Cross-reference over every profile in this repo. Figures are drawn from the individual files — if the two disagree, the profession file is the source of truth.
Tariff figures were verified against published pay scales on 2026-09 and are exact; everything else is a market estimate. The two are separated in reliability of these figures — read it before treating any row as precise.
All figures are gross monthly (brutto), 2026, full-time, with an annual column derived as ×12. That conversion is conservative — see what this table does not show for the 13th-month payments it omits. The IT and engineering files quote annual salaries because that is how those sectors negotiate; they are converted to monthly here at ÷12 so the comparison works. See what this table does not show before drawing conclusions — the conversion is not as clean as it looks.
Entry pay
Sorted by entry-level midpoint. Ranked this way, the table mostly reflects credential length — six years of medicine, a degree, a three-year Ausbildung — rather than skill or difficulty.
| Profession | English | Entry | Experienced | Ceiling (employed) | Annual, entry (×12) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wirtschaftsprüfer/in | Statutory Auditor | €6,500 – €8,500 (newly qualified) | €8,000 – €11,000 | Partner profit share — not comparable | €78,000 – €102,000 |
| Fluglotse / Fluglotsin | Air Traffic Controller | €6,000 – €7,500 | €8,500 – €11,000 | €11,000 – €13,000+ (supervisor) | €72,000 – €90,000 |
| Pilot/in | Airline Pilot | €5,500 – €7,000 (network FO) | €7,000 – €9,500 | €10,000 – €16,000+ (Captain) | €66,000 – €84,000 |
| Arzt / Ärztin | Physician | €5,722 – €6,046 | €6,680 – €7,158 | €9,460 – €10,811 (Oberarzt) | €68,664 – €72,552 |
| Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in | Research Associate / Academic Staff | €4,759 – €6,765 (E 13, full-time) | €4,759 – €7,300 | W 2 / W 3 professorship, if you get one | €57,108 – €81,180 |
| Zahnarzt / Zahnärztin | Dentist | €4,500 – €6,500 | €6,000 – €9,000 | Practice ownership is not comparable | €54,000 – €78,000 |
| Psychotherapeut/in | Psychotherapist | €4,901 – €5,600 | €5,600 – €6,500 | €7,552 (EG 14); own Kassensitz is not comparable | €58,812 – €67,200 |
| Notar/in | Civil-Law Notary | €4,500 – €6,000 (Notarassessor) | Fee income less office costs — not comparable | — | €54,000 – €72,000 |
| Lehrer/in — verbeamtet | Teacher | €4,505 – €5,221 | €5,771 – €6,381 | €6,356 – €7,906 (Schulleitung) | €54,060 – €62,652 |
| Ingenieur/in | Engineer | €4,330 – €5,170 | €5,420 – €6,670 | €8,330+ (senior/lead) | €51,960 – €62,040 |
| Softwareentwickler/in | Software Developer | €4,170 – €5,170 | €5,420 – €6,830 | €9,170 – €11,670 (staff) | €50,040 – €62,040 |
| Apotheker/in | Pharmacist | €4,166 – €4,236 | €4,528 – €4,922 | €4,901 – €7,552 (hospital EG 13–14) | €49,992 – €50,832 |
| Architekt/in | Architect | €3,700 – €4,600 | €4,600 – €6,000 | €6,000 – €8,000 (Büroleitung) | €44,400 – €55,200 |
