Salaries in Germany, and how to ask for yours

Pay in Germany is quoted gross, by the year or the month, and depends on field, region and employer. Here are official figures and a plain way to ask.

The cvscored team Published · Updated

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Contents
  1. Step by step
  2. Gross and net
  3. The middle salary
  4. Pay by field and trade
  5. The 13th salary and the minimum wage
  6. Collective agreements in plain words
  7. Startups and big companies
  8. Pay transparency: where it stands on 4 November 2026
  9. How cvscored helps
  10. Average pay by field and trade in Germany
  11. Checklist
  12. One honest limit
  13. Sources
  14. Key takeaways
  15. Frequently asked questions
  16. Related guides

Step by step

  1. Find the pay range for your job

    Look for a range in the ad. Then check the Entgeltatlas of the Federal Employment Agency for your job and region.

  2. Find out if a collective agreement applies

    Public jobs and many industry jobs follow a collective agreement. Pay is then set by a grade and a step.

  3. Work in gross euros a year

    Compare offers by the year, gross. Ask how many payments the year has. Count a bonus only if it is written down.

  4. Pick a range, not one number

    Choose the lowest figure you would accept and a higher one that is realistic. Open near the top.

  5. Say your range plainly

    When asked, give the range and what it covers: "EUR 60,000 to 66,000 gross a year, full time."

  6. Look at the whole offer

    Check holidays, bonus, pension, working hours and any help with moving. Pay is one part.

  7. Get it in writing

    Your employer must give you the main terms in writing, pay included. Compare them with what was said.

Gross and net

Pay in Germany is quoted gross. Net pay is what you receive after tax and social insurance.

Your net amount depends on your tax class, your health insurance and other details. Use a net calculator for a real figure.

Compare gross with gross. All figures in this guide are gross.

The middle salary

The Federal Statistical Office puts the median gross pay of full-time employees in 2025 at EUR 54,066 a year, bonuses included.

The lowest tenth earned EUR 33,828 or less. The top tenth earned EUR 100,719 or more.

The median was EUR 55,435 in the west and EUR 46,013 in the east, without Berlin.

Your own job can sit well above or below these figures.

Pay by field and trade

The table below shows official averages. Yearly figures for 2025 include bonuses; monthly figures for April 2025 leave them out.

An average is pulled up by a few high earners. Treat it as the level of a field, not as an offer.

Hairdressers earned EUR 2,470 a month in April 2025, well below the EUR 4,125 of all skilled employees.

Nurses earned a median of EUR 4,310 a month in April 2024, and elderly care specialists EUR 4,228.

For your own job, look it up in the Entgeltatlas or the salary comparison of the Statistical Office.

The 13th salary and the minimum wage

Some employers pay the year's salary in 12 parts. Others add a Christmas payment or a bonus.

In 2024, 85.8 percent of employees under a collective agreement got a Christmas bonus.

Ask how many payments the year has and whether the bonus is in the contract.

The minimum wage is EUR 13.90 gross an hour since 1 January 2026. It rises to EUR 14.60 on 1 January 2027.

Collective agreements in plain words

A collective agreement (Tarifvertrag) is a deal between unions and employers. It sets a pay table with grades and steps.

TVöD covers the federal government and the towns. Pay rose 3.0 percent in April 2025, at least EUR 110, and 2.8 percent in May 2026.

From 2026 the yearly special payment of the towns is 85 percent of a monthly salary. Federal rates run from 75 to 95 percent.

TV-L covers the states. Pay rose 2.8 percent in April 2026, at least EUR 100; it rises 2.0 percent in March 2027 and 1.0 percent in January 2028.

The metal and electrical agreement ended on 31 October 2026. IG Metall asks for 5 percent, and talks were still open on 4 November.

In a public job you usually cannot change the table. Ask for the right grade, and for your earlier work to count.

Startups and big companies

Official statistics do not split pay by startup or big firm. Take this as a rule of thumb.

A large company often has fixed grades, bonuses and benefits. A startup may pay less in cash and offer shares.

Ask what the shares are worth and when you can sell them.

Pay transparency: where it stands on 4 November 2026

EU Directive 2023/970 gives applicants a right to the starting pay or its range, in the ad or before the interview.

It also stops employers from asking about your pay in earlier jobs.

Member states had to make it law by 7 June 2026. Germany has not passed its law yet.

In July 2026 the government told parliament that the ministry had prepared a draft and was settling open questions.

Until the law comes, you can still ask an employer for the range.

How cvscored helps

For a job you add, cvscored looks up a salary band for the role and the place once, and keeps it.

You see a range, an opening figure, how sure the search was and how many figures it read.

Each role page under Jobs by role shows what the role pays in each country, with its sources named.

Average pay by field and trade in Germany

Official averages from the Federal Statistical Office, for full-time employees. Do not add up figures from different rows.

Field or jobAverage grossWhat it counts
Finance and insuranceEUR 91,678 a year2025, with bonuses
Information and communicationEUR 86,638 a year2025, with bonuses
ManufacturingEUR 67,520 a year2025, with bonuses
Health and social workEUR 62,503 a year2025, with bonuses
All fieldsEUR 64,441 a year2025, with bonuses
Toolmaker (Werkzeugmechaniker)EUR 4,179 a monthApril 2025, no bonuses
Bricklayer (Maurer)EUR 3,910 a monthApril 2025, no bonuses
Transport and storage, all jobsEUR 3,935 a monthApril 2025, no bonuses
Hotels and restaurants, all jobsEUR 3,185 a monthApril 2025, no bonuses

Official averages, not offers. East and west differ.

Good points

  • Official figures give a fair start.
  • A range leaves room to agree.

Not so good

  • Averages hide big differences within a field.
  • Public pay tables leave little room.

Checklist

  • You know whether the figure is gross or net.
  • You know how many payments the year has.
  • You have checked whether a collective agreement applies.
  • You have a range for your job and region from a named source.
  • You will give a range in gross euros a year.
  • You have looked at holidays, bonus, pension and hours.
  • You will get the pay and grade in writing.
  • You know that a statistic is not an offer.

One honest limit

This guide is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. A range is a guide, and the employer sets the pay.

Sources

Checked on .

Key takeaways

  • Think gross, by the year, and count the payments.
  • Use official sources for your range.
  • Check for a collective agreement first.
  • Ask for a range and get the pay in writing.

Frequently asked questions

Are German salaries gross or net?
Ads and statistics are gross. Net is what you receive after tax and social insurance.
Is there a 13th salary in Germany?
Not always. It depends on the contract or the collective agreement. Ask how many payments the year has.
What is a fair salary for my job?
Start with the Entgeltatlas and the salary comparison of the Statistical Office for your job and region. Then adjust for your experience.
What is a collective agreement?
A deal between unions and employers that sets pay tables. TVöD, TV-L and the metal and electrical agreements are examples.
Must an employer tell me the pay range?
Under the EU directive, yes, once Germany makes it law. On 4 November 2026 it had not. You can still ask.
Do I get my pay in writing?
Yes. The employer must give you the main terms in writing, pay included, by your first day of work.

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