German salary and tax calculator 2026
Brutto to Netto in English, with every deduction on your payslip: wage tax for all six tax classes, Soli, church tax by state, and public or private health insurance. Verified against the Finance Ministry's official 2026 test table.
Last updated: October 4, 2026
How much net salary do you get in Germany?
A single employee on €60,000 gross keeps about €3,130 a month in 2026 (62.6%). At €40,000 it is €2,241 (67%), at €100,000 it is €4,836 (58%). Social insurance takes roughly 21% of gross up to the ceilings; wage tax rises progressively from 14% to 42%. Enter your own numbers below.
After wage tax, health insurance is the biggest line on your payslip: about 8.75% of gross in public insurance (GKV), up to €509 a month at the 2026 ceiling. Earn more than €77,400 a year (€6,450 a month) and you may choose private insurance (PKV) instead, where the premium depends on your age and health rather than your salary. Toggle PKV in the calculator below to see what it does to your net.
Earning over €77,400? Price private cover in English
ottonova is a digital private health insurer built for expats, with an English app, support and paperwork. Get a real premium for your age and health, then put it into the PKV toggle below to compare net pay honestly.
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Calculate your net salary
Sets the church tax rate (8% or 9%) and Saxony's different care insurance split.
Net per month
€3,130
Net per year
€37,561
You keep
63%
Of the next €1,000
€511
| Line on your payslip | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary (Brutto) | €60,000 | €5,000 |
| Wage tax (Lohnsteuer) | -€9,389 | -€782 |
| Solidarity surcharge (Solidaritätszuschlag) | -€0 | -€0 |
| Church tax (Kirchensteuer) | -€0 | -€0 |
| Health insurance (Krankenversicherung) | -€5,250 | -€438 |
| Care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) | -€1,440 | -€120 |
| Pension insurance (Rentenversicherung) | -€5,580 | -€465 |
| Unemployment insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung) | -€780 | -€65 |
| Net salary (Netto) | €37,561 | €3,130 |
Your employer's total cost: €72,690 a year (gross plus the employer half of social insurance, before the small U1/U2/U3 levies).
Net salary table for Germany 2026
Monthly net pay at common salaries. Assumptions: Berlin, age 30, no children, no church tax, public health insurance at the 2.9% average Zusatzbeitrag. Class III assumes the partner is in class V.
| Gross per year | Net per month (class I) | You keep | Wage tax + Soli per year | Net per month (class III) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €30,000 | €1,769 | 70.8% | €2,248 | €1,956 |
| €40,000 | €2,241 | 67.2% | €4,407 | €2,525 |
| €45,000 | €2,470 | 65.9% | €5,570 | €2,780 |
| €50,000 | €2,695 | 64.7% | €6,788 | €3,026 |
| €55,000 | €2,915 | 63.6% | €8,060 | €3,270 |
| €60,000 | €3,130 | 62.6% | €9,389 | €3,511 |
| €65,000 | €3,341 | 61.7% | €10,772 | €3,749 |
| €70,000 | €3,549 | 60.8% | €12,220 | €3,988 |
| €80,000 | €4,004 | 60.1% | €15,694 | €4,521 |
| €90,000 | €4,437 | 59.2% | €19,438 | €5,042 |
| €100,000 | €4,836 | 58.0% | €23,593 | €5,551 |
| €120,000 | €5,712 | 57.1% | €32,931 | €6,647 |
What gets deducted from a German salary in 2026
| Deduction | Your share (2026) | Capped at |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance (GKV) | 7.3% + half your Krankenkasse's Zusatzbeitrag (average 2.9%, so about 8.75%) | €69,750 a year |
| Care insurance | 1.8% (2.3% in Saxony); +0.6% childless from age 23; -0.25% per child from the 2nd to the 5th | €69,750 a year |
| Pension insurance | 9.3% | €101,400 a year |
| Unemployment insurance | 1.3% | €101,400 a year |
| Wage tax (Lohnsteuer) | 0% up to €12,348 taxable income, then 14% rising to 42% from €69,879 and 45% from €277,826 | No cap |
| Solidarity surcharge | 5.5% of wage tax, only once wage tax exceeds €20,350 (€40,700 in class III) | No cap |
| Church tax | 8% (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg) or 9% of wage tax, members only | No cap |
Your employer pays the same social insurance again on top (1.8% care insurance in most states, 1.3% in Saxony), which is why a €60,000 salary costs the company about €72,700. Tax-free allowances already built into the withholding: the €1,230 Arbeitnehmer-Pauschbetrag, €36 for Sonderausgaben, and in class II the €4,260 single-parent relief. Anything above those (commuting, home office, training) comes back through the tax return. Estimate yours with the tax refund calculator.
Deductions payroll never sees: claim them back
Commuting, home office days, work equipment and church tax paid all come back through the annual return. smartsteuer asks for them question by question and files through ELSTER. German-language UI - pair it with your browser's translate function.
Start your return on smartsteuerAffiliate link. No extra cost to you, keeps our expat guides free.
