Salary & Taxes
Your contract says Brutto. Your bank account says something else.
Wage tax, social insurance, tax classes and Minijobs: what comes off your salary, why, and how to check it.
Brutto to Netto, in one paragraph
Your gross salary (Brutto) is what your contract says. Your net salary (Netto) is what reaches your account. In between, your employer takes off wage tax and your share of social insurance, and sends both where they need to go.
Words you'll find on your payslip
- Brutto / Netto
- Gross salary before deductions / net salary after them.
- Lohnsteuer
- Wage tax taken directly from your salary by your employer.
- Steuerklasse
- Tax class I to VI. It decides how much tax is withheld each month, not how much you owe in the end.
- Sozialversicherung
- Social insurance: pension, health, long-term care and unemployment. You and your employer share the cost.
- Minijob
- A job paying up to €603 a month in 2026, with simplified rules.
Try it with your own numbers
German Salary BreakdownWhat actually lands in your bank account each month? (Rules 2026, checked)Live