| Sozialarbeiter/in | Social Worker | €3,900 – €4,300 | €4,800 – €5,500 | €5,000 – €6,963 (Leitung) | €46,800 – €51,600 |
| Notfallsanitäter/in | Paramedic | €3,701 – €3,863 | €4,076 – €4,489 | €3,780 – €5,753 (Wachleitung) | €44,412 – €46,356 |
| MT / MTA | Medical Technologist | €3,659 – €3,878 | €4,098 – €4,587 | €4,697 – €4,980 | €43,908 – €46,536 |
| Hebamme | Midwife | €3,659 – €3,878 | €4,098 – €4,587 | €3,780 – €5,753 (Leitung Kreißsaal) | €43,908 – €46,536 |
| ATA / OTA | Anaesthesia and Surgical Assistants | €3,659 – €3,878 | €4,098 – €4,587 | €3,780 – €5,753 (Koordination) | €43,908 – €46,536 |
| Mechatroniker/in | Mechatronics Technician | €3,400 – €4,000 | €4,000 – €4,800 | €4,800 – €6,000 (Meister/Techniker) | €40,800 – €48,000 |
| Elektroniker — Automatisierung, GSI, Industrieelektriker | Electronics Technician (other specialisations) | €3,400 – €4,000 (Automatisierung) | €4,100 – €4,900 | €5,600 – €7,000 (Techniker / Projektleitung) | €40,800 – €48,000 |
| Erzieher/in | Early Years & Social Education Practitioner | €3,509 – €3,738 | €4,207 – €4,669 | €3,649 – €6,963 (Kita-Leitung) | €42,108 – €44,856 |
| Pflegefachfrau/-mann | Registered Nurse | €3,510 – €3,701 | €3,998 – €4,305 | €3,992 – €4,961 (specialist) | €42,120 – €44,412 |
| Elektroniker/in Betriebstechnik | Industrial Electrician | €3,300 – €3,900 | €3,900 – €4,700 | €5,500 – €6,800 (Instandhaltungsleitung) | €39,600 – €46,800 |
| Industriemechaniker/in | Industrial Mechanic | €3,300 – €3,900 | €3,900 – €4,700 | €5,500 – €6,800 (Instandhaltungsleitung) | €39,600 – €46,800 |
| Zerspanungsmechaniker/in | Precision Machinist / CNC Machinist | €3,300 – €3,900 | €3,900 – €4,800 | €4,700 – €5,800 (Meister/Techniker) | €39,600 – €46,800 |
| Werkzeugmechaniker/in | Tool and Die Maker | €3,300 – €3,900 | €4,000 – €4,900 | €5,500 – €7,000 (Werkzeugbauleitung) | €39,600 – €46,800 |
| Industriekaufmann/-frau | Industrial Clerk | €3,200 – €4,000 | €4,000 – €5,000 | €6,000+ | €38,400 – €48,000 |
| Polizist/in — verbeamtet | Police Officer | €3,438 – €3,694 | €4,048 – €4,784 | €5,221 – €6,381 (A 13) | €41,256 – €44,328 |
| Konstruktionsmechaniker/in | Structural Metalworker / Fabricator | €3,200 – €3,800 | €3,800 – €4,600 | €4,700 – €5,800 (Meister/Techniker) | €38,400 – €45,600 |
| Bankkaufmann/-frau | Bank Clerk | €3,200 – €3,800 | €3,900 – €5,000 | €5,500 – €8,000 (branch mgmt) | €38,400 – €45,600 |
| Fachinformatiker/in | IT Specialist, dual-trained | €3,170 – €3,830 | €4,000 – €5,000 | €5,000 – €6,250+ | €38,040 – €45,960 |
| Hauswirtschafter/in | Home Economics / Institutional Housekeeping | €2,994 – €3,926 (TVöD EG 4–6) | €3,300 – €4,000 | €3,800 – €4,800 (Meister / Betriebsleitung) | €35,928 – €47,112 |
| Maurer/in | Bricklayer / Mason | €3,100 – €3,800 | €3,700 – €4,400 | €4,400 – €5,600 (Polier / Meister) | €37,200 – €45,600 |
| Straßenbauer / Beton- und Stahlbetonbauer | Road Builder; Concrete and Reinforced Concrete Worker | €3,100 – €3,800 | €3,700 – €4,500 | €4,400 – €5,600 (Polier / Meister) | €37,200 – €45,600 |