Salary benchmarks for 2026: what they pay out net
The gross figures expats meet most often, from visa thresholds to insurance limits, with monthly net for a single employee (class I, Berlin, no church, public insurance at 2.9%):
| Benchmark (2026) | Gross per year | Net per month |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage, full time (€13.90/hour, 40 hours a week) | €28,912 | €1,716 |
| EU Blue Card, shortage occupations and new graduates | €45,934 | €2,513 |
| EU Blue Card, standard threshold | €50,700 | €2,726 |
| Private health insurance allowed (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze) | €77,400 | €3,888 |
| Pension and unemployment ceiling (contributions stop rising) | €101,400 | €4,890 |
Visa rules are in the EU Blue Card guide; whether the offer on the table is fair for your field is covered in salary negotiation in Germany.
Tax classes at a glance
| Class | Who gets it | Net on €60,000 per month |
|---|---|---|
| I | Single or divorced (usually also married with the spouse living abroad) | €3,130 |
| II | Single parent living alone with a child (€4,260 relief) | €3,268 |
| III | Married, higher earner, partner in class V (or not working) | €3,511 |
| IV | Married, both earning similar amounts (default after marriage) | €3,130 |
| V | Married, lower earner, partner in class III | €2,632 |
| VI | Every second or further job | €2,588 |
Same salary, same person, six very different payslips, yet the tax you owe for the year is identical: the class only sets how much is withheld each month, and the tax return settles the difference. The one exception is benefits calculated from net pay (Elterngeld, ALG I), where the class during the reference period changes the payout. Details in Steuerklassen explained.
What the payslip does not show
Private health insurance changes the math
In PKV your employer pays half your premium, capped in 2026 at €508.59 a month for health and €104.63 for care insurance. On €80,000 gross, a €600 premium leaves about €4,218 net a month against €4,004 in public insurance. The catch: premiums rise with age, each child and a non-earning spouse need their own policy (in GKV they are covered free), and returning to public insurance after 55 is largely closed. Weigh it with our GKV vs PKV decision helper and the public vs private insurance guide.
Kindergeld comes on top
Children do not lower your wage tax. Instead the Familienkasse pays Kindergeld of €259 per child per month in 2026, separately from your salary; the tax office later checks whether the child allowance would have saved you more. See the Kindergeld guide.
Bonuses, 13th salary and raises
One-off payments such as a Christmas bonus or 13th salary are taxed as sonstige Bezüge at your top marginal rate, so the "of the next €1,000" figure in the calculator is a good guide to what a bonus nets. Above the €69,750 health ceiling, raises net noticeably more per euro because health and care contributions stop growing; the same happens again above €101,400 for pension and unemployment.
How this calculator works
The wage tax engine is a direct implementation of the Federal Ministry of Finance's Programmablaufplan 2026, the specification every German payroll system follows. That includes the new 2026 Vorsorgepauschale rules and the special formula for classes V and VI. It reproduces all 258 values of the ministry's official 2026 test table to the euro.
Social contributions use the 2026 rates and ceilings published by the GKV-Spitzenverband. Children count toward Soli and church tax (Kinderfreibeträge: 0.5 per child in classes I and II, 1.0 in III and IV) and reduce care insurance, but never reduce wage tax itself; that comes through Kindergeld.
Not modeled: Midijob reductions (€603.01 to €2,000 a month), personal tax-free allowances on your ELStAM, company car and other benefits in kind, and the private insurance premium certificate your insurer reports. For the full payslip decode read German salary explained; for choosing a class read Steuerklassen explained. Results are estimates, not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much net salary do you get from €60,000 gross in Germany?
In 2026 a single employee in tax class I with public health insurance, no children and no church membership keeps about €3,130 a month net from €60,000 gross (62.6%). Wage tax takes €9,389 a year and social insurance €13,050. In tax class III the same salary nets about €3,511 a month.
What percentage of gross salary goes to deductions in Germany?
For a single employee in 2026, roughly 29% at €30,000, 35% at €50,000 and 42% at €100,000. Social insurance takes about 21% of gross up to the contribution ceilings (€69,750 for health and care, €101,400 for pension and unemployment); progressive wage tax takes the rest.
Is this calculator accurate?
The wage tax engine implements the Federal Ministry of Finance Programmablaufplan 2026 and reproduces all 258 values of the ministry's official 2026 test table (Prüftabelle) to the euro across tax classes I to VI. Social contributions use the official 2026 rates and ceilings. Midijob wages (€603.01 to €2,000 a month) use reduced contributions the calculator does not model.
Which Steuerklasse pays the least tax?
Tax class III (married, higher earner) has the lowest monthly withholding, paired with class V for the partner. Withholding is only a prepayment: the annual tax return settles what a couple truly owes, so classes change cash flow, not the yearly total. III/V couples usually must file a return.
When do you pay the solidarity surcharge in 2026?
Only when your annual wage tax exceeds €20,350 (€40,700 for class III). For a single employee in class I that happens at about €92,000 gross in 2026. Above the threshold it phases in at 11.9% of the excess until it reaches the full 5.5% of your wage tax.
Is church tax mandatory in Germany?
Only for registered members of a tax-collecting church: 8% of your wage tax in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, 9% in the other 14 states. Ticking a religion at your Anmeldung enrolls you. Leaving requires a formal Kirchenaustritt at the Standesamt or Amtsgericht, with a fee of roughly €0-60 depending on the state.
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