Global Payroll Services in Germany

Already have a German entity, or running payroll across several countries? We place you with a vetted German payroll partner who keeps Lohnsteuer, social insurance, and filings exactly right, while you stay the legal employer and we stay on your side.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Multi-country ready

What running payroll in Germany involves

If you already employ people through your own German entity (a GmbH), you stay the legal employer, but you still have to run German payroll correctly every month. The tax office (Finanzamt) and the social insurance funds run a tightly integrated system, which means errors are visible and penalties are real. This is where a specialist payroll partner earns its place: you keep the employment relationship, they keep the mechanics right.

01

You stay the employer

You stay the legal employer of your German staff. The payroll partner runs the monthly mechanics; you keep the employment relationship.

02

Accurate every cycle

Lohnsteuer and social contributions calculated and withheld correctly, payslips issued, and filings made to the Finanzamt and insurance funds on schedule, every month.

03

Multi-country consolidation

Run payroll across several markets under one partner and one process, rather than a different vendor and standard in every country.

How managed German payroll works, step by step

From onboarding your employee data to filing and reconciliation.

01 — Scope & onboard

We map your entity, headcount, and pay structure, place you with the right vetted German payroll partner, and onboard your employee data.

02 — Set up calculations

Lohnsteuer, social insurance rates, and any statutory benefits configured correctly to current German law, so every payslip is right from the first run.

03 — Run monthly payroll

Salaries calculated, Lohnsteuer and social contributions withheld, payslips issued, and people paid on schedule, every cycle.

04 — File & reconcile

Filings to the Finanzamt and insurance funds made on time, with year-end reconciliation handled for you.

What payroll in Germany costs

Your statutory employer costs, plus a payroll partner fee. Germany’s employer burden is substantial; the value of the partner is accuracy and time, in a system where mistakes are visible and penalised.

Employer social contributions

Approximately 21.1% of gross salary for the four fixed-rate schemes (pension, health, unemployment, long-term care), plus separate industry-rated accident insurance, calculated correctly against the 2026 income ceiling on every run.

Minimum wage (2026)

€13.90 per hour from 1 January 2026 (roughly €2,409 per month, rising to €14.60 per hour in January 2027), the statutory floor for full-time work.

Income tax (employee)

Lohnsteuer runs 14% above the EUR 12,348 allowance, 42% from EUR 69,878, and 45% above EUR 277,825, withheld and filed with the Finanzamt correctly on every payslip.

Payroll partner fee

A transparent per-employee or per-payslip fee. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Why run it through Bradford Jacobs

One relationship, every market

One partner, many countries

If you run payroll across several markets, we consolidate it through vetted partners under one point of contact, not a different vendor and a different standard in every country.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

Pricing you can’t get direct

The statutory side of German payroll, five separate social-insurance pillars totalling roughly 21.1% of gross salary plus industry-rated accident insurance, is fixed wherever you run it. The partner’s own processing fee is not. We benchmark that across our payroll network for rates typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate it for you at renewal.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

German regulations that expose risk

The social insurance ceilings, the fund notifications, the continued sick-pay rules, the year-end. We place you with partners who get the specifics right, and we stay on your side if anything needs escalating.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

20+ years and the local detail

Two decades running compliant payroll across Europe. Germany’s social-insurance parameters, contribution ceilings, rates, thresholds, reset every January, and payroll that is still running last year’s numbers in week one is a common, avoidable mistake. Two decades of building the update into the calendar is what keeps that from being yours.

  • Two decades of payroll
  • Deadlines & filings
  • Year-end handled

Built to scale across markets

Run payroll in one country or twenty through one partner and one process. As you add markets, the standard does not fragment, you keep a single point of contact and consistent compliance everywhere.

  • One process everywhere
  • Single point of contact
  • Consistent compliance

Where German payroll quietly goes wrong

These are the ones that catch foreign employers, and the reason a specialist partner pays for itself.

Social insurance & Lohnsteuer

Misapplying the social insurance ceilings. Getting the employer versus employee split on the additional health contribution wrong. Mishandling continued remuneration (Entgeltfortzahlung) during sickness. Each is easy to get wrong alone and visible to the authorities when you do.

Filings, deadlines & reporting

Late remittance to the Finanzamt or insurance funds, where penalties and interest apply automatically. None of these are hard for a specialist; all are easy to get wrong alone. That is the whole case for getting your German payroll partner right.

What managed payroll covers

One transparent fee covers the full monthly payroll cycle. No hidden extras.

Lohnsteuer & social insurance

Compliant German payroll processed monthly, with Lohnsteuer and social contributions correct every run.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with Lohnsteuer and the five social insurance contributions calculated, withheld, and filed correctly each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: annual leave, sick pay, parental leave, notice, and severance where legally triggered.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on running compliant payroll in Germany.

Do I need a German entity to use payroll services?

Yes. Payroll outsourcing assumes you are the legal employer, which usually means you have a German entity (a GmbH). If you have no entity and do not want one yet, you need an EOR instead, where the partner is the legal employer. We will confirm which applies to you.

Lohnsteuer calculation and remittance, employer and employee social insurance, statutory benefits and leave, payslips, and all filings to the Finanzamt and insurance funds, with year-end reconciliation. You keep the employment relationship; they keep it compliant and on time.

German payroll must apply the current income tax bands and social insurance ceilings correctly, so withholding is right from the first run. The ceilings and the additional health contribution change periodically, and getting them wrong is one of the most common payroll mistakes.

Substantial employer burden. Employer social contributions are around 21.1% on top of gross plus industry-rated accident insurance; the smaller approximately 20% social contribution is borne by the employee. Add the transparent payroll partner fee and you have your all-in cost.

Yes, and it is one of the main reasons companies come to us. One point of contact and a consistent process across markets, rather than a separate provider and a different standard in every country.

Yes. When you incorporate and become the legal employer, we move your people from the EOR arrangement onto your own compliant German payroll, and manage the handover so nothing is missed.

Need compliant payroll in Germany?

Tell us your entity setup and headcount and we will come back with the right partner and pricing you will not get direct, usually within a day. One process, every country you operate in.

Tax and labour data verified June 2026 (official German sources, PwC, OECD). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your payroll.