Which insurance mini jobbers in Germany need depends on the rest of your situation: a mini job up to 603 euros a month gives you statutory accident and pension cover, but no health insurance. That must come from elsewhere, for example family insurance. Privately, personal liability for about 40 to 120 euros a year matters, and think twice before opting out of pension insurance.
As of October 2026; earnings limit and contributions from the Minijob-Zentrale, laws checked.
Employee liability for slight negligence is based on case law on internal loss sharing.
The assessment of disability insurance is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Worked example
Mini jobber, 41, 450 euros in a business, family insured through her husband
Health insurance and accident cover at work are already in place.
Pension contribution, own share 3.6 percent
16.20 euros a month
Family personal liability, often already through the husband
about 5 to 15 euros a month for the family
Private accident insurance, optional
about 5 to 15 euros a month
Only the pension contribution is compulsory. Paying it builds compulsory contribution periods for the reduced earning capacity pension.
What mini jobbers already have by law
A mini job (Minijob) with an earnings limit means you earn no more than 603 euros a month on average. Your employer must register you with statutory accident insurance. Mini jobbers are then covered for accidents at work, on the way to work and occupational diseases without paying anything themselves.
Mini jobbers are compulsorily insured in pension insurance. The full rate is 18.6 percent; in a business you pay 3.6 percent yourself, in a private household 13.6 percent. The mini job does not give you health insurance.
Risk
What the mini job gives you
What mini jobbers sort out themselves
Accident at work or on the way
statutory accident insurance
accidents in free time
Illness
continued pay up to six weeks, no health insurance
health insurance via family, main job or voluntary
Reduced earning capacity
compulsory contributions unless you opt out
gap to your previous income
Damage to others in free time
nothing
personal liability
Damage to the employer
limited employee liability
nothing extra needed
Health insurance for mini jobbers
For mini jobbers, health insurance has to come from another source: family insurance through a spouse or parents, a main job, university or voluntary membership. Under section 10 Social Code V, income from a mini job up to the earnings limit is allowed in family insurance.
If the mini job is all you have and nothing else covers you, you must insure yourself voluntarily. That is the most expensive gap. Settle it with your health insurer before the mini job starts.
Pension insurance: opt out or not?
Under section 6 Social Code VI, mini jobbers can ask their employer to exempt them from pension insurance. You then save your share but lose compulsory contribution periods. The statutory reduced earning capacity pension under section 43 Social Code VI requires, among other things, three years of compulsory contributions in the last five years.
For mini jobbers without other pension cover, for example during family time, a few euros a month keep that claim alive. On 400 euros in a business it is 3.6 percent, so 14.40 euros. Opting out makes most sense if a main job already pays pension contributions.
Liability and accident cover for mini jobbers
Under the model conditions, personal liability covers the risks of daily life, not those of a job. Damage mini jobbers cause at work is therefore excluded. As an employee you are liable to the employer only if you are at fault, and for slight negligence usually not at all.
Personal liability for your free time stays important and costs about 40 to 120 euros a year for single people. Private accident insurance adds cover outside work, about 60 to 180 euros a year for office jobs.
What mini jobbers usually do not need
Employed mini jobbers need no professional liability, that is the employer’s matter. Disability insurance just for a mini job rarely fits, because the insurable pension depends on income. If you work self employed on the side instead, see our separate pages on business types.
Step by step
Check who covers your health insurance before the mini job starts.
Decide whether to keep pension insurance and record it in writing.
Check whether the family liability policy already includes you.
Add accident cover for free time if you want it.
Checklist
Average pay stays at no more than 603 euros a month
Health insurance exists independently of the mini job
Conscious decision on pension insurance
Personal liability for free time in place
Employer has registered the mini job
Common mistakes
Believing the mini job gives health insurance
Opting out of pension insurance without thinking
Buying professional liability for an employed mini job
Going over the earnings limit permanently with extra shifts
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Am I health insured through a mini job?
No.
You need health insurance through family, a main job, university or voluntary membership.
Am I covered for accidents in a mini job?
Yes, at work, on the way there and for occupational diseases.
The employer pays.
Should I opt out of pension insurance?
Only if you are pension insured elsewhere.
Otherwise you lose periods that count for the reduced earning capacity pension.
Will my personal liability pay if I break something at work?
No, work damage is excluded there.
As an employee your liability is limited.
Can I stay family insured with a mini job?
Yes, a mini job up to the earnings limit is allowed in family insurance.
