If you can't work full-time, you can work part-time on a €450 basis (a German "minijob"). Mothers are often at home for long stretches looking after their children. Since a full-time job is hard to manage with kids, many mothers work part-time.
Many employees have a low income. They often even have to take a €450 job in addition to their full-time job. The employer has to approve this, though.
A part-time job on a €450 basis is a marginal employment with low pay.
Monthly earnings may not exceed €450.
With a €450 part-time job, no contributions have to be paid into health, long-term care or unemployment insurance. So you are not covered by social insurance.
Only pension insurance contributions have to be paid. The employee can, however, opt out of mandatory pension insurance.
Anyone hired as a part-timer on a €450 basis is not covered by health insurance the way regular employees are.
Employees need to look into health insurance carefully and get covered some other way. Family coverage through a spouse is possible in such cases.
From a monthly income of €451, the employer pays contributions to health insurance. The employee is then registered with a health insurance fund, provided the employee isn't already a member of one.
If the employee or the employee's child falls ill, a minijob worker is entitled to continued pay. A female employee in a part-time job is also entitled to continued pay in the case of pregnancy and maternity.
Employees in marginal employment are entitled to continued pay during longer illnesses and on public holidays. They are also entitled to sick pay. (see EFZG, the German Continued Remuneration Act)
With a €450 job, you may work 52 hours a month if the hourly wage is €8.50.
If the hourly wage is €10, you may only work 45 hours a month.

Advantages of a €450 Job

  • no entries needed on the tax return
  • often flexible working hours
  • extra income on top of your regular income
  • unemployment benefits can be topped up

Disadvantages of a €450 Job

  • employer must approve a side job
  • no social insurance
  • earnings above €450 mean it's no longer a minijob

Employment Contract: Part-Time Work on a €450 Basis

An employment contract can be concluded verbally, since freedom of form generally applies.
If an employment contract is signed, it should include a few important points:

  • Job description
  • Hourly wage
  • Working hours
  • Notice periods
  • Vacation days
  • Probationary period
  • Illness
  • Confidentiality obligation

Vacation Pay and Vacation Entitlement for Part-Time Work on a €450 Basis

The German Federal Vacation Act regulates vacation for all employees. (§ 3 Abs. 1 BUrlG)
In a €450 part-time job, employees have a statutory vacation entitlement of at least 24 working days.

Employees have no statutory entitlement to vacation pay.
Rules on the payment of vacation pay are often agreed in the collective bargaining agreement.