only their usual fixed contribution.
Annual tax-free allowance (Grundfreibetrag):
In 2025, the basic tax-free allowance is €12,096 per calendar year.
If your total annual gross income remains below this threshold, you usually do not owe income tax (مين بركتكم, Campusjäger).
Deductions and tax returns:
If you exceed the basic allowance or are in an unfavourable tax class, your employer may withhold income tax from your salary.
By filing an income tax return, you can deduct, for example:
Study-related costs (books, laptop, software)
Commuting costs to work
This often allows you to reclaim part or all of the income tax paid.
Kindergeld (child benefit):
You can usually receive Kindergeld up to the age of 25 while in your first course of education.
The key factor is that you are primarily engaged in your studies; a typical Werkstudent job of around 20 hours/week is generally compatible with this.
As a rough guideline, many refer to a monthly income of about €1,000, but the Family Benefits Office (Familienkasse) or tax office makes the final decision.
BAföG (student grants):
Income from a Werkstudent job is generally taken into account for BAföG.
Currently, the annual allowance is about €5,400. Up to this amount, your Werkstudent earnings are typically not deducted from your BAföG.
If you exceed this amount, your BAföG rate may be reduced.
(Always check the current BAföG regulations, as thresholds may change.)
Student residence permit (§ 16b AufenthG):
With a standard student residence permit, you are usually allowed to work up to 140 full days or 280 half days per year.
In some cases, authorities accept a Werkstudent arrangement that allows for longer or more flexible work, provided that:
your job is closely related to your studies or research, and
the foreigners’ office (Ausländerbehörde) explicitly agrees (stadt.muenchen.de, roedl.de).
Practical steps:
Check the remarks on your electronic residence permit (eAT) or supplementary sheet to see if Werkstudententätigkeit is mentioned as allowed.
Ask your department or academic supervisor for a confirmation that the job is related to your degree.
Make sure you do not exceed 20 hours/week during the semester, so you can keep the Werkstudent social insurance privileges.
Employment contract (Arbeitsvertrag):
Always insist on a written contract, stating:
agreed weekly working hours
hourly wage or gross monthly salary
start date and, if applicable, end date
holiday entitlement
Minijob-Zentrale:
A Werkstudent position is not registered as a Minijob, since it is treated as student employment under social insurance law.
Your health insurance fund must have you registered as “studentisch versichert” as long as the conditions are fulfilled.
Informing your university:
Some universities or student services may ask you to notify them of your employment, to make sure you still qualify for the student health insurance contribution.
Recording your hours:
Keep precise records of your working hours (e.g. timesheets, apps).
This will help you prove that you comply with the 20-hours rule and the 26-week rule.
Choose a job related to your field: Aim for a position that matches your degree and career plans – this makes your CV much stronger.
Prioritise your studies: Plan your schedule carefully so that your job does not harm your exam performance or coursework.
Update your CV regularly: Add new responsibilities, tools, projects and achievements from your job.
Use your network: Build and maintain contacts with
supervisors,
colleagues,
professors, and
fellow students
to improve your chances for future jobs or internships.
Watch tax deadlines: Note the deadlines for your tax return, so you do not miss potential refunds.
Conclusion:
Working as a Werkstudent enables you to earn a decent income, gain valuable work experience in your field and still benefit from favourable tax and social insurance rules, as long as you follow the legal limits. Start by identifying your skills and interests, look for suitable positions via university job boards, LinkedIn or XING, and use this opportunity to combine academic learning with real-world practice in the best possible way.
The editorial team of the website strives to provide accurate information based on extensive research and multiple reliable sources. Nevertheless, errors may occur or certain details may change or remain uncertain. The content of this article should therefore be regarded as an initial reference only; for binding and individual advice, please contact the relevant authorities, universities, health insurance funds or professional advisory services.