| Zimmerer / Zimmerin | Carpenter | €3,100 – €3,700 | €3,600 – €4,400 | €4,400 – €5,600 (Polier / Meister) | €37,200 – €44,400 |
| Feuerwehrmann / Feuerwehrfrau — verbeamtet | Firefighter | €3,216 – €3,438 | €3,694 – €4,295 | €4,505 – €6,381 (A 12–13) | €38,592 – €41,256 |
| Dachdecker/in | Roofer | €3,000 – €3,600 | €3,500 – €4,200 | €4,300 – €5,400 (Meister) | €36,000 – €43,200 |
| Gerüstbauer/in | Scaffolder | €3,000 – €3,600 | €3,500 – €4,200 | €4,400 – €5,600 (Meister) | €36,000 – €43,200 |
| Versicherungen und Finanzanlagen | Insurance and Financial Services Agent | €3,000 – €3,600 | €3,700 – €4,700 | €4,500 – €6,500 (industrial broking) | €36,000 – €43,200 |
| Steuerbeamte/r — verbeamtet | Tax Official | €3,128 – €3,438 | €3,694 – €5,257 | €5,221 – €6,381 (A 13) | €37,536 – €41,256 |
| Gärtner/in | Horticulturist / Landscape Gardener | €2,900 – €3,600 (GaLaBau) | €3,400 – €4,200 | €4,000 – €5,000 (Meister) | €34,800 – €43,200 |
| Forstwirt/in | Forest Worker | €3,124 – €3,318 | €3,681 – €4,045 | €4,980 (Forstwirtschaftsmeister) | €37,488 – €39,816 |
| Fachkraft Agrarservice | Agricultural Contracting Technician | €2,900 – €3,500 | €3,400 – €4,200 | €4,300 – €5,400 (Agrarservicemeister) | €34,800 – €42,000 |
| Zollbeamte/r — verbeamtet | Customs Officer | €2,918 – €3,455 | €3,683 – €4,918 | €5,198 – €6,621 (A 13) | €35,016 – €41,460 |
| Triebfahrzeugführer/in | Train Driver | €2,900 – €3,400 | €3,400 – €4,200 | €4,200 – €5,200 (Lehrlokführer, Disposition) | €34,800 – €40,800 |
| Steuerfachangestellte/r | Tax Clerk | €2,800 – €3,400 | €3,500 – €4,500 | €5,500 – €8,000 (Steuerberater) | €33,600 – €40,800 |
| Spedition und Logistik | Freight Forwarding Clerk | €2,800 – €3,400 | €3,400 – €4,300 | €5,500 – €8,000 (branch mgmt) | €33,600 – €40,800 |
| Fliesen-, Platten- und Mosaikleger/in | Tiler | €2,800 – €3,400 | €3,300 – €4,000 | €4,000 – €5,000 (Meister) | €33,600 – €40,800 |
| Bauzeichner/in | Construction Draughtsperson / BIM Modeller | €2,800 – €3,400 | €3,400 – €4,200 | €4,500 – €5,800 (BIM-Koordination) | €33,600 – €40,800 |
| Immobilienkaufmann/-frau | Real Estate Manager / Agent | €2,800 – €3,400 | €3,300 – €4,500 | €5,000 – €7,000 (institutional portfolio) | €33,600 – €40,800 |
| Elektroniker/in EGT | Electrician | €2,800 – €3,300 | €3,300 – €4,000 | €4,000 – €5,000 (Meister) | €33,600 – €39,600 |
| Fachkraft für Schutz und Sicherheit | Security Specialist | €2,700 – €3,400 | €3,100 – €3,900 | €4,000 – €5,200 (Meister) | €32,400 – €40,800 |
| Anlagenmechaniker/in SHK | Plumbing, Heating & AC Technician | €2,700 – €3,200 | €3,200 – €3,900 | €3,900 – €4,900 (Meister) | €32,400 – €38,400 |
| Metallbauer/in | Metalworker / Structural Smith | €2,700 – €3,200 | €3,200 – €3,900 | €4,000 – €5,000 (Meister) | €32,400 – €38,400 |
| Berufskraftfahrer/in | Professional Truck / Bus Driver | €2,600 – €3,300 | €3,000 – €3,800 | €3,400 – €4,500 (ADR/heavy) | €31,200 – €39,600 |
