€21 an hour: how much net? (Germany 2026)
How much net is an hourly wage of €21?
At €21 an hour and 40 hours a week you earn about €3,640 gross a month in Germany in 2026. In tax class I you keep about €2,410 net, roughly €13.90 net per hour.
For comparison: the German statutory minimum wage in 2026 is €13.90 an hour.
Computed with the official 2026 payroll algorithm of the German Federal Ministry of Finance, single, no children, statutory health insurance.
- Net per month
- €2,410
- Gross per month
- €3,640
- Net per hour
- €13.90
- Deduction rate
- 33.8%
Legal status: tax year 2026, wage tax per the official BMF PAP 2026
Net pay at €21 an hour by weekly hours
| Hours per week | Gross per month | Net per month | Net per hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 hours | €1,820 | €1,385 | €15.98 |
| 30 hours | €2,730 | €1,901 | €14.62 |
| 40 hours | €3,640 | €2,410 | €13.90 |
If the monthly gross is above €603 and at most €2,000, the transition zone (Midijob) applies, with reduced social contributions.
Net pay by tax class at €21 and 40 hours a week
Monthly net pay for all six tax classes (Steuerklassen), without and with church tax.
| Tax class | Net without church tax | Net with church tax | Net per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax class 1single | €2,410 | €2,371 | €28,922 |
| Tax class 2single parent, 1 child | €2,528 | €2,507 | €30,334 |
| Tax class 3married, higher earner | €2,714 | €2,702 | €32,570 |
| Tax class 4married, similar salaries | €2,410 | €2,371 | €28,922 |
| Tax class 5married, lower earner | €2,024 | €1,949 | €24,284 |
| Tax class 6second job | €1,980 | €1,902 | €23,758 |
Deductions at €21 an hour (40 hours, tax class I)
| Deduction | without church tax | with church tax |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | €3,640.00 | €3,640.00 |
| Income tax (Lohnsteuer) | -€438.16 | -€438.16 |
| Solidarity surcharge | €0.00 | €0.00 |
| Church tax | €0.00 | -€39.43 |
| Health insurance | -€318.50 | -€318.50 |
| Long-term care insurance | -€87.36 | -€87.36 |
| Pension insurance | -€338.52 | -€338.52 |
| Unemployment insurance | -€47.32 | -€47.32 |
| Total deductions | -€1,229.86 | -€1,269.29 |
| Net salary | €2,410.14 | €2,370.71 |
How an hourly wage becomes a monthly salary
Monthly gross = hourly wage × weekly hours × 52 ÷ 12. At 40 hours a week that is on average 173.33 hours a month, so €21 becomes €3,640 gross. Our hourly wage calculator uses the same conversion.
Calculate with your own details
Different hours, tax class or children? Enter your own figures in the hourly wage calculator.
Open the hourly wage calculatorAssumptions behind these figures
- Tax year 2026; income tax and solidarity surcharge per the official payroll algorithm (PAP 2026) of the German Federal Ministry of Finance.
- Statutory health insurance with the average 2026 top-up contribution of 2.9 percent.
- Aged 30, no children, so the childless surcharge applies in long-term care insurance. Tax class II is computed with one child (child allowance 0.5).
- Church tax, where shown, at 9 percent of income tax (8 percent in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg).
- Federal state North Rhine-Westphalia. In Saxony the employee share of long-term care insurance is slightly higher.
- No personal allowances, no benefits in kind, no factor method, no one-off payments.
Non-binding estimate per the official PAP 2026. Not modeled: the factor method (tax class IV), the old-age relief amount (64+), pension payments, one-off payments and benefits in kind. With private health insurance, the basic premium you enter is used together with the employer subsidy. Not a payslip or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
- How much net is €21 gross per hour?
- At 40 hours a week, €21 gross per hour is about €3,640 gross and €2,410 net a month (tax class I, 2026). That leaves about €13.90 net per hour.
- How much net is €21 an hour part-time?
- At 30 hours a week you keep about €1,901 net a month (€2,730 gross), at 20 hours about €1,385 net (€1,820 gross).
- How much net is €21 an hour in tax class III?
- In tax class III you keep about €2,714 net a month at 40 hours a week, in tax class V about €2,024.
- How much is €21 an hour per year?
- €21 × 40 hours × 52 weeks is €43,680 gross a year. In tax class I about €28,922 of that is net.
Other amounts
As of (tax year 2026) · last verified:
Sources:
Scope of review: formulas and reference values were checked against the sources listed above, by the Nomado24 editorial team. What is verified is the calculation logic, not your personal situation. Not tax or legal advice.