Employees in Germany are generally entitled to receive wages equal to the applicable minimum wage. However, there are exceptions, such as employees under the age of 18 or the long-term unemployed, for whom the statutory minimum wage does not apply. We explain these in an overview.
Employers based in Germany or abroad are obligated to pay their employees employed in Germany wages equal to or greater than the applicable minimum wage.
Exceptions
Young people under 18 years of age without completed vocational training are exempt from the minimum wage.
Apprentices in company-based training are exempt from the minimum wage.
The statutory minimum wage does not apply to compulsory internships as part of school, training, or university studies, voluntary internships during training or studies, and orientation internships of up to three months.
Employees who were long-term unemployed immediately before starting work are also exempt for the first six months of employment.
The minimum wage does not apply to voluntary work.