Brutto Netto - Salary & Tax Calculator Germany 2022

German tax system is said to be one of the most complex in the world.

But, as with almost everything, it looks much scarier that it actually is. With our calculator you can quickly find out.

There are six tax categories in Germany. Which tax category you belong to, depends on your marital status and if you have more than one employer. You can find out which tax category you belong to, by, for example, checking your payslip or tax assessment notice, or you can use the following table for orientation:

Tax Category I applies to you if you are single, divorced, or a widow* (*in the year of death and in the following year category III applies).

Tax Category II applies to you if you are married, have a registered civil partner or single parent. As a single parent, you need to be living with at least one child and must request a change to tax category II.

Tax Category III applies to you if you are married or have a registered civil partner, and your partner chose tax category V, is unemployed or earns less than you.

Tax Category IV applies to you if you are married or have a registered civil partner, and your partner chose tax category IV or is unemployed.

Tax Category V applies to you if you are married or have a registered civil partner, and your partner chose tax category III.

Tax Category VI applies to you if you have more than one employer.

The child allowance for 2019 is €7,620 (for a joint tax return) or €3,810 per parent. For 2018 it is €7,428 or €3,714. For 2017 it is €7,356 or €3,678.

The nursing care insurance was introduced in 1996. Employee and the employer both pay the same amount. The insurance covers the possibility of the need for care.

Each health insurance company charges an additional surcharge. In this list you can find out how high it is at your health insurance company. If you can't find your Health Insurance, use 0.9% as a benchmark as this is the most common surcharge.

Not to be confused with basic tax allowance [Grundfreibetrag]. If you have regular costs that are tax-deductible, you can register them with the tax office before filing your tax return. If a tax-free amount is noted, the employer automatically deducts less money from the monthly salary. In order to register a tax allowance, you must submit an application to the tax office by November.