German capital gains tax calculator 2026: what is left after tax?
Abgeltungsteuer, solidarity surcharge and church tax at a glance — with the partial exemption for funds and your remaining tax-free allowance.
Simplified calculation without creditable foreign withholding tax. Not tax advice.
€659.38 goes to the tax office — €4,340.62 stays with you.
That is 13.2% of the gross income.
Net
€4,340.62
Total tax
€659.38
Effective tax rate
13.2%
| Gross investment income | €5,000.00 |
|---|---|
| Partial exemption | − €1,500.00 |
| Sparer-Pauschbetrag | − €1,000.00 |
| Taxable base | €2,500.00 |
| Capital gains tax | − €625.00 |
| Solidarity surcharge | − €34.38 |
| Net | €4,340.62 |
What does this mean for your real wealth?
The calculation above holds for one gain with the values you entered. Which capital income your real portfolio has generated, Planafolio's tax overview shows from your imported sells and dividends – for free.
See the tax on my real gainsWhat does the result mean?
The result shows how much tax is due on a capital gain and what remains net – after partial exemption and your remaining saver's allowance.
Model assumptions
- Tax rules as of 2026: flat tax, solidarity surcharge, church tax, partial exemption and saver's allowance as set out in law.
- A single amount or a single year is considered, without any growth beyond it.
- No foreign withholding tax and no loss offsetting.
How the calculator works
First the partial exemption by fund type, then the remaining allowance, then the flat tax (with church tax, using the formula from Section 32d EStG), the solidarity surcharge and church tax where applicable.
More on the methodologyWorked example
Example: ETF gain with church tax
Worked example: a realised gain from an equity ETF, the saver's allowance (Sparer-Pauschbetrag) still unused, plus church tax. The calculation follows the statutory order: partial exemption first, then the allowance, then the tax rate.
Inputs
- Capital gain€5,000.00
- Type of incomeEquity fund/ETF
- Unused saver's allowance€1,000.00
- Church tax9% (other states)
Calculation
| Taxable after partial exemption (€1,500.00 tax-free) and allowance (€1,000.00) | €2,500.00 |
|---|---|
| Capital gains tax (reduced because of church tax) | €611.25 |
| Solidarity surcharge | €33.62 |
| Church tax | €55.01 |
Result
| Total tax | €699.88 |
|---|---|
| Gain after tax | €4,300.12 |
Measured against the whole gain, you effectively pay 14%, well below the often quoted 25%, because the partial exemption and the allowance apply first.
Legal status 2026. Church tax reduces the capital gains tax (§ 32d(1) sentence 4 EStG). Amounts shown rounded to the cent.
Common mistakes
Choosing the wrong fund type
Partial exemption depends on the type of income: 30% is tax-free for equity funds, 15% for mixed funds, nothing for single stocks and interest. A wrong choice shifts the result noticeably.
Applying the full saver's allowance at every bank
The allowance (€1,000, €2,000 for joint filing) applies in total, not per bank. Enter only the part that is still free for this income.
Using one fixed tax rate
The 26.375% rate applies without church tax. With church tax, the flat-tax rate is reduced by a formula in § 32d EStG, but the overall burden rises slightly.
Expecting losses and foreign withholding tax to be included
The calculator looks at a single amount. Loss offsetting and foreign withholding tax are not modelled; they can lower or reshape your actual tax.
Sources and status
Content reviewed on September 29, 2026. Legal status: 2026. The sources are official German legal texts and data and are therefore in German.
- § 32d EStG – Abgeltungsteuer
- § 20 Abs. 9 EStG – Sparer-Pauschbetrag
- § 20 InvStG – Teilfreistellung
- § 4 SolZG 1995 – Solidaritätszuschlag
The calculation is a simplified estimate and does not replace tax advice.
What can I do?
In your portfolio you see the tax on your realised gains and income, based on your real transactions.
How it is calculated
Three steps that must happen in this order
The order is set by law — swapping it produces too much tax.
Partial exemption first
Equity funds keep 30% of the income tax-free, mixed funds 15%, open real-estate funds 60% or 80% (section 20 InvStG). Everything else follows after that.
Then the allowance
The Sparer-Pauschbetrag of €1,000 (€2,000 for joint filers) applies to the already reduced amount, not to the gross income.
Church tax lowers the rate
If you pay church tax you do not pay 25% plus church tax on top. Section 32d EStG reduces the rate itself: the capital gains tax equals income ÷ (4 + k), where k is the church tax rate in percent (8 or 9).
Frequently asked
Understanding German capital gains tax
25% Abgeltungsteuer plus a 5.5% solidarity surcharge on top of that, which makes 26.375%. With church tax it is 27.81% (8% church tax in Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg) or 27.99% (9% elsewhere) — no more than that, because church tax reduces the underlying rate.
A partial exemption compensating for tax already paid at fund level. For equity funds that continuously invest more than 50% in equities (Section 2 (6) InvStG), private investors keep 30% of distributions, Vorabpauschale and sale gains tax-free. German brokers apply it automatically.
German brokers do — they pay the tax directly to the tax office. With a foreign broker you declare the income yourself in Anlage KAP. Church tax is only withheld automatically if you have not objected to the annual data query at the Federal Central Tax Office.
Losses go into loss-offsetting pots and reduce future gains. Losses on individual shares may only offset gains on shares; everything else sits in the general pot. This calculator looks at a single item of income without loss offsetting.
Yes, through the Günstigerprüfung (Section 32d(6) EStG), which you apply for in your tax return using Anlage KAP. If your personal income tax rate is below 25%, your capital income is taxed at that lower rate and the capital gains tax already withheld is credited against your income tax. The application always covers all capital income of the year; if it is not more favourable, the flat tax stays.
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See the tax on my real gains