Can I get the full subsidy with a mini-job?
Last updated: · under the rules from 1 January 2027 · Publisher: INTERNA · responsible: Marc A. Schnitzler, in mortgage financing since 2005
Yes. Anyone in a mini-job (Minijob, a small job with a low wage) at a company who pays into the statutory pension insurance is eligible for the subsidy from 2027. If you then pay €150 a month into a subsidised home savings contract (Bausparvertrag, a savings contract with a building society), the state adds up to €540 a year. If you are under 25, you also get a one-off €200.
What makes you eligible
The subsidy does not depend on how much you earn. It depends on you paying into the pension insurance. In a new mini-job at a company this happens automatically, as long as you do not sign an application for exemption. You then pay 3.6% of your wage yourself, and your employer pays 15% on top.
The subsidy itself depends only on how much you pay into your contract. If you pay in €1,800 a year, that is €150 a month, you get the full basic subsidy of €540. That applies to a wage of €633 just as much as to €400.
Example: Joshua, 18, mini-job paying €633 a month
| per month | per year | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross wage | €633.00 | €7,596.00 |
| own contribution to the pension insurance (3.6%) | −€22.79 | −€273.46 |
| paid out | €610.21 | €7,322.54 |
| savings into the home savings contract | −€150.00 | −€1,800.00 |
| left to spend | €460.21 | €5,522.54 |
| basic subsidy from the state | +€540.00 | |
| starting bonus under 25, one-off | +€200.00 | |
| in the contract after the first year | €2,540.00 |
Joshua is an example person. The €150 he pays in each month is not lost; it remains in his contract. Contract costs and interest are not included in the calculation.
The money in the contract is meant for your retirement and your own home. If you have the subsidised savings paid out early, for example by cancelling, you have to pay back the subsidies and tax benefits.
When it does not work
- You have had yourself exempted from the pension insurance. Then the mini-job does not make you eligible. The exemption can be cancelled once, read how here.
- The mini-job is short-term, for example a holiday job for a few weeks. Then you do not pay into the pension insurance.
- You pay less than €120 a year into the contract. Below that there is no subsidy.
In a mini-job in a private household you pay 13.6% of your wage yourself, because the employer there only pays 5%. That is usually not worth it.
What happens to your parents’ child benefit
Your own contract does not change anything about child benefit (Kindergeld, the monthly state payment for children). As long as your parents receive child benefit for you, one parent can also get up to €300 child subsidy for you, in their own contract. This way a household can benefit twice.
How much subsidy does your household get? The subsidy calculator works out in one minute how much subsidy you can get. An advisor then checks with you whether everything fits your situation. This conversation is free of charge and in English.
Calculate your subsidyFrequently asked questions
How much subsidy do I get with a mini-job?
Up to €540 a year if you pay compulsory pension insurance contributions in your mini-job and pay €150 a month into a subsidised contract. Under 25 you also get a one-off €200.
Do I have to earn a lot to get the full subsidy?
No. The subsidy depends on how much you save, not on your wage. What matters is that you pay into the pension insurance.
Does this also apply to school pupils and students?
Yes, if they have a mini-job at a company and pay compulsory pension insurance contributions there. Students without such a job are not eligible.
Read more
Sources
- Minijob-Zentrale: compulsory pension insurance in a mini-job (in German)
- Minijob-Zentrale: which contribution has to be paid with compulsory pension insurance? (in German)
- Federal Ministry of Finance: questions and answers on the reform of private pensions (in German)
- Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 156: Altersvorsorgereformgesetz, the pension reform act (in German)
The money in the contract is meant for your retirement and your own home. If you have the subsidised savings paid out early, for example by cancelling the contract, you have to pay back the subsidies and tax benefits.
The examples explain the legal rules in simplified form. They do not replace tax or legal advice for your personal situation. Contract costs and interest are not included. This page was created with the help of artificial intelligence and translated from the German original. INTERNA is responsible for its content. More information