| Kfz-Mechatroniker/in | Vehicle Mechatronics Technician | €2,600 – €3,200 | €3,200 – €3,900 | €4,000 – €5,000 (Meister) | €31,200 – €38,400 |
| Fleischer/in — Metzger/in | Butcher | €2,600 – €3,200 | €3,100 – €3,800 | €3,900 – €4,900 (Meister) | €31,200 – €38,400 |
| Landwirt/in | Farmer / Agricultural Worker | €2,600 – €3,200 | €3,100 – €3,800 | €3,900 – €5,200 (Meister / Betriebsleiter) | €31,200 – €38,400 |
| Tierwirt/in | Livestock Farmer | €2,600 – €3,200 | €3,000 – €3,700 | €4,000 – €5,200 (Meister / Betriebsleitung) | €31,200 – €38,400 |
| Tischler/in — Schreiner/in | Joiner / Cabinetmaker | €2,600 – €3,100 | €3,100 – €3,800 | €3,900 – €4,900 (Meister) | €31,200 – €37,200 |
| Fachkraft für Lagerlogistik | Warehouse Logistics Specialist | €2,600 – €3,100 | €3,100 – €3,700 | €4,200 – €5,500 (Meister) | €31,200 – €37,200 |
| Fachkraft für Veranstaltungstechnik | Event and Stage Technician | €2,600 – €3,100 | €3,100 – €3,800 | €4,000 – €5,200 (Meister) | €31,200 – €37,200 |
| Winzer/in | Winegrower | €2,500 – €3,200 | €3,000 – €3,800 | €4,200 – €5,500 (Betriebsleitung) | €30,000 – €38,400 |
| Physiotherapeut/in | Physiotherapist | €2,600 – €3,000 | €3,000 – €3,600 | €3,295 – €4,980 (public sector) | €31,200 – €36,000 |
| Logopädie / Ergotherapie | Speech and Occupational Therapy | €2,600 – €3,000 | €3,000 – €3,600 | €3,295 – €4,980 (public sector) | €31,200 – €36,000 |
| Kaufmann/-frau für Büromanagement | Office Management Clerk | €2,500 – €3,000 | €3,000 – €3,700 | €3,300 – €4,200 (tariff industry) | €30,000 – €36,000 |
| Konditor/in | Pastry Chef / Confectioner | €2,400 – €3,100 | €3,000 – €3,700 | €3,600 – €4,600 (Meister) | €28,800 – €37,200 |
| PTA — Pharmazeutisch-technische/r Assistent/in | Pharmaceutical Technical Assistant | €2,600 – €2,900 | €3,000 – €3,600 | €3,400 – €4,980 (hospital / Weiterbildung) | €31,200 – €34,800 |
| Raumausstatter/in | Interior Furnisher / Soft Furnishings Fitter | €2,500 – €3,000 | €2,900 – €3,500 | €3,700 – €4,600 (Meister) | €30,000 – €36,000 |
| Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellte/r | Legal Secretary / Paralegal | €2,400 – €3,000 | €3,000 – €3,800 | €4,500 – €6,000 (Bürovorsteher) | €28,800 – €36,000 |
| Bäcker/in | Baker | €2,400 – €3,000 | €2,900 – €3,500 | €3,500 – €4,500 (Meister) | €28,800 – €36,000 |
| Restaurant- und Veranstaltungsgastronomie | Restaurant Specialist / Waiter | €2,400 – €3,000 | €2,900 – €3,500 | €3,300 – €4,300 (Restaurantleitung) | €28,800 – €36,000 |
| Fischwirt/in | Fisheries and Aquaculture Worker | €2,400 – €3,000 | €3,000 – €3,800 | €3,600 – €4,600 (Meister) | €28,800 – €36,000 |
| Koch / Köchin | Chef / Cook | €2,400 – €2,900 | €2,900 – €3,500 | €3,800 – €5,500 (Küchenchef) | €28,800 – €34,800 |
| Pflegefachassistenz / Pflegehelfer/in | Nursing Assistant | €2,400 – €2,900 | €2,900 – €3,400 | €3,600 (two-year qualification, tariff) | €28,800 – €34,800 |
| Gebäudereiniger/in | Building Cleaner | €2,400 – €2,900 | €2,800 – €3,400 | €3,800 – €4,800 (Meister) | €28,800 – €34,800 |
