Every tax class pair
III/V, V/III, IV/IV and IV/IV with factor side by side: monthly pay for each of you and the refund or back-payment.
Free · No sign-up · Nothing leaves your browser
See what each of you really keeps, before the tax office tells you.
The German tax calculator for couples. Compare tax classes, see your refund or back-payment, and find out whether that second job, minijob or midijob is worth it.
- Official BMF wage-tax formulas
- 2025 and 2026
- Works on your phone
Live example · 2026 · one child
Alex earns€65,000 a year
Sam earns per month€700 Midijob
Sam's job adds to the family€516/mo74 % of the gross
Family has after tax€4,579/moincl. Kindergeld
⚠ Midijob trap: Sam earns more than €603, but the family keeps less than with a minijob.
Refund (+) or back-payment (−) after the joint return
Real numbers from the same engine. Drag the slider to try it.
Everything a couple needs to decide
What each of you keeps
The joint tax bill split fairly between you, so you see your own net after the return, not just the payslip.
Every salary at once
Move one salary from €0 up and watch what the family keeps and how the year-end bill moves for each class pair.
Month by month
Enter a full year or each month: parental leave, a new job in May, a bonus in December. All handled.
Traps flagged for you
Midijob trap, back-payments that bring prepayments, parental allowance raising your rate, family insurance limits.
Compare scenarios
Save as many household profiles as you like and compare them in one table: work or not, which class, which job.
The traps it catches
Things that cost couples real money every year, worked out with your own numbers.
Earn more, keep less
One euro above the minijob limit, social contributions start and the wage joins your joint return. Up to around €900 a month, the family can end up with less.
The surprise bill
Very different salaries in III/V often withhold too little. From €400 back-payment, the tax office also sets quarterly prepayments.
Tax-free, but not free of tax
Parental allowance and unemployment benefit raise the tax rate on everything else. A common cause of back-payments.
Switch classes in time
Parental allowance follows net pay. The class has to be in place for most of the year before the birth: about 7 months ahead.
Three steps
- 1
Add both salaries
Per year or month by month, with names, tax classes, health insurance and church.
- 2
Add what lowers your tax
Commute, home office, children and childcare, Elterngeld, medical costs, support for parents.
- 3
Compare and save
Switch class pairs, move salaries, save scenarios and compare them side by side.
Your numbers stay yours
Salaries are private. So the whole calculator runs in your browser: nothing you type is sent to a server, there are no cookies, no tracking and no accounts. Saved profiles live only on your device, and you can delete them with one click.
How we handle privacy →Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. No account, no ads, no paid tier. Use it as often as you like.
Do you see my salary?
No. Every number is calculated on your device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere, and saved profiles stay in your browser.
How accurate is it?
Monthly wage tax uses the official BMF calculation code for 2025 and 2026; 2026 is checked to the cent against the BMF test service. The joint return follows the Income Tax Act. It is still an estimate, not tax advice.
Which years?
2025 (for the return you file now) and 2026 (for planning).
Who is it for?
Married couples and registered partners filing jointly in Germany, with salaries, small jobs, parental leave or unemployment in the year.