Is the 20-hour weekly cap on student work now the law?

Yes, since 22 May 2026, but it's tiered. First- and second-year bachelor students can work up to 20 hours a week; third/fourth-year, master's, doctoral students and medical residents can work up to 40. It applies to permits issued on or after that date, so an older permit may still run under the previous terms — confirm your own limit on migracija.lrv.lt before signing a contract.

How many hours can I work during the holidays?

Institution-set summer holidays are excluded from the cap, as are required internships and practice, so you can work more during those periods. Outside them, your weekly cap depends on your study level (20 or 40 hours).

Can a part-time job pay for my whole degree?

Realistically, no. Term-time hours and the minimum wage mean a part-time job usually covers part of your rent, food and transport, not tuition on top. Treat work as a top-up, and budget for your studies through savings, family support or scholarships.

How much will I actually take home from minimum wage?

Roughly €850 a month on a full-time minimum wage in 2026, after income tax (GPM) and Sodra are deducted, when the full non-taxable amount applies. Part-time hours scale that down. Confirm current figures on vmi.lt and sodra.lt.

Will working risk my residence permit?

Working within your allowed hours on a proper contract is fine and even keeps your health cover active. But exceeding your hours cap, or a gap in cover between contracts, can put your permit at risk — keep your enrolment and paperwork in good standing.

Work hours & what you can really earn

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change — confirm anything important with the official source linked below and your university's international office.

If you are counting on a part-time job to fund your studies in Lithuania, set expectations early: the hours you can work are limited and the minimum wage is modest, so a job usually tops up your budget rather than paying for a whole degree. Here is what the rules actually allow in 2026, and an honest look at the numbers.

How many hours can you work?

Since 22 May 2026 the cap is tiered by study level. This is now law (an amendment to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens), not a proposal.

Who	Weekly limit (in force 22 May 2026)
1st- and 2nd-year bachelor students	Up to 20 hours per week
3rd/4th-year bachelor, master's, doctoral, medical residents	Up to 40 hours per week
Institution-set summer holidays & required internships/practice	Excluded from the cap

These limits apply to non-EU students working on a study temporary residence permit (TRP). EU/EEA and Swiss students have no special hours cap and work on the same terms as locals. Always confirm your own limit with your university's international office or on the Migration Department site before you sign a contract — working more hours than your status allows can put your permit at risk.

What changed in 2026

You will have seen headlines about Lithuania "cutting student work hours in half", from 40 to 20. That change is now in force (since 22 May 2026) — but it was softened into the tiered rule above: the 20-hour limit hits early-stage bachelor students, while later-year, master's and doctoral students keep the 40-hour allowance.

It applies to new permits — and the detail matters

The cap applies to permits issued on or after 22 May 2026, so if you already hold a permit you may still be on the previous terms until you renew. Don't plan your finances around a single fixed number — confirm the rule for your permit and study level on migracija.lrv.lt or with your university. Free, official help in English is available via the Migration Information Centre at renkuosilietuva.lt (toll-free 0 800 22922). For the full picture of what's law vs still proposed, see our law & rules tracker.

Officials are also studying how to limit hours for self-employed / gig-work students (delivery, ride-hailing), who currently fall outside the employee cap — that one is not settled yet. A separate proposal for an official list of universities allowed to admit foreign students is also still only a draft.

What you can really earn

Lithuania's minimum monthly wage (MMA) for a full-time job in 2026 is €1,153 gross, with a minimum hourly rate of around €7.05 (confirm on VMI). Most student jobs — cafés, bars, retail, delivery, call centres, hospitality, events — pay at or a little above the minimum.

From your gross pay your employer deducts:

Personal income tax (GPM) — 20% on most employment income.
Sodra social insurance — about 19.5% in employee contributions (pension/social insurance plus the 6.98% health component).
A non-taxable amount (NPD) reduces the tax on lower salaries, so low earners keep proportionally more.

A rough take-home picture (confirm before relying)

On a full-time minimum wage in 2026, take-home pay is roughly €850 a month after GPM and Sodra, when the full NPD applies. Part-time hours scale that down proportionally — for example, 20 hours a week is about half a full-time week. These are estimates; the NPD formula and rates change yearly, so confirm current figures on VMI and Sodra. For the full gross-to-net breakdown and tax mechanics, see the part-time jobs, pay and tax guide.

A realistic term-time job at around 20 hours a week therefore lands somewhere in the region of €400–€500 net a month, depending on your hourly rate and the NPD applied. Holiday periods, when full-time is allowed, can roughly double that.

Will a job cover rent and food?

Often, partly — but rarely your whole cost of living, and almost never your tuition on top.

Typical student living costs run €350–€750 a month, with dormitory rooms cheaper than private rentals and Kaunas generally cheaper than Vilnius. Put that next to term-time earnings:

	Term time (~20h/week)	Holidays (full-time)
Rough net pay / month	~€400–€500	~€850
Typical living costs / month	€350–€750	€350–€750

So term-time work can cover a frugal budget — a dorm room plus food and transport — but it leaves little margin, and it does not stretch to tuition fees as well. Treat a job as a top-up to savings, family support or a scholarship, not as the main way to fund your degree.

Plan your funds, don't rely on a job you haven't got

Migration also expects you to prove you can support yourself: about €576.50 per month, which works out to roughly ≈ €8,071 for a 12-month stay (subsistence plus a one-off return guarantee). A future part-time wage does not count towards this — you show it with a bank statement. See the cost-of-living guide to build a realistic monthly budget.

Keep your permit (and health cover) safe

Working legally has a useful side effect: when you are on a proper employment contract, your employer pays your health insurance (PSD) contribution to Sodra, which brings you into the state health system while the contract runs.

The catch is gaps. Non-EU students on a national (D) visa are not in the state PSD system by default and need private cover. If you move between jobs, or a contract ends, a gap with no cover can leave you both uninsured and in breach of your permit conditions. Two things to watch:

Mind the gaps between contracts — a lapse in PSD cover can endanger your TRP. Keep private insurance in place to bridge any gap.
Stay within your hours — exceeding your cap, or working before your permit/visa actually allows it, can lead to your study permit being cancelled.

Applying is not the same as being covered or allowed to stay

If your legal stay expires while a renewal is being processed, there is no automatic interim visa — you may have to leave until a decision is made. Start any renewal well before your current permit ends, and never assume an in-progress application lets you stay or work.

Bottom line

The tiered work-hours cap is now law (since 22 May 2026): 20h/week for 1st–2nd-year bachelor students, 40h/week for later-year, master's and doctoral students; summer holidays and required internships are excluded.
It applies to permits issued from 22 May 2026 — confirm the rule for your level and permit before planning.
A minimum-wage job pays roughly €850 net full-time, and a term-time job around €400–€500 net — enough to top up rent and food, not to fund a whole degree.
Work on a real contract, watch for cover gaps between jobs, and keep your enrolment and paperwork in order to protect your permit.