Germany gross to net 2026
A gross salary of €3,000 a month leaves €2,054 net in Germany in 2026 (tax class I, no church tax, no children), 68.5% of the gross. At €4,500 it is €2,870, at €6,000 €3,640.
Net pay at each gross salary
The share you keep falls from 77.6% at €1,500 a month to 57.1% at €10,000. Social insurance (pension, unemployment, health and long-term care) takes about a fifth of the gross up to the contribution ceilings; above them it stops rising, at €1,544 a month, while income tax keeps growing.
Show the data as a table
| Gross / month | Net, class I | Kept | Tax | Social insurance | Net, class III | Net with church tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| €1,500 | €1,164 | 77.6% | €9 | €326 | €1,174 | €1,164 |
| €2,000 | €1,477 | 73.8% | €88 | €435 | €1,565 | €1,469 |
| €2,500 | €1,769 | 70.7% | €188 | €544 | €1,956 | €1,752 |
| €3,000 | €2,054 | 68.5% | €294 | €652 | €2,312 | €2,028 |
| €3,500 | €2,333 | 66.6% | €406 | €761 | €2,628 | €2,296 |
| €4,000 | €2,605 | 65.1% | €525 | €870 | €2,928 | €2,558 |
| €4,500 | €2,870 | 63.8% | €651 | €979 | €3,221 | €2,812 |
| €5,000 | €3,129 | 62.6% | €783 | €1,088 | €3,510 | €3,059 |
| €5,500 | €3,382 | 61.5% | €922 | €1,196 | €3,796 | €3,298 |
| €6,000 | €3,640 | 60.7% | €1,076 | €1,284 | €4,094 | €3,544 |
| €7,000 | €4,178 | 59.7% | €1,432 | €1,390 | €4,730 | €4,050 |
| €8,000 | €4,679 | 58.5% | €1,825 | €1,496 | €5,348 | €4,516 |
| €9,000 | €5,181 | 57.6% | €2,276 | €1,544 | €5,990 | €4,981 |
| €10,000 | €5,711 | 57.1% | €2,746 | €1,544 | €6,646 | €5,474 |
Where €4,500 goes
From €4,500 a month, €979 goes to social insurance and €651 to income tax, leaving €2,870. The solidarity surcharge now applies only to high earners: in tax class I it starts at about €8,000 a month.
Tax class III, church tax and children
A married sole earner in tax class III takes home €3,221 from €4,500, €350 more than in class I; the couple’s final tax is settled in the annual return. Church tax of 9% costs €47 a month at €4,000. Children lower the long-term care contribution: one child adds €17 a month at €4,000, two children €24, while the child allowance itself is paid as Kindergeld.
What it means
Above the contribution ceilings, every extra euro is taxed but no longer insured, so net pay grows faster again. Pay rises close to the ceilings are therefore worth more than they look.
Work out your own net pay, your pay history or a private pension:
SalarySalary historyPrivate pensionSources and method
- PayAbacus German salary calculator with the 2026 rules: income tax tariff (§ 32a EStG), solidarity surcharge, social insurance rates and contribution ceilings 2026, average additional health contribution (official sources listed on the calculator page).
- Employee aged 35, 12 salaries a year, no bonus; tax class I unless stated; long-term care with the surcharge for the childless.