Minimum Wage 2026 for Temporary Help and Short-Term Jobs: What Employers Must Know

There's a misconception that regularly costs small businesses money and trouble: "For temporary help for a few hours I won't be too strict about the minimum wage." Yes, you must. The statutory minimum wage applies to all employees — Minijobbers, short-term staff, weekend help, day workers. There is no "small solution" here.

This article brings the 2026/2027 figures up to date, shows what they mean for your ads and your costing, and names the mistakes that really get expensive in practice. It does not replace tax or professional guidance — but it ensures you don't walk into the trap out of ignorance.

On 1 January 2026 the statutory minimum wage rose to €13.90 per hour. On 1 January 2027 it rises again, to €14.60. The federal government summarises the steps under Minimum wage rose on 1 January; a compact framing is also in the Minijob magazine.

Directly coupled to it is the Minijob limit: since 2026 €603 per month, from 2027 €633. This coupling is no coincidence but statutory since 2022 — if the minimum wage rises, the limit rises automatically with it. For you this means: you must think of both values together, not separately.

For the Minijob the useful rule of thumb: €603 divided by €13.90 is roughly 43 hours a month, about ten per week. If you plan temporary help ongoing beyond that, it's no longer a Minijob but employment subject to social security — with different obligations. From 2027 the hour calculation shifts slightly, because €633 divided by €14.60. Whoever makes rosters for longer periods should plan for this now instead of being shocked in December.

For short-term employment there is no earnings limit, but the minimum wage still applies in full — and the time limit (3 months or 70 working days in a calendar year) is a separate matter. The Federal Employment Agency explains the terms in the Minijob glossary; the details on the earnings limit are at the Minijob-Zentrale.

Many businesses hide the hourly wage in the ad "for negotiation reasons". That's usually an own goal. What really happens when you clearly write €13.90 (or more):

• You get fewer but more suitable applications — nobody applies and then backs out on the phone over the pay.
• You look reputable. A concrete figure is a trust signal, especially for short-term jobs.
• You pre-sort unrealistic expectations automatically.

Transparent pay is, in a tight market, one of the cheapest levers to raise application quality. What a clear ad looks like is shown in the article "Job ads in three languages"; the Minijob vs. short-term model question is covered in "Minijob 2026: earnings limit, minimum wage, and hours explained simply".

From practice — here is where it most often goes wrong:

1. Undercutting "cash in hand". Cash below minimum wage is not a saving model but a tangible risk in inspections.
2. Not documenting working time. Especially for Minijob and short-term: without clean time tracking, minimum-wage compliance cannot be proven. This also protects you.
3. Forgetting 2027. Contracts and rosters that only count with €13.90 come under pressure at the turn of the year. Think ahead today.
4. Registration "later". A platform brings you the applicant — registration (e.g. with the Minijob-Zentrale) and payroll remain the employer's duty.

For temporary help, the minimum wage is not a detail you can handle "flexibly" — it's the baseline below which nothing goes, plus a 2027 step you should plan for now. Whoever writes it transparently into the ad and documents times cleanly spares themselves trouble and gets better applicants. Vardio is a multilingual job platform that connects you directly with applicants — correct pay and registration practice remains yours, and exactly this care makes you attractive as an employer.