Germany: unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld I) calculator

How much unemployment benefit I per day and month you get in Germany, and for how long, from your gross pay, tax class, child, insured time and age.

Unemployment benefit per month

€1,246.80

that is €41.56 per calendar day, for up to 12 months

€41.56 per day
Up to 12 months
Up to €14,961.60 in total

With €3,000 gross a month, tax class I or IV, the assessment pay is €98.63 per day and the benefit pay €69.26. 60% of that is €41.56 unemployment benefit per calendar day, €1,246.80 a month.

With 24 months of insured time and age 35, you get up to 12 months of unemployment benefit (360 days), so at most €14,961.60 in total if you stay unemployed the whole time.

This is a guide value, as the Federal Employment Agency itself calls the result of its own calculator. What counts is the notice that checks your pay certificate and your details.
At least 12 months of insured time must fall in the last 30 months before you register as unemployed (qualifying period, SGB III § 142). For frequent short fixed-term jobs, shorter periods apply under conditions.
Unemployment benefit is tax-free but raises the tax rate on your other income (progression clause, EStG § 32b).
If you end the employment yourself without good cause, you risk a block period of 12 weeks (SGB III § 159), and the duration of the entitlement falls by at least a quarter.

I’m not an accountant or a financial advisor. This is an estimate, for information only. Check with a professional before you decide.

Your numbers

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Average gross pay per month

The average of your gross pay from compulsorily insured employment in the last 12 months, including Christmas and vacation pay, without severance. Mini-jobs do not count. Above the contribution ceiling of €8,450 a month the Agency calculates with that ceiling.

Wage tax class

What counts is the tax class at the start of the year in which the entitlement arises (SGB III § 153). The calculator does not know tax class IV with a factor.

Do you or your spouse have a child you receive child benefit for?

Then the higher benefit rate of 67% applies instead of 60%. Spouses and civil partners count if both are subject to unlimited tax liability and do not live permanently apart (SGB III § 149).

YesNo

Months in unemployment insurance in the last 5 years

All months with compulsorily insured employment within the last five years. At least 12 of them must fall in the last 30 months before you register as unemployed.

Your age at the start of unemployment

From 50, 55 and 58 the entitlement lasts longer if you have enough insured time.

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The calculation
	Assessment pay per day€3,000 × 12 ÷ 365	€98.63
−	Wage tax, class I or IV	€9.64
−	Solidarity surcharge	€0.00
−	Social insurance flat rate20% of the assessment pay	€19.73
=	Benefit pay per day (Leistungsentgelt)the flat-rate net pay	€69.26
×	Benefit rate	60%
=	Unemployment benefit per calendar day	€41.56
×	Days per month	30
=	Unemployment benefit per month	€1,246.80

How it works

The assessment pay is your average gross pay per day: the monthly gross × 12 ÷ 365, at most up to the contribution ceiling of €8,450 a month (SGB III §§ 150 and 151).
From it a flat-rate social insurance deduction of 20%, the wage tax for your tax class (without special allowances, by the program flow chart of the Federal Ministry of Finance) and the solidarity surcharge are deducted. The rest is the benefit pay, a flat-rate net pay (§ 153).
Unemployment benefit is 60% of the benefit pay, with a child 67% (§ 149), per calendar day; a full month counts 30 days (§§ 154 and 339).
The duration depends on the months in unemployment insurance within five years and on your age (§ 147): 12 months give 6 months of entitlement, 16 give 8, 20 give 10, 24 give 12; from age 50 with 30 months it is 15, from 55 with 36 months 18, from 58 with 48 months 24.

Worked example

€3,000 gross a month, tax class I, no child. Assessment pay: 3,000 × 12 ÷ 365 = €98.63. Deductions: wage tax €9.64, solidarity surcharge €0.00, social insurance flat rate €19.73: benefit pay €69.26. 60% of that is €41.56 per day, times 30 days €1,246.80 a month. With 24 months of insured time you get up to 12 months, so at most €14,961.60.

Sources

Text checked on October 6, 2026

Good to know

The Federal Employment Agency calls the result of its own calculator a guide value, not legally binding; the same is true for this calculator. In 187 of 196 comparison cases it matches the Agency’s daily rate to the cent, in the others it is one cent off.
What counts is the wage tax class at the start of the year in which the entitlement arises; later changes count only under conditions (§ 153 paras. 2 and 3). The calculator does not know tax class IV with a factor or special allowances.
The assessment pay is the gross pay of the last 12 months that was settled when you left. Severance and anything paid because of the termination do not count (§ 151 para. 2). If there were fewer than 150 days with pay in the year, the period is extended to two years (§ 150 para. 3).
Side income is offset against the unemployment benefit after deducting taxes, social contributions and work expenses and an allowance of €165 a month (§ 155).
The duration of the entitlement falls by the days for which you have already received unemployment benefit, and in the case of a block period for leaving a job by at least a quarter (§ 148). An extension exists only if an earlier entitlement still has a remaining period (§ 147 para. 4).

Frequently asked questions

How much unemployment benefit will I get in Germany?

60% of the flat-rate net pay (benefit pay), with a child 67%. The benefit pay is the daily gross pay of the last 12 months minus the 20% social insurance flat rate, wage tax and solidarity surcharge. With €3,000 gross, tax class I, no child, that is €41.56 per day, so €1,246.80 a month.

How long will I get unemployment benefit?

It depends on the insured time of the last five years and on your age: with 12 months 6 months, with 24 months 12 months; from 50 with 30 months 15, from 55 with 36 months 18, from 58 with 48 months 24 (SGB III § 147).

When do I have to register?

As a job seeker at the latest three months before the employment ends, and if you have less than three months’ notice within three days of learning of it (§ 38). You register as unemployed online or in person, best on the first day of unemployment (§ 141). A late registration can cost a block period of one week.

Is unemployment benefit taxable?

No, it is tax-free (EStG § 3 No. 2). But it raises the tax rate on your other income (progression clause, § 32b): a tax return may be necessary.

Is there a block period if I resign myself?

Yes, as a rule 12 weeks if you end the employment without good cause. It is shortened to 3 or 6 weeks in certain cases and reduces the duration of the entitlement by at least a quarter (§§ 159 and 148).