We provide full support for tax refunds from abroad - from preparing the return and including allowances and costs to handling contact with the tax office.
Calculate your take-home pay after social security contributions and taxes. All Steuerklasse options, current 2025/2026 rates.
6
Tax classes
4
Social contributions
12 348 €
2026 tax-free allowance
Calculation details
Childless people over 23 pay a higher PV contribution (+0,6%). Uncheck this if you have children.
Rate: 8% in Baden-Wurttemberg and Bayern, 9% in other federal states
Enter the employer subsidy amount, if applicable
Average: 2,5% (2025) / 2,9% (2026). The employee pays half.
Posted employee - ZUS contributions are paid in Poland under an A1 certificate. The calculator only calculates German tax. You can enter the ZUS contribution below, optionally.
Calculation result
Enter the gross amount and click Calculate net salary
In Germany, salary is usually negotiated as a gross amount. From that amount, the employer deducts social security contributions (health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance) and taxes (Lohnsteuer, possibly Solidaritatszuschlag and Kirchensteuer). What remains is the net salary, the amount paid to the employee's account.
The level of deductions depends on many factors: Steuerklasse, marital status, number of children, chosen Krankenkasse and whether the employee pays Kirchensteuer. This calculator includes all these variables and calculates net salary using the current rates for 2025 and 2026.
The calculation has two steps. First, social contributions are deducted from gross salary. Their rates are statutory and their assessment base is capped by Beitragsbemessungsgrenze thresholds. Then Lohnsteuer is calculated on the remaining amount using the progressive tax scale (5 tax zones), including the Grundfreibetrag tax-free allowance and tax deductions.
Tax classes and net salary
The tax class (Steuerklasse) directly affects the gross-net calculator result. It determines the tax-free allowance and monthly deductions. In this calculator, you can choose any of the six classes and compare the results.
Class
Who it is for
Tax-free allowance
I
Single taxpayers
12 348 EUR
II
Single parents
12 348 EUR + 4 260 EUR relief
III
Spouse with higher income
24 696 EUR (double)
IV
Married couples with similar income
12 348 EUR
V
Spouse with lower income
0 EUR
VI
Second job
0 EUR
You can find a detailed description of each class, assignment rules and change options in this article: Tax classes in Germany - full guide.
Social security contributions in Germany 2025/2026
Every employee in Germany pays four mandatory social security contributions. Costs are split equally between employee and employer, except for the long-term care contribution in Saxony. Below are the current rates and thresholds for 2026.
Insurance
Employee rate
Monthly BBG
Health (KV)
7,3% + half of Zusatzbeitrag
5 812,50 EUR
Long-term care (PV)
1,80% (childless 23+: 2,40%)
5 812,50 EUR
Pension (RV)
9,30%
8 450,00 EUR
Unemployment (AV)
1,30%
8 450,00 EUR
BBG (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) is the upper threshold above which contributions no longer increase. If you earn more than the BBG, contributions are calculated only up to that amount. Thresholds are updated every year.
Useful articles
The gross-net calculator shows monthly deductions. The articles below explain details that may affect your net salary in Germany:
In 2025, the tax-free allowance (Grundfreibetrag) is 12 096 EUR per year. In 2026, it increases to 12 348 EUR. Income up to this amount is fully exempt from income tax. In class III for married couples, the amount is doubled, while classes V and VI do not receive it.
Tax classes differ mainly by the tax-free allowance. Class I (single taxpayers) and IV (married couples with similar income) provide a 12 348 EUR allowance. Class III (spouse with higher income) doubles it to 24 696 EUR, while classes V and VI provide no allowance. Choose the relevant class in the calculator above to see the difference in net salary. More about tax classes →
From 1 January 2025, the minimum wage (Mindestlohn) in Germany is 12,82 EUR gross per hour. For full-time work (40 hours/week), this is about 2 220 EUR gross per month. The rate is set by an independent commission and may be updated.
Kirchensteuer is paid only by members of churches that collect this tax, mainly Catholic and Protestant churches. The rate is 8% of Lohnsteuer in Bayern and Baden-Wurttemberg and 9% in other federal states. If you leave the church (Kirchenaustritt), you stop paying this tax. People who are not baptized or belong to other religions do not pay Kirchensteuer.
Possible German tax refund
You may be able to recover part of the tax withheld
Working in Germany? We handle tax refunds for up to 4 previous years. Check in a free estimate how much you can recover.
Tax refund from Germany
Tax refund from the Netherlands
Tax refund from England
Tax refund from Austria
Gross-net calculators
Gross-net Switzerland
PIT-ZG return (Poland)
Українська
Български
Română
Lietuvių