The invention relates to the technical field of machine tool geometric error measuring and calibration, in particular to a five-axis gear making machine tool position independent error detection method based on a small-cutting-amount test piece. The detection method comprises the following steps that firstly, a track is compiled according to the shape of a designed test piece, a processing code is generated, small-amount cutting is conducted on the designed test piece, and a cutting test piece with a specific to-be-tested object is obtained; secondly, sensitive direction coordinates of the cutting surface of the specific to-be-tested object on the cutting test piece are detected and acquired by utilization of an on-line measuring head, and coordinate mismatching values corresponding to the cutting surface are calculated; thirdly, a homogeneous kinematic equation containing a position independent error is established, and the mapping relation between the coordinate mismatching values corresponding to the cutting surface, and the position independent error is determined; and fourthly, a position independent error item is obtained according to the mapping relation between the coordinate mismatching values corresponding to the cutting surface, and the position independent error. The fixe-axis gear making machine tool position independent error detecting and identifying method is efficient and easy to operate.