German Net Salary Calculator: Brutto to Netto

If you're single, divorced, or widowed, it's almost always Class I. Single parents use Class II. Married couples choose between III/V (one spouse pays much less tax, the other much more; good when incomes are very unequal) and IV/IV (roughly even withholding; good when incomes are similar). Class VI applies to a second job. Your payslip's tax class only affects how much is withheld each month, not your final annual tax bill; that's settled at year-end via your tax return.

They're deductions from your paycheck, but they're not spending: they're mandatory insurance. Pension contributions build your entitlement to a German state pension. Health insurance covers your medical costs (and your family's, if co-insured). Long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) covers costs if you ever need care in old age or after an accident. Unemployment insurance pays out if you lose your job. This calculator shows them as deductions from gross pay, but they buy you real, tangible benefits; they're closer to prepaid insurance than to tax.

Since 2021, most employees no longer pay Soli at all: it's only charged once your income tax liability exceeds an annual exemption threshold (an income tax bill in the tens of thousands of euros). In practice, only high earners still pay it, and even then a tapering zone limits how quickly it kicks in. This calculator applies the same exemption and taper rule, so most salaries shown here will have €0 Soli.

If you're a registered member of a church that levies Kirchensteuer (most commonly Catholic or Protestant), it's collected automatically through payroll as a percentage of your income tax: 8% in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, 9% in the rest of Germany. To stop paying it, you formally leave the church (Kirchenaustritt) at your local registry office (Standesamt) or district court, usually for a small fee. The change takes effect from the date of your declaration, and your employer stops withholding it once your tax record is updated; it isn't retroactive.

No. This is a free estimate based on the 2026 income tax formula, social insurance rates, and Soli rules to help you understand roughly what a given gross salary becomes net. It doesn't account for every individual circumstance (special allowances, additional employer benefits, capped contribution rates for very high earners, exact Zusatzbeitrag for your specific health fund, etc.). Treat it as guidance, not tax advice; for your actual payslip or annual tax return, check with your employer's payroll department or a Steuerberater.