Station 2 · Before you sign
What is left of an IT salary in Germany once the rent is paid?
In short
At €65,000 gross a year, about €3,341 net per month remain in tax class I. In Munich, a two-room flat of 50 to 70 square metres costs about €1,050 to €1,470 a month before utilities on a new lease. That leaves about €1,870 to €2,290 a month, before utilities, electricity and everything else. For couples, a third number counts: what the partner earns.
Sources: IseeIT comparison calculator, calculated on 26 October 2026, BBSR, release of 10 June 2026
net per month at €65,000 gross a year.
Tax class I, age 30, no children, no church tax, statutory health insurance with the average additional contribution for 2026 of 2.9%, twelve monthly salaries. Calculated on 26 October 2026 with the IseeIT comparison calculator.
Source: IseeIT comparison calculator, calculated on 26 October 2026, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
The calculation line by line
| Gross salary, twelve monthly payments | 65,000 |
|---|---|
| Wage tax | minus 10,772 |
| Health insurance, your share | minus 5,688 |
| Long-term care insurance, your share | minus 1,560 |
| Pension insurance, your share | minus 6,045 |
| Unemployment insurance, your share | minus 845 |
| Net | 40,091, about 3,341 per month |
| Rent before utilities for twelve months, 50 to 70 m² at €21.01 per m² | minus 12,606 to 17,648 |
| Left after rent | 22,442 to 27,485, about 1,870 to 2,290 per month |
No solidarity surcharge applies at this salary. Wage tax follows the official 2026 calculation flowchart of the Federal Ministry of Finance. The rent is the 2025 asking rent for re-lets in Munich according to the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), before utilities. The floor area of 50 to 70 m² is an assumption. Open this calculation in the comparison calculator.
You pay the deposit once at the start
The rental deposit may be at most three months’ rent before utilities, and you may pay it in three equal monthly instalments (section 551, German Civil Code). For the Munich example flat, that would be about €3,150 to €4,410.
The third number
Net pay and rent are two numbers. Anyone coming with family needs a third: what the partner earns, and from when. Of immigrants with a partner who have left Germany again, 23% would have needed help with the partner’s job search (IAB). So calculate with one income first. More on the station Family and partner.
Three views of this station
IT professional
“How much is left after rent in the city where the office is?”
What helps: Your own calculation in the comparison calculator, with your city and, if you have a flat in mind, its rent.
Partner
“And what if I earn nothing in the first months?”
What helps: Calculate with one income and plan the deposit and the first months as a buffer.
Company
“Does the candidate know what is left net from our offer?”
What helps: State the salary range early, so the calculation starts with real numbers.
How we work at this station
- For you
- Your net income for your destination, in writing and verifiable, before you sign.
- After the first conversation
- Your net-income breakdown is on the table: in writing, with a source and date on every figure, in your mother tongue.
Not in our hands: The housing market. We show the numbers, but we cannot promise a flat. The calculation above is an example, not tax advice.
The path
Circles: the five stations. Diamonds: our check-ins in weeks 1, 4, 8 and 12. Numbers below: months after the start.
- Before you acceptCan my family come with me, and can my partner work in Germany?
- Before you signWhat is left of an IT salary in Germany once the rent is paid?You are here
- Moving weekWhen do I have to register my address in Germany?
- The first weeksDo I need German for an IT job in Germany?
- Month 6How long is the probation period in Germany, and what applies during it?
How does moving to Germany as an IT professional work?
Calculate your own path
With your city and your salary: comparison calculator. Talk your path through with us: write to us. Who we are: home page.
Sources
- IseeIT comparison calculator, Munich example, €65,000 gross, age 30, two rooms, calculated on 26 October 2026, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
- Federal Ministry of Finance, official wage tax calculation flowchart 2026 (Programmablaufplan, letter of 12 November 2025), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
- Federal Ministry of Health, announcement of the average additional contribution rate for 2026 (2.9%) under section 242a SGB V, Federal Gazette of 10 November 2025, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
- Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), release of 10 June 2026: asking rents for re-lets in 2025, Munich €21.01 per m², advertised flats, retrieved on 26 October 2026.
- Section 551 (1) and (2) German Civil Code (rental deposit), retrieved on 26 October 2026.
- Institute for Employment Research (IAB), IAB-Kurzbericht 10/2026, Kosyakova et al., International Mobility Panel of Migrants in Germany, figures A2 and A3. Survey November 2025 to February 2026, immigrants from all countries of origin, 403 people who had left, multiple answers possible, retrieved on 26 October 2026.