Taxes
Steuerklasse
Tax class
Last updated: September 28, 2026
What does Steuerklasse mean?
The Steuerklasse (tax class) tells your employer how much wage tax to withhold each month. There are six: I for single people, II for single parents, III, IV and V for married couples, and VI for second jobs. It changes monthly withholding, not your final annual tax, except for benefits calculated from net pay like Elterngeld.
Key facts
| Classes | I, II, III, IV, V, VI |
| Default after marriage | IV/IV |
| Change it via | ELSTER or the Finanzamt |
| Affects final annual tax? | No, only withholding (and net-based benefits) |
What to do
- Check your class on your payslip (StKl).
- Married? Both partners are placed in class IV by default; you can switch to III/V or IV with factor through ELSTER.
- Planning a baby? A class change must happen early to raise Elterngeld.
- See your monthly net for each class in our salary calculator.
Worth knowing
Classes III and V together usually mean a mandatory tax return and often a back-payment. IV with factor avoids most of that.
Frequently asked questions
Which Steuerklasse do I have as a single person?
Class I. Single parents living alone with their child can get class II, which includes a single-parent allowance of €4,260 a year.
Does the tax class change how much tax I pay in the end?
No. It only changes how much is withheld each month; the annual tax return settles the real amount. It does change benefits calculated from net pay, such as Elterngeld and unemployment benefit.
Read next
Sources
More German terms: taxes
Plain-English explanations of the words on your letters and forms.