Take-home pay in Germany
Net pay after income tax and employee social contributions for any gross salary in Germany, on the OECD Taxing Wages model for 2025. Change the salary or the household and the result follows.
On €48,156 a year you keep about €31,307 — €2,609 a month.
OECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.
At the median salary
The national median gross salary in Germany is €4,013 a month (2024). Over twelve months, €48,156 a year, a single person without children pays €6,472 in income tax and €10,378 in employee social contributions and keeps €31,307 a year: €2,609 a month, 65.0% of gross.
Take-home pay from half to two and a half times the average wage
The OECD's published results for 2025. The average wage in Germany is €66,700 a year. For the households with children, net pay includes the cash benefits the model adds.
Single, no children
| Share of the average wage | Gross a year | Gross a month | Net a month | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | €33,350 | €2,779 | €1,926 | 69.3% |
| 67% | €44,689 | €3,724 | €2,453 | 65.9% |
| 100% | €66,700 | €5,558 | €3,409 | 61.3% |
| 133% | €88,711 | €7,393 | €4,389 | 59.4% |
| 167% | €111,389 | €9,282 | €5,355 | 57.7% |
| 200% | €133,400 | €11,117 | €6,331 | 57.0% |
| 250% | €166,750 | €13,896 | €7,879 | 56.7% |
Single parent, two children
| Share of the average wage | Gross a year | Gross a month | Net a month | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | €33,350 | €2,779 | €2,552 | 91.8% |
| 67% | €44,689 | €3,724 | €3,095 | 83.1% |
| 100% | €66,700 | €5,558 | €4,082 | 73.4% |
| 133% | €88,711 | €7,393 | €5,190 | 70.2% |
| 167% | €111,389 | €9,282 | €6,297 | 67.8% |
| 200% | €133,400 | €11,117 | €7,280 | 65.5% |
| 250% | €166,750 | €13,896 | €8,780 | 63.2% |
Couple, one earner, two children
| Share of the average wage | Gross a year | Gross a month | Net a month | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | €33,350 | €2,779 | €2,703 | 97.2% |
| 67% | €44,689 | €3,724 | €3,294 | 88.5% |
| 100% | €66,700 | €5,558 | €4,373 | 78.7% |
| 133% | €88,711 | €7,393 | €5,533 | 74.8% |
| 167% | €111,389 | €9,282 | €6,772 | 73.0% |
| 200% | €133,400 | €11,117 | €7,999 | 72.0% |
| 250% | €166,750 | €13,896 | €9,723 | 70.0% |
How income tax is set in Germany
The national schedule for 2026, as published by Federal Ministry of Justice / Federal Office of Justice, Germany.
| Taxable income | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| up to €12,348 | 0% | |
| €12,349 – €17,799 | 14% | |
| €17,800 – €69,878 | 14% rising to 42% | |
| €69,879 – €277,825 | 42% | |
| above €277,826 | 45% |
- Tax-free allowance (Grundfreibetrag): €12,348 a year
- Employee social contributions: pension 9.3%, unemployment insurance 1.3%, health insurance 7.3%, average health insurance supplement 1.45%, long-term care 1.8%
- Standard VAT rate: 19%; reduced 7%
Where regions or municipalities charge income tax of their own, it comes on top of these national rates; the take-home figures above include the local income tax the OECD models.
The minimum wage
The statutory minimum wage in Germany is €12.82 an hour (2025). Full time, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, that is €26,666 a year. That is below the range the OECD model covers in Germany (€33,350 to €166,750 a year), so its take-home pay is not estimated here. Convert other hourly rates.
What these figures are
They are the OECD's own calculation for Germany in 2025: the income tax, including the local income tax the OECD models, the employee social contributions and the cash benefits of a household at every 1% of the average wage from 50% to 250%, which here is €33,350 to €166,750 a year. A salary between two of those points is interpolated across that 1% step; a salary outside the range is not estimated. This is not a payslip calculator: it does not apply the tax code to your own circumstances, so deductions and credits you claim yourself, optional or regional surcharges the OECD does not include and employer contributions are not in it.
Sources
- Analyse zur Entgeltstatistik 2024 statistik.arbeitsagentur.de · checked 2026-07-26
- Income tax schedule 2026 Federal Ministry of Justice / Federal Office of Justice, Germany · gesetze-im-internet.de · checked 2026-08-11
- Taxing Wages — decomposition of taxes and benefits (dataflow OECD.CTP.TPS,DSD_TAX_WAGES_DECOMP@DF_TW_DECOMP,2.1) OECD · oecd.org · checked 2026-09-17