# Berlin Expenses & Taxes



## eseidelman

hello, 

I currently live in the USA and am thinking about accepting an offer from a company in Berlin. I've never lived anywhere other than the USA, so this is all new to me. 

A little background:
- I'm married
- Let's assume I currently make $80,000 USD in my current job

My questions are:

- what are the taxes you pay in Germany? What % of my paycheck should I plan to give back to taxes?

- what are healthcare costs for an ex-pat (for 2 people)? Are those covered by employer or do I have to pay them?

- Let's assume the offer I receive from the company is 57,000 Euro. Is that enough for a couple to live off and still save, enjoy Berlin, and even travel within Europe. 

If we move to Berlin, I would want to be able to enjoy it, enjoy other areas in Europe for vacations and still save money. We don't want to be broke. 

Any info or advice is greatly appreciated.


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## James3214

_- what are the taxes you pay in Germany? What % of my paycheck should I plan to give back to taxes?_
You don't need to pay 'Church Tax' in Berlin but you can work out your net income on this site:
German Income Tax Calculator 1999-2011, FreeWare

_- what are healthcare costs for an ex-pat (for 2 people)? Are those covered by employer or do I have to pay them?_Depends what sort of contract you have with your employer. You will probably need to go on a private scheme that could cost anything up to 1000€ a month depending on your age/risk, etc. Ask your employer and get some quotes.
_
- Let's assume the offer I receive from the company is 57,000 Euro. Is that enough for a couple to live off and still save, enjoy Berlin, and even travel within Europe. _That's a very good salary and more than enough to have a comfortable lifestyle and save some money as well.


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## Bevdeforges

Unless it has changed in recent years, most "social insurances" (i.e. health, retirement, unemployment, etc.) are shared between employer and employee in Germany. Usually it is (was?) 50-50% but the health insurance is a little more complicated than that, depending on whether you elect to take the "private" insurance or remain with one of the standard "public" plans. 

The other thing to consider is that most of the insurances you pay from your paycheck like that are deducted from income before you figure your taxes.

James will correct me if things have changed, but that's how they were when I was living in Germany a while back.
Cheers,
Bev


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## James3214

Bev's right. Sorry, I did forget to mention that the health insurance is paid 50/50 with your employer unless you are self employed. The company normally puts you into their own scheme or asks you to choose your own. It normally works out at around 10% of your salary. If you are going to earn around 57k I think you might have to go into a 
'private' plan. You can get a rebate if you don't claim and your premiums can get a lot lower if you agree to pay the first 500€ or so.


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