How much of a German salary do you actually keep? Using the 2026 rules, our net salary calculator for Germany gives these results for a single person without children: €60,000 a year takes home about €3,130 a month, €80,000 about €4,004 and €100,000 about €4,836. Between 37% and 42% of the gross salary goes to income tax and social contributions.
This guide shows every deduction for those three salaries, explains what changes the result for you, and compares the same salaries in Austria. It is general information, not tax advice. Tax rules change every year, so check the official links before you rely on a number.
60k, 80k and 100k salary in Germany: net pay at a glance
| Gross salary a year | Net a year | Net a month | Share deducted | Extra €100 gross gives you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €60,000 | €37,561 | €3,130 | 37.4% | about €51 |
| €80,000 | €48,049 | €4,004 | 39.9% | about €53 |
| €100,000 | €58,030 | €4,836 | 42.0% | about €48 |
Source: the salary after tax calculator on Germany Dev Jobs, 2026 rules, read on 16 October 2026.
The calculator assumes:
- tax class I: single, no children,
- aged 23 or over and childless, so the long-term care surcharge applies,
- no church tax,
- public (statutory) health insurance at the average additional rate of 2.9%,
- the same monthly pay all year, no other income, and only the automatic allowances,
- any state except Saxony, which has a different care insurance split.
If any of these don’t fit you, read the section on what changes your net salary below.
Every deduction, line by line
| Deduction a year | €60,000 | €80,000 | €100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income tax (Lohnsteuer) | €9,389 | €15,694 | €23,248 |
| Solidarity surcharge | €0 | €0 | €345 |
| Pension insurance | €5,580 | €7,440 | €9,300 |
| Unemployment insurance | €780 | €1,040 | €1,300 |
| Health insurance | €5,250 | €6,103 | €6,103 |
| Long-term care insurance | €1,440 | €1,674 | €1,674 |
| Total deductions | €22,439 | €31,951 | €41,970 |
| Take-home pay | €37,561 | €48,049 | €58,030 |
Income tax
Germany’s income tax rises smoothly with your taxable income. In 2026, the first €12,348 is tax-free, the rate on each extra euro then rises from 14% to 42%, and the 42% rate applies from €69,879 of taxable income. The 45% rate starts at €277,826 (§ 32a Income Tax Act).
Taxable income is lower than your gross salary, because pension, health, care and unemployment contributions and some flat-rate allowances are deducted first. That is why a €100,000 salary pays €23,248 in income tax, an average rate of about 23%, even though part of it is taxed at 42%.
Solidarity surcharge
The solidarity surcharge is 5.5% of income tax, but only when your annual income tax is above €20,350 (single) or €40,700 (joint filers), and it is phased in above that limit (§ 3 Solidarity Surcharge Act). At €60,000 and €80,000, income tax stays below the limit, so you pay nothing. At €100,000 you are just above it and pay €345.
Pension and unemployment insurance
You pay half of the 18.6% pension contribution, so 9.3% of your salary (Deutsche Rentenversicherung), and half of the 2.6% unemployment contribution, so 1.3% (Federal Ministry of Labour). Both are charged only on salary up to €101,400 a year in 2026 (Federal Government). All three example salaries are below that ceiling, so both contributions grow in step with pay.
Health and long-term care insurance
Public health insurance costs 14.6% plus your insurer’s additional rate, which averages 2.9% in 2026. You pay half of both, so 8.75% at the average rate (Federal Ministry of Health). Long-term care insurance is 3.6%; the employee pays 1.8%, plus a 0.6% surcharge if you are 23 or older and have no children, so 2.4% (Federal Ministry of Health).
Both are charged only on salary up to €69,750 a year (Federal Ministry of Health). That is why health and care deductions are the same at €80,000 and €100,000: above the ceiling, they stop growing. It is also part of the reason why each extra €100 at €100,000 leaves you about €48, slightly less than at €80,000: the solidarity surcharge has started, while health and care contributions had already stopped growing at €80,000.
What your employer pays on top
Your employer pays its own share of social contributions on top of your gross salary. According to our calculator, the total cost to the employer in 2026 is about €72,780 for a €60,000 salary, €95,959 for €80,000 and €118,109 for €100,000. These figures leave out some levies whose rates depend on the employer’s insurer and industry. This is useful to know if you compare an employment contract with a freelance or contractor rate.
What changes your net salary
The figures above are for one common case. These are the things that move the result most.
Tax class (Steuerklasse)
Your tax class changes how much income tax is withheld each month, but not your final tax for the year, which your tax return settles.
- Class I: single. This is what the table uses.
- Classes III and V: for married couples with very different salaries. The higher earner in class III has much less tax withheld each month; the partner in class V has more. Couples in III/V must file a tax return.
- Class IV: the default for married couples. Each partner’s monthly withholding is similar to class I. Joint filing (income splitting) can still lower the couple’s tax for the year.
Our tax basics guide explains all six classes. To see the monthly wage tax for your class, use the Federal Ministry of Finance’s official wage tax calculator. Note that it calculates wage tax and the solidarity surcharge only, not social contributions, so it is not a full gross-to-net calculator (BMF).
