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Does personal liability insurance cover a side job in Germany?

In short

Only partly. German personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) excludes work risks as a rule. Some policies include small self-employed side activities up to a turnover limit, with single insurers up to about EUR 22,000 a year. As an employee in a Minijob your liability to the employer is usually limited, and volunteering is often included.

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Does personal liability insurance cover a side job in Germany?

What it costs

What cover for side work costs in Germany, based on published figures.

Example	Typical range
Side activity included in personal liability	EUR 0 extra, turnover limit up to about EUR 22,000 with single insurers
Side activity as an add-on	about EUR 10 to 20 extra a year
Business liability for a small trade	from about EUR 10 a month, around EUR 120 a year
Professional indemnity for advisory work	about EUR 100 to 250 a year

Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted figures. The price of an add-on is a guide value from our quoting practice. We check whether your activity is on the list before we quote.

Worked example

Employee with a side business as a wedding photographer

How to check whether personal liability is enough or you need a separate policy.

Turnover from photography	about EUR 9,000 a year
Personal liability with side activity clause	about EUR 80 to 120, photography on the list
Risk of lost photos, a pure financial loss	usually not covered by personal liability
Own business liability including financial losses	from about EUR 120 a year

The policy covers damage to property and people. If you want to answer for lost wedding photos, you need extra cover for around EUR 10 a month.

Why personal cover stops at work

Personal liability insurance is meant for the risks of everyday life. What you do in a job, in public service or in a registered business (Gewerbe) is usually excluded in the terms. That applies to a main job and a side job alike.

Whether you are covered therefore depends on the kind of side work you do and on what your policy says about it.

Kind of side work	Usual position in personal liability
Minijob as an employee, for example waiting tables	not covered, but your own liability is usually limited
Volunteering without a leading role	covered in many policies
Occasional babysitting or tutoring	depends on the policy, often covered
Small freelance business, for example online sales or photography	only with a side activity clause, up to the turnover limit
Trades, health care, consulting, transport	almost always excluded
Side business with your own staff	not covered, business liability needed

Employed in a Minijob: who pays if something happens?

If you drop a tray of glasses as a part-time helper, your personal liability insurance will not pay. That is often less bad than it sounds: under German case law on employee liability (Arbeitnehmerhaftung), employees usually pay nothing for slight negligence and only a share for medium negligence.

It gets harder with gross negligence or damage to customers and their property. Ask your employer whether their business liability covers such cases. Some personal liability policies also cover lost work keys, which is worth checking.

Freelancing on the side: the side activity clause

Some policies include small self-employed side activities, for example as a photographer, DJ, music or yoga teacher, or selling online. The terms then list the permitted activities and set a limit for annual turnover.

Know the limits of this solution: pure financial losses, damage to items you work on and product liability for goods you make are often missing. Private and work claims also share the same sum insured.

When you need your own business liability

As soon as you employ staff, work on other people's property, give advice, make products or exceed the turnover limit, personal cover is no longer enough. If a client asks for proof of business liability insurance (Betriebshaftpflicht), your private policy will not help either.

Business liability for a small trade is often cheaper than expected. For advisory work, professional indemnity insurance (Berufs- or Vermögensschadenhaftpflicht) is the right route.

Step by step

Clarify whether you work on the side as an employee or self-employed.
Search your terms for Nebentätigkeit, Nebenberuf or Ehrenamt.
Check whether your activity is listed and how high the turnover limit is.
Think about typical damage: to people, to property or purely financial.
If there are gaps, ask for business liability or professional indemnity.

Checklist

Activity named explicitly in the terms
Annual turnover safely below the limit
No staff of your own, not even on a Minijob basis
No work on other people's items and no own production
No client asks for proof of business liability

Common mistakes

Assuming every side job is automatically covered
Not adjusting cover when a side business grows past the limit
Offering advice without cover for financial losses
Hiring the first helper and not changing the cover

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Am I covered by personal liability in my Minijob?

No, damage at work is excluded. As an employee, however, you usually do not pay yourself for slight negligence.

Is volunteering covered?

In many policies yes, for example as a coach in a sports club. Offices such as a board seat are often excluded and should be insured through the club.

Does it cover my online sales?

Occasional private sales yes. A registered business only if the policy includes side activities and you stay below the turnover limit.

What happens if I exceed the turnover limit?

Then the side activity is usually no longer covered. Tell us early when turnover grows, so we can arrange business liability.

Are babysitting and tutoring covered?

Occasionally and on a small scale often yes. Regular paid work may count as a job, and every policy handles that differently.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Personal liability

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3Details

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