Your payslip, decoded — Your payslip, decoded

This module goes through a German payslip line by line. It's your payslip, worked out from your tax class and salary. Set them here, or keep the example numbers. You can change them at any time.

An estimate from the official 2026 formula, worked out in your browser: nothing you enter is sent or saved. It assumes you’re aged 23 to 63, with statutory health insurance, one job, and any children under 25. Not covered: private health insurance, Minijob or Midijob pay, tax class 6, more than one job.

Tax class (Steuerklasse)

Monthly gross salary

A month, before deductions. Type it to the cent, or drag.

Church member

Children

Children lower your care insurance. On the payslip, as Kinderfreibeträge, they also lower Soli and church tax, but not income tax. Kindergeld covers that. The payslip counts them per parent: 0,5 per child if you’re single, 1,0 if you’re married (classes 3 and 4).

Health fund top-up (optional)

%Empty uses the 2026 average, 2.9%.

Where do I find it?

On your payslip. Next to the health line, payroll often prints your share of the rate, like “KV 8,75 %”. Your fund’s top-up is that minus 7,3, times two: (8,75 − 7,3) × 2 = 2,9.
From your health fund. Its website, or the letter it sends when the rate changes: look for “Zusatzbeitrag 2026”.
In the official list. The GKV-Spitzenverband, the funds’ umbrella body, publishes every fund’s current rate.

Savings payment and company pension (optional)

Vermögenswirksame Leistungen your employer pays/ monthOnly your employer’s part, often 40 a month. Anything you add yourself comes from net pay and doesn’t change this payslip.

Entgeltumwandlung: salary you pay into a company pension/ monthWhat leaves your gross, up to €338 a month: the part free of both tax and contributions. Your employer’s top-up isn’t part of it.