Expat tools · Gross to net calculator Germany
Our German salary calculator works out your Netto (net income) from your Brutto (gross income): a simple gross to net calculator, per month and per year. For employees and freelancers in Berlin and across Germany.
For shareholder-managing directors (Gesellschafter-Geschäftsführer) and others exempt from social insurance. No pension or unemployment contributions are taken through payroll, and you pay your health and care insurance yourself from your Netto.
Freelancer Brutto = income from clients − business expenses (excl. VAT).
Gross to net Germany · Brutto netto in English
Brutto netto English translation: Brutto means gross, Netto means net. So gross income vs net income is simply your income before and after deductions. Brutto is everything before anything is taken off. Netto is what's left after tax (and, for employees, social contributions). Use the gross to net income calculator above to see your own figures.
Quick rule: a single employee in tax class I earning €40,000–70,000 keeps roughly 60–67% of their Brutto.
*Up to a maximum of about €1,190 a month (2026). Private insurance depends on age and health, not income.
Freelance tax calculator Germany
Choose "Freelance / self-employed" in the calculator above to use it as a German freelance tax calculator. For a single freelancer in Berlin with public health insurance in 2026:
| Brutto per year | Income tax | Netto per month | Health & care | Left per month |
|---|
Figures from the freelancer income tax calculator above: Freiberufler, no church tax, no children, average public insurer with sick pay. Health insurance contributions are tax-deductible, which is already included.
Employees
Your tax class (Steuerklasse) decides how much tax your employer takes off each month. Not sure which tax class Germany has given you? It's on your payslip as "StKl".
| Tax class | Who it's for |
|---|---|
| I | Single, divorced or separated. Usually also if your spouse lives abroad. |
| II | Single parents living alone with their child. Apply for it, it isn't automatic. |
| III | Married, the higher earner (partner in class V or not working). |
| IV | Married with similar incomes. The default after marriage. |
| V | Married, the lower earner when the partner is in class III. |
| VI | A second job alongside your main job. |
Your tax class changes your monthly Netto, not your final tax for the year. That's settled in your tax return.
Our network
Your Netto isn't fixed. Social contributions, pension set-up and the right advice can make a real difference, and they're often connected to your residency permit too. When you work with us, you get access to our network and the knowledge base we share with clients.
In-house: comparing public and private health insurance and setting up pension provision, with our licensed brokers.
Introductions to English-speaking tax advisers for your tax return, freelance bookkeeping and tax planning.
Trusted, expat-friendly professionals for savings, investments and long-term financial planning.
For complex residency cases, appeals and legal questions, through the lawyers we work with closely.
How it starts: usually with a conversation about your social contributions (health insurance and pension) and how your income fits your residency permit. From there we connect you with the right people.
Book an appointment →Netto means net, Brutto means gross. You'll see both on German payslips, job offers and rental applications.
Employees: your share comes straight off your Brutto on the payslip, so your Netto already excludes it. Freelancers: nothing is deducted automatically. You pay health insurance from your Netto, but the contributions are tax-deductible, so they lower your income tax. That's why the calculator shows your Netto and then what's left after health insurance.
Yes. Adjust the Brutto in the calculator until the Netto matches the figure you want. As a quick rule, a single employee in tax class I needs a Brutto of roughly 1.5–1.65 times their target Netto.
You get €259 Kindergeld per child per month, and the tax office checks whether the child tax allowance would save you more. Children also lower your care insurance. Add them under "Advanced options".
Both. Income tax and social contributions are the same across Germany. The only local difference is church tax: the calculator uses the Berlin rate of 9% (8% applies in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg).
Yes. It uses the 2026 income tax rates, social security rates and contribution ceilings, and the 2026 Kindergeld and child allowance.
Germany has no separate self employment tax like the US. Freelancers pay income tax (plus solidarity surcharge and church tax, if applicable) on their profit, and pay their own health and care insurance, around 20% of profit in public insurance. Trade businesses (Gewerbe) also pay trade tax above €24,500 profit, which is mostly credited against income tax. Pension insurance is only compulsory for some professions, or through the KSK.
Business expenses such as equipment, software, a coworking desk or home office, phone and internet, business travel, training and your tax adviser. On top of that, health and care insurance and Rürup pension contributions are deductible from your income. Every deduction lowers your Brutto (profit) and therefore your tax.
Only income from employment or self-employment. Rental income, investments, foreign income and second jobs aren't included. This is an estimate, not tax advice.
Disclaimer: estimate based on 2026 German income tax and social security values (Berlin church tax 9%, average public health insurance add-on 2.9%). Class III/V withholding, the child allowance and private premiums (approx. 85% counted as basic cover for tax) are simplified. Not tax or legal advice.
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