Is insurance mandatory for a Werkstudent?

Yes. As a student enrolled at a German university you already have to be health-insured, and being a Werkstudent does not change that. What Werkstudent status changes are the contributions deducted from your job: if the rules are met, you are exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance in that job and only pay your pension-insurance share.

#1. Your own student insurance (KVdS)

• Students enrolled at state or state-recognised universities are compulsorily insured, at most until their 30th birthday; after that only if the type of education or family/personal reasons justify it (§ 5 SGB V).
• In 2026 the student rate is calculated from the same basis at every statutory insurer: health = 10.22 percent of 855 € = 87.38 €, plus your insurer's additional contribution (Zusatzbeitrag). Long-term care comes on top: 35.91 € if you are 23 or older without children, 30.78 € if you are under 23 or have a child. The total varies slightly between insurers.
• When compulsory student insurance ends, your membership continues as a voluntary membership – unless you declare your exit within two weeks of your insurer's notice and prove other coverage.
• If you are over 30, ask your Krankenkasse what changes for your Werkstudent job.

#2. Deductions in a Werkstudent job

• Pension insurance 2026: 18.6 percent in total, your share 9.3 percent.
• Health, long-term care and unemployment insurance: exempt in the job; you pay your student premium separately.
• Condition: regularly no more than 20 hours a week during the lecture period (all employers combined). Exceeding this is allowed for up to 26 weeks a year in the evening, at night, at weekends or during semester breaks.

#Minijobs work differently

Up to 603 € a month (7,236 € a year) in 2026. Minijobs are pension-insurance liable: the employer pays 15 percent, you pay 3.6 percent. You can ask your employer in writing to be exempted, which removes your share. A Minijob does not insure you for health – you still pay your student premium yourself.

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