Part of the topic: 💶 Taxes & salary
German salary calculator 2026 (gross to net)
Enter your gross salary and tax details to see your net pay in Germany. The wage tax follows the official 2026 BMF algorithm (Programmablaufplan); social insurance uses the 2026 rates and ceilings.
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How to use it
- Enter your gross salary per month or year.
- Choose tax class, federal state, church tax and children.
- Read your net pay and every deduction – per month and per year.
Tax classes in brief
Class I is for single, divorced or permanently separated people. Class II is for single parents and includes a relief amount of €4,260 a year. Married couples get IV/IV by default; if one partner earns much more, III/V can increase monthly net pay – the final tax is settled in the annual tax return.
Class VI applies to a second job alongside your main employment. No allowances apply there, so the wage tax is particularly high.
Which social contributions are deducted?
Employees pay their share of health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance. In 2026 that is 7.3% plus half the additional rate for health, 1.8% for care (2.3% in Saxony), 9.3% for pension and 1.3% for unemployment insurance.
Childless employees aged 23+ pay a 0.6% care surcharge; parents with several children under 25 get 0.25% off per child from the second child. Above the contribution ceilings (€5,812.50 and €8,450 per month) contributions don't rise further.
Why do salary calculators differ?
Many calculators use simplified formulas. Ours follows the official BMF algorithm used by payroll software and was checked against 207 official test cases. Differences to a real payslip usually come from allowances, company cars, company pensions or private health insurance.
Gross-to-net table 2026
Monthly values for North Rhine-Westphalia, statutory health insurance (additional rate 2.9%), no church tax. Tax classes I and IV: childless, 23+. Tax class III: one child (1.0 child allowance).
Tax class I
| Gross | Wage tax | Soli | Social insurance | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €1,000.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €125.33 | €874.67 |
| €1,500.00 | €9.25 | €0.00 | €280.17 | €1,210.58 |
| €2,000.00 | €88.16 | €0.00 | €435.00 | €1,476.84 |
| €2,500.00 | €187.33 | €0.00 | €543.75 | €1,768.92 |
| €3,000.00 | €293.08 | €0.00 | €652.50 | €2,054.42 |
| €3,500.00 | €405.50 | €0.00 | €761.25 | €2,333.25 |
| €4,000.00 | €524.50 | €0.00 | €870.00 | €2,605.50 |
| €4,500.00 | €650.16 | €0.00 | €978.75 | €2,871.09 |
| €5,000.00 | €782.41 | €0.00 | €1,087.50 | €3,130.09 |
| €6,000.00 | €1,074.33 | €0.00 | €1,284.09 | €3,641.58 |
| €7,000.00 | €1,430.33 | €0.00 | €1,390.09 | €4,179.58 |
| €8,000.00 | €1,810.33 | €13.62 | €1,496.09 | €4,679.96 |
Tax class III
| Gross | Wage tax | Soli | Social insurance | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €1,000.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €120.21 | €879.79 |
| €1,500.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €271.61 | €1,228.39 |
| €2,000.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €423.00 | €1,577.00 |
| €2,500.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €528.75 | €1,971.25 |
| €3,000.00 | €38.33 | €0.00 | €634.50 | €2,327.17 |
| €3,500.00 | €114.50 | €0.00 | €740.25 | €2,645.25 |
| €4,000.00 | €207.66 | €0.00 | €846.00 | €2,946.34 |
| €4,500.00 | €306.83 | €0.00 | €951.75 | €3,241.42 |
| €5,000.00 | €409.66 | €0.00 | €1,057.50 | €3,532.84 |
| €6,000.00 | €630.33 | €0.00 | €1,249.22 | €4,120.45 |
| €7,000.00 | €889.66 | €0.00 | €1,355.22 | €4,755.12 |
| €8,000.00 | €1,166.16 | €0.00 | €1,461.22 | €5,372.62 |
Tax class IV
| Gross | Wage tax | Soli | Social insurance | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €1,000.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 | €125.33 | €874.67 |
| €1,500.00 | €9.25 | €0.00 | €280.17 | €1,210.58 |
| €2,000.00 | €88.16 | €0.00 | €435.00 | €1,476.84 |
| €2,500.00 | €187.33 | €0.00 | €543.75 | €1,768.92 |
| €3,000.00 | €293.08 | €0.00 | €652.50 | €2,054.42 |
| €3,500.00 | €405.50 | €0.00 | €761.25 | €2,333.25 |
| €4,000.00 | €524.50 | €0.00 | €870.00 | €2,605.50 |
| €4,500.00 | €650.16 | €0.00 | €978.75 | €2,871.09 |
| €5,000.00 | €782.41 | €0.00 | €1,087.50 | €3,130.09 |
| €6,000.00 | €1,074.33 | €0.00 | €1,284.09 | €3,641.58 |
| €7,000.00 | €1,430.33 | €0.00 | €1,390.09 | €4,179.58 |
| €8,000.00 | €1,810.33 | €13.62 | €1,496.09 | €4,679.96 |
Detailed examples
Worked example
€3,500 gross per month, tax class I, North Rhine-Westphalia, no church tax, no children, age 23+, 2.9% supplementary rate: €2,333.25 net. Deductions: wage tax €405.50, health €306.25, care €84.00, pension €325.50, unemployment €45.50.
Last checked: October 2026 · Based on: German Federal Ministry of Finance wage-tax flowchart (PAP) 2026; 2026 social-security rates. Found a mistake? Use the form below – we fix confirmed errors and update the date.
Frequently asked questions
How is net pay calculated in Germany?
Gross pay minus wage tax, solidarity surcharge (only for higher incomes), church tax (if a church member) and the employee's share of health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance.
Which tax class do I have?
Single: class I. Single parent: II. Married: IV/IV, or III/V when incomes differ a lot. A second job is taxed in class VI.
What is the health-insurance additional rate?
Each statutory health insurer sets its own Zusatzbeitrag on top of 14.6%; the 2026 average is 2.9%. Employee and employer each pay half.