| Hotelfachmann/-frau | Hotel Specialist | €2,300 – €2,900 | €2,900 – €3,500 | €4,500 – €8,000+ (hotel mgmt) | €27,600 – €34,800 |
| Barkeeper/in | Bartender | €2,300 – €2,900 | €2,700 – €3,400 | €3,200 – €4,200 (Bar manager) | €27,600 – €34,800 |
| MFA — Medizinische/r Fachangestellte/r | Medical Assistant | €2,400 – €2,800 | €2,800 – €3,400 | €3,600 – €4,500 (Fachwirt/Praxismanagement) | €28,800 – €33,600 |
| Friseur/in | Hairdresser | €2,300 – €2,800 | €2,600 – €3,200 | €3,000 – €4,000 (Meister) | €27,600 – €33,600 |
| Sicherheitsmitarbeiter/in | Security Officer, Door Supervisor, Night Guard | €2,200 – €2,800 | €2,400 – €3,100 | €3,300 – €4,300 (Objektleitung) | €26,400 – €33,600 |
| Pferdewirt/in | Equine Professional | €2,200 – €2,800 | €2,600 – €3,200 | €3,400 – €4,500 (Meister / Yard management) | €26,400 – €33,600 |
| Reinigungskraft | Cleaner | €2,100 – €2,400 | €2,600 – €3,100 | €2,700 – €3,100 (public employer) | €25,200 – €28,800 |
| Haushaltshilfe | Domestic Cleaner / Household Help | €2,100 – €2,400 — full-time equivalent only; almost nobody works it full time | — | — | €25,200 – €28,800 |
Self-employment ceilings are excluded because they are not comparable: a Steuerberater with their own practice, a Meister with a well-run Betrieb, or a practice-owning physiotherapist can all substantially exceed the employed figures above.
Trajectory matters more than entry
Ranking by entry pay is the wrong way to read this table. Three different shapes hide inside it:
The Handwerk/Industrie gap is the clearest same-work pay difference in this table. Elektroniker Betriebstechnik starts around €500/month above the Handwerk electrician doing comparable work, before the 13th month and the 35-hour week. The Handwerk route buys something else instead: the legal right to run your own business. It now appears four times over: the electrical pair, the metal pair (Metallbauer against Konstruktionsmechaniker, about €500/month apart at entry), the wood pair (Tischler against the industrial Holzmechaniker), and again through Kfz-Mechatroniker, where the identical technician earns €3,800–€5,200 inside a manufacturer’s plant against €2,600–€3,900 in an independent garage — one of the main reasons that trade loses people.
Steep — low entry, high ceiling, gated by a hard exam or qualification. Steuerfachangestellte starts below a nurse and ends near a doctor, if you pass the Steuerberater exam. The trades and hospitality behave similarly via Meister and management. The ceiling is real but conditional — most people do not reach it.
Flat — decent entry, compressed ceiling, pay set by a tariff ladder rather than performance. MT/MTA, Notfallsanitäter/in (whose EG N climbs slower still — no Stufe 1, and Stufe 3 only after three years in Stufe 2), Pflege, Physiotherapie, and operational warehouse work. You know your salary in fifteen years, roughly, on day one. Predictability is worth something; the ceiling is genuinely low — a P7 nurse tops out around €4,305, and specialist grades only reach about €4,961.
