Know where you stand before you take the next shift.
A practical tracker for international students in Germany. It translates the official 140 full-day / 280 half-day rule into a simple running balance and shows the alternative 20-hour weekly route.
Track the 140 / 280 day allowance.
For third-country students using the annual day-account route. Enter days already worked in the current calendar year.
Check a lecture-period week.
Official guidance also describes an alternative route of up to 20 hours per week during the lecture period.
The 20-hour limit applies during the lecture period. The official guidance says students using this route may work without that weekly cap during semester breaks. Student-assistant roles, internships and individual residence-title conditions can still require separate checks.
Built around official federal guidance.
The German federal portal Make it in Germany states that third-country students may work up to 140 full days or 280 half days per year without Federal Employment Agency approval. Up to four hours counts as a half day. It also describes an alternative of up to 20 hours per week during the lecture period; during semester breaks, the portal says students using that route may work without the lecture-period weekly cap.
Exceptions and special cases exist, including student auxiliary work and internship rules. Your residence title and individual circumstances remain decisive.
Read the official guidance ↗Source reviewed 15 September 2026.