Church tax
If you are a member of a church that levies church tax, such as the Catholic or Protestant church, you pay 8% of your income tax in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and 9% elsewhere. On the €80,000 example, 9% of €15,694 would be about €1,412 a year, or €118 a month. See the tax basics guide for how membership is recorded.
Children
With one child, the 0.6% care surcharge falls away, and from the second child under 25 your care contribution falls further, by 0.25 percentage points per child up to the fifth (Federal Ministry of Health). Child benefit and child allowances also affect your household income, but they are outside the scope of this guide.
Your health insurer
Each public health insurer sets its own additional rate. The calculator uses the 2026 average of 2.9%. You pay half of the additional rate, on salary up to €69,750, so each 0.1 percentage point difference between insurers changes your net pay by at most about €2.91 a month.
If you earn more than €77,400 a year in 2026, you may choose private health insurance instead (Federal Government). Then you pay a premium based on your age and health, not your salary, and your employer pays a subsidy. At €80,000 and €100,000 this can change your take-home pay noticeably, in either direction. Read public vs private health insurance before you decide.
Saxony
In Saxony the employee pays a larger share of care insurance (2.3% instead of 1.8%, plus the childless surcharge), so net pay is slightly lower (Federal Ministry of Health).
Bonuses, equity and your first year
One-off bonuses are taxed in the month they are paid, which can make that month’s withholding look high. In the year you move to Germany, you may also pay too much tax if you only worked part of the year here; a tax return can get that back. Equity such as stock options has its own tax rules, so get advice if your offer includes it.
Is 60k a good salary in Germany?
For an experienced software engineer, €60,000 is below the middle of the market. The Federal Employment Agency’s median for software developers at expert level was €6,301 gross a month across Germany at the end of 2025, about €75,600 a year, and higher in Berlin and Munich. It is a more common figure for junior roles. Our salary guide has the figures by city.
In ads on our board that state a salary, the median was €85,000 a year in our October 2026 report, based on 369 ads, with Berlin at €97,500 and Munich at €95,568. Few ads state pay, and they lean towards senior roles, so treat this as a rough guide.
Whether a salary is enough depends mostly on rent. In Munich, a 60 m² flat on the market costs about €1,375 a month net cold, which would take 44% of the €3,130 monthly net from €60,000. See the cost of living in Munich, the Berlin vs Munich comparison and the best German cities for tech jobs.
Your salary and your visa
If you need a work permit, your gross salary also decides which visa you can get. The EU Blue Card has a minimum salary each year; use the visa salary check or read the EU Blue Card guide. If you don’t have a job offer yet, the Opportunity Card lets you come to Germany to look for one.
How the same salaries compare in Austria
Austrian salaries are usually paid in 14 instalments, and the 13th and 14th are taxed at lower rates. For a single employee in Vienna, our calculator gives these results for 2026:
| Gross salary a year | Germany: net a year | Austria (Vienna): net a year |
|---|---|---|
| €60,000 | €37,561 | €41,025 |
| €80,000 | €48,049 | €51,653 |
| €100,000 | €58,030 | €62,631 |
On the same gross salary, you keep a few thousand euros more a year in Austria. Gross salaries for the same job are often lower in Austria, though: in our October 2026 report, the median advertised salary was €60,000 in Vienna against €97,500 in Berlin. Compare real offers, not equal gross figures. Our guide to working in Vienna as a developer covers Austria in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
What is the net salary of €60,000 in Germany?
About €37,561 a year, or €3,130 a month, for a single person without children, without church tax and with public health insurance at the average rate, under the 2026 rules. About 37.4% of the gross goes to income tax and social contributions.
How much is €80,000 after tax in Germany?
About €48,049 a year, or €4,004 a month, for a single person without children in 2026. Income tax is €15,694; social contributions add €16,257. At this salary you could also choose private health insurance, which changes the result.
How much is €100,000 after tax in Germany?
About €58,030 a year, or €4,836 a month, for a single person without children in 2026. You start paying a small solidarity surcharge of €345 at this level, and health and care contributions are capped, so they are the same as at €80,000.
Is there an official net salary calculator for Germany?
The Federal Ministry of Finance offers an official wage tax calculator at bmf-steuerrechner.de. It calculates wage tax and the solidarity surcharge, but not social contributions, so it does not show your full net pay. Our salary after tax calculator adds the social contributions for you.
Does living in Munich or Berlin change my net salary?
Hardly. Tax and social contributions are set nationally. Two small differences: church tax, if you pay it, is 8% of income tax in Bavaria and 9% in Berlin, and employees in Saxony pay a little more for care insurance. Your rent, not your tax, is what differs most between cities.
Why does an extra €100 give me only about €50?
Because each extra euro is taxed at your marginal rate and also carries social contributions. At these salaries the marginal income tax rate is already high, and pension, unemployment and (below €69,750) health and care contributions are added on top.
Next steps
- Try your own figure in the salary after tax calculator.
- Check offers against the salary guide.
- Browse tech jobs in Germany and Austria that state a salary.