Students with a job might possibly be liable to social insurance deductions and obliged to pay for unemployment- and pension insurance. Instead of the share for the student health and long term care insurance they must make a contribution due to their work contract and their income.

A compulsory coverage depends on the fact whether the employees’ time and and labour are mainly occupied by his studies. The following kinds of jobs are exempted from fees for unemployment-, health- and long term care insurance:
•jobs that are restricted to the semester breaks,
• short-term jobs that are restricted to two months or 50 working days maximum per year (without regard to the amount of working hours and wage),
• jobs that require a working time of no more than 20 hours per week during the semester and which may exceed these working hours only during the semester break,
• jobs that require a working time of more than 20 hours per week, if the working time is adapted to the conditions of the studies (e.g. work during the weekend or in the evening).

If students have several short-term jobs during the calendar year, those are added up as well. If the time restriction should be exceeded, a compulsory coverage starts.

Fees for pension insurance are regulated as follows:
Employed students are liable to pay fees for pension insurance if their employment exceeds the limits of the current directive for the insurance-legal evaluation of marginal employment.

Marginal employment is defined as follows:
1. marginally paid jobs (400 € per month maximum)
2. short-term jobs (less than 50 working days or 2 months per year, respectively).

If students have several marginal employments, those are added up. As long as the income does not exceed 400 € per month, they stay exempted from paying the insurances noted above.

For an income above the lower earnings limit of 400 € up to 800 € there is a sliding pay-scale. Within this pay-scale, increasing insurance shares are payable according to the income.

In order to receive a pension at old age, contributions must have been made to the pension insurance during working life. This is called contribution period. The subsequent pension can also include certain non-contributory periods. These periods can affect the claim and the size of the pension. They include periods of training at schools or colleges and universities after the 17th year. There are only 3 years (36 months) creditable against the pension, though. If the period of training exceeds this period, which is usually the case, those 36 months are taken into account, which are chronologically the longest ago.

Furthermore, students can also acquire contribution periods during their periods of training, if they pay shares for the pension insurance while working. If jobs with a compulsory coverage are lying within the creditable three years, the pension insurance institution will check later on whether these jobs are more beneficial as creditable time or as contribution period.

Another important note concerning health- and long term care insurance: students who benefit from a family insurance via parents or spouse lose this free insurance cover if they regularly earn more than 360 € (with a minijob it is 400 €) per month (this limit may be exceeded unexpectedly for two times within twelve months). Who earns more, must take out a student health insurance of one’s own!

For further information please contact the Social Advice Centre at the Student Administration.