The verification pass sharpened this: MT/MTA rose four places in the entry ranking once checked against the real TVöD-K scale, and now out-earns nursing and Erzieher/in at entry. It remains the flattest ladder of the three.
Apotheker/in is flat too, and unusually so for a licensed profession: the ADEXA/ADA ladder reaches its top step at €4,922 after eleven years. The way up is ownership or industry, not seniority — and ownership is legally reserved to pharmacists and capped at four pharmacies.
Capped — a fourth shape, and the one worth checking for before committing years to a qualification. Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellte/r looks like the tax profession — same reserved-activity structure, same clerk-beneath-a- professional shape — but the ladder stops at Rechtsfachwirt. Admission as a Rechtsanwalt needs a law degree and two Staatsexamen, so there is no route up from the inside. Employer type, not promotion, is what moves the money: a Großkanzlei pays a newcomer what a small firm pays a Rechtsfachwirt.
High and steep — medicine, engineering, software. Long or expensive credentials at the front, and a ceiling well above everything else.
Cross-reference this with language requirements: the steep-track professions are almost all the ones demanding C1. Steuerfachangestellte and Erzieher/in demand the most German for the least money at entry.
What this table does not show
Five things, each of which can move real income by more than the differences in the table:
1. Supplements are not in the base — quantified in shift work and supplements, which works through a nurse on P 7 arriving at roughly 14% above the figure shown here, most of it tax-free under §3b EStG. Shift, night, weekend and on-call pay are excluded throughout. For a nurse or MTR on rotation, or a warehouse worker on three shifts, these are a large and regular part of take-home. Assistenzärzte commonly add 20–30% from Bereitschaftsdienst. The table systematically understates every shift-working profession.
1b. Beamte gross is not comparable to anyone else’s gross. The Lehrer/in row is Besoldung. Beamte pay no pension or unemployment contributions and receive Beihilfe instead of a full health premium, so the same gross nets several hundred euros more per month, and the pension is far better. Besoldung is also state law — the NRW figures here do not transfer to other Bundesländer. See beamte-vs-angestellte.
2. Tax-free components distort the comparison further. A long-distance driver’s Spesen — €14/€28 per day — are untaxed, so they are worth far more than the same amount of gross salary. Tips in hospitality are tax-free without limit under §3 Nr. 51 EStG. Compare on net including these, not on gross.
3. The annual column is ×12, and that is deliberately conservative. Many employers pay a 13th-month equivalent on top, so real annual income exceeds the figure shown. What to add:
| Employer type | On top of ×12 |
|---|---|
| TVöD (verified 2026) | Jahressonderzahlung: 85% of a month for EG 1–8, 70.28% for EG 9a–12, 51.78% for EG 13–15 |
| IG Metall / IG BCE | A 13th-month payment plus holiday pay — the largest uplift here |
| ADEXA/ADA (pharmacy) | A full month, paid in November — though it may be halved where the pharmacy’s result falls 10% below the prior year |
| Beamte (police, fire, customs, teachers) | Usually nothing — most Länder abolished the Sonderzahlung or folded it into the monthly tables |
| Non-tariff private employers | Often nothing, or a discretionary bonus |
Two consequences. Tariff professions are understated by the annual column by up to roughly 8%, while Beamte largely are not — so the gap between them is wider than ×12 suggests. And the IT and engineering rows were themselves converted from annual figures that often already included a bonus, so they are the rows least likely to gain anything further.
4. Gross differences compress heavily after tax — see tax and net pay, and note that health insurance choices change the answer too. German income tax is steeply progressive and social contributions are substantial. As a rough guide, net is around 60–65% of gross at these levels, and the percentage falls as gross rises. A profession paying twice another in gross terms does not pay twice as much in the bank. Run your own figures through a Brutto-Netto-Rechner with your Steuerklasse, church tax status and Bundesland before comparing offers.
