Working-Student Calculator 2026: Net Pay & Contributions
Calculate your 2026 net salary as a working student (Werkstudent) in Germany: thanks to the working-student privilege, you only pay pension insurance, no health, long-term-care or unemployment contributions.
Applies for up to 20 hours a week during term time.
Deductions in detail
- Gross salary
- €1,500.00
- Income tax
- −€9.25
- Pension insurance
- −€139.50
- Unemployment insurance
- −€0.00
- Health insurance
- −€0.00
- Long-term care insurance
- −€0.00
- Net salary
- €1,351.25
What your employer pays per month — your gross plus the employer social-insurance contributions.
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How the working-student privilege works
As a working student, the "Werkstudentenprivileg" means you only pay the employee share of pension insurance (9.3% up to the contribution ceiling), no health, long-term-care or unemployment insurance (§6 para. 1 no. 3 SGB V, §20 para. 2 SGB XI, §27 para. 4 SGB III).
Income tax applies normally by your tax class, but only once your taxable income exceeds the basic allowance (2026: €12,348 per year, roughly €1,029 per month in tax class I). Below that, no running income tax is withheld.
The privilege only applies up to 20 hours a week during term time; during semester breaks you can work more without losing the status. If you work more than that on an ongoing basis, full social contributions apply as for a regular job.
Distinction from a mini-job: up to the marginal-earnings threshold (2026: €603 a month), mini-job rules apply instead, with their own logic (including a pension opt-out). Above that, but within the 20-hour rule, the working-student privilege applies.
Frequently asked questions
- What contributions does a working student pay?
- Only pension insurance (9.3% employee share). No health, long-term-care or unemployment insurance thanks to the working-student privilege. Income tax can apply depending on the amount and tax class.
- From when does a working student pay income tax?
- Once taxable income exceeds the basic allowance (2026: €12,348 per year, roughly €1,029 per month in tax class I). Over-withheld tax is often refunded via the annual tax return.
- What is the 20-hour rule?
- During term time, a working student may work at most 20 hours a week for the working-student privilege (no health/care/unemployment liability) to apply. More is possible during semester breaks.
- Working student or mini-job, which applies to me?
- Up to the marginal-earnings threshold (2026: €603 a month), mini-job rules apply, with a pension opt-out option. Above that, but within the 20-hour rule, the working-student privilege applies. See the mini-job calculator for details.
- Why does my actual net pay differ from this result?
- This calculator uses the official Vorsorgepauschale in the income-tax withholding, which can slightly deviate for students who pay no health/care contributions. It does not replace an actual payslip.
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As of (tax year 2026) · last verified: 2026-07
Sources: § 6 Abs. 1 Nr. 3 SGB V (Werkstudentenprivileg Krankenversicherung), § 27 Abs. 4 SGB III (Arbeitslosenversicherung), § 172 SGB VI (Rentenversicherung), BMF: Programmablaufplan Lohnsteuer 2026
Calculation logic editorially reviewed by the Nomado24 team. Not tax advice.