Status: 07/17/2023 5:50 a.m
Holiday jobs are particularly popular during the summer holidays. After all, in the six weeks of free time, in addition to vacationing with the family, you can also top up your pocket money. But who is allowed to work during the holidays? And how long and which jobs are allowed?
Delivering newspapers, arranging shelves in the supermarket or cleaning holiday apartments – there are many holiday jobs depending on the region. But even those who want to explore their professional prospects have the opportunity to do so with a suitable holiday job. However, there are a few things that students, parents and potential employers must bear in mind.
This is what the Youth Employment Protection Act says about holiday jobs
The Youth Employment Protection Act (JArbSchG) regulates how long pupils, at what age and where, are allowed to work. Basically, it states that the employment of students under the age of 15 is prohibited. However, there are exceptions for vacation or temporary jobs. However, children and young people under the age of 18 always require a declaration of consent from a legal guardian. If a child is younger than 13 years, there are hardly any opportunities for a holiday job, since legal guardians usually have to be present. For example, short assignments as a model or in film/television shoots or theater performances would be possible. But this only in a much smaller number of hours than with children from 13 and with much more official effort (§6 JArbSchG).
Holiday jobs for children aged 13 and over
Children who have reached the age of 13 and young people who are still subject to full-time compulsory education are allowed to work up to two hours a day, but not between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. (and not before or during school hours). Children are allowed to work on family farms who have reached the age of 13 can also work up to three hours a day. In both cases, the prerequisite is that the work is easy and suitable for children.
Based on the Child Labor Protection Ordinance (KindArbSchV), the following is permitted:
Delivery of newspapers Handouts for sports Activities in the household (errands, childcare, tutoring, shopping – except for alcohol and tobacco products, care for pets) Harvest and field cultivation, self-marketing of products and animal care Activities at non-commercial events of churches, clubs, associations and parties Activities in companies of the commercial economy are not allowed
Holiday jobs for children aged 15 and over
Young people from the age of 15 may be employed during the school holidays for a maximum of four weeks (or 20 working days per calendar year) (§ 5 Para. 4 JArbSchG). The daily and weekly working hours must be from Monday to Friday between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. A maximum of eight hours a day and 40 hours a week are permitted (§ 8 JArbSchG). Children under the age of 18 are not allowed to work on weekends, public holidays or at night. Overtime is also not allowed.
In addition, young people under the age of 18 are not allowed to do the following dangerous and heavy work (§ 22 JArbSchG):
Moving heavy loads Activities that are at risk of accidents Work in unusually hot or cold conditions, in very wet or dusty conditions Handling harmful substances, chemicals, etc. Piece work (§ 23 Para. 1 JArbSchG)
Holiday jobs: exceptions for young people aged 16 and over
Young people from the age of 16 are also allowed to work in restaurants until 10 p.m. If the company works in shifts or if it is a holiday job at concerts or other music events, working hours up to 11 p.m. are also permitted. A holiday job at the baker’s is also possible from 4 a.m. at the age of 16. For holiday jobs in hospitals, bakeries, restaurants and theaters, the ban on working at weekends will also be lifted. The prerequisite is that the week remains five days, meaning that the young person has one or two days off during the week.
These break and rest periods apply to holiday jobs
The break and rest times for students in holiday jobs are also specified in the Youth Employment Protection Act (JArbSchG). Depending on age and working hours, different regulations also apply here:
Break times: If the working time is more than four and a half hours, young people must take a break of at least 30 minutes. For more than six hours, the break must be 60 minutes. Rest periods: After the end of the daily working time, an uninterrupted free time of 12 hours must be possible.
This is what children and young people are allowed to earn in holiday jobs
When it comes to the earning potential of a holiday job, it depends on your age: if you are under the age of 18 and have not completed your training, you are not entitled to the minimum wage. There is also no earnings limit for minors, so that children and young people can also earn more than a mini-jobber, i.e. more than 520 euros. The employer can set the salary for a holiday job himself. It is only important that the legally prescribed working hours are not exceeded. The entitlement to child benefit also remains for minor children, regardless of earnings.
Does the earnings from the holiday job have to be taxed?
Earnings from holiday jobs are usually tax-free for students, even if they exceed the limit of 520 euros. The prerequisite, however, is that the holiday job is limited to three months or 70 working days. Only when this limit is exceeded is the holiday job subject to social security contributions and wage tax and social benefits are deducted from the gross salary as usual.
What should be considered with holiday jobs and citizen’s income?
If one parent or both receive citizen income, since July 1, 2023, schoolchildren can earn as much as they want and can with their holiday job without this income being offset against the citizen income. However, it is important that the child is not older than 25 and that the holiday job is really only done during the holidays. Until recently, the exemption limit for this was 2,400 or 1,200 euros.