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Germany
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Germany Payroll & HR Glossary
- Lohnsteuer
- The income tax on wages, which the employer withholds directly and pays to the tax office (Finanzamt).
- Sozialversicherung
- The statutory system of pension, health, long-term care and unemployment insurance, financed in equal parts by employee and employer.
- Brutto und Netto
- Brutto (gross) is pay before any deductions, netto (net) is the amount paid out after Lohnsteuer and social contributions; the Effektivlohn is the gross wage actually paid.
- Steuerklasse
- The tax class appears on the payslip and determines how much Lohnsteuer the employer withholds each month; there are classes I to VI.
- Minijob
- Marginal employment up to the monthly earnings limit (2026: €603), usually free of deductions for the employee.
- Kurzarbeit
- A temporary reduction of working hours in which the Federal Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit) replaces part of the lost pay as Kurzarbeitergeld.
- Urlaubsanspruch
- The statutory minimum paid annual leave guaranteed under the Federal Leave Act (Bundesurlaubsgesetz).
- Kirchensteuer
- A surcharge on Lohnsteuer (8-9%) paid by members of religious communities that levy a church tax.
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