5. Regional variation is large and cuts both ways. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg pay most and cost most; eastern states pay less against much lower housing costs. Public-sector tariffs are national, which makes TVöD and TV-L jobs comparatively better in low-cost regions — a genuinely useful arbitrage.
Reliability of these figures
Since this file concentrates every salary estimate in the repo, it is explicit about which figures are exact and which are not.
Verified against published tables (2026-09)
Checked directly against the current collective-agreement scales. These are exact, not estimates, and each carries its validity window — they expire.
| Agreement | Applies to | English | Table valid |
|---|---|---|---|
| TVöD VKA (+2.8%) | MT/MTA (EG 9a), Physio public (EG 7–9a), Büromanagement public (EG 5–6), public kitchens (EG 5–7) — and, since the backlog pass, the public-sector rows of 21 profession files in total | 01.05.2026 – 31.03.2027 | |
| TVöD-P | Pflegefachfrau/-mann (P7–P10) | Registered Nurse | 01.05.2026 – 31.03.2027 |
| TVöD EG N (= P 8, Anlage D.14 TVöD-V) | Notfallsanitäter/in; Rettungssanitäter EG 4, Wachleitung EG 9a–10 | Paramedic | 01.05.2026 – 31.03.2027 |
| TVöD SuE | Erzieher/in (S8a–S18) | Early Years & Social Education Practitioner | 01.05.2026 – 31.03.2027 |
| Bundesbesoldung (A 6–A 13) | Zollbeamte/r — federal, uniform nationwide. Last enacted table; a retroactive rise from 05/2026 was still pending | Customs Officer | 01.04.2025 – 30.04.2026 |
| TVöD-S | Bankkaufmann/-frau, Sparkassen only (EG 6–9a) — shares the VKA scale | Bank Clerk | 01.05.2026 – 31.03.2027 |
| Besoldung NRW (A 6–A 15) | Lehrer/in, Polizist/in, Feuerwehr and Steuerbeamte/r — state law, NRW only | Teacher | 01.04.2026 – 28.02.2027 |
| TV-L (E 11–E 13) | Lehrer/in as Angestellte and Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in (E 13); all states except Hessen | Teacher | 01.04.2026 – 28.02.2027 |
| ADEXA/ADA | Apotheker/in in public pharmacies — not Nordrhein or Sachsen | Pharmacist | 01.01.2026 – 31.12.2026 |
| TV-Ärzte/VKA | Arzt / Ärztin (Stufen I–IV) | Physician | 01.06.2026 – 31.12.2026 |
| TV-N NW | Bus drivers, NRW only (EG 5–7) | 01.05.2026 – 31.12.2026 | |
| TVöD VKA (EG 5–10) | Forstwirt/in and the forestry ladder; state forests use TV-L / TV-L-Forst | Forest Worker | 01.05.2026 – 31.03.2027 |
Source: oeffentlicher-dienst.info.
What the check found. The public-sector figures were understated almost everywhere, because two TVöD increases had landed that the original estimates did not reflect: +3.0% from 01.04.2025 and +2.8% from 01.05.2026. The error was systematic, not random. Three specific corrections were larger than a simple uplift:
- MT/MTA was low by roughly €450 at entry and moved up four places in the ranking.
- Facharzt and Oberarzt were low by €1,500 and €800 at the top; a whole grade (Stufe IV, leitender Oberarzt) had been omitted.
- Nursing was the exception — it was overstated at the top. The P7 ceiling is €4,305, not €4,600, and the P9–P10 specialist band is €3,992–€4,961, not €4,400–€5,400. A P7 ladder also has no Stufe 1; it starts at Stufe 2.
Regionally fragmented — no single table to verify against
| Agreement | Applies to | English | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV-N | Bus drivers outside NRW | Separate agreements for Bayern, Berlin and NRW (NRW also covers BW and Niedersachsen). Eingruppierung varies by operator. | |
| IG Metall / IG BCE | Industriekaufmann/-frau, Ingenieur/in, the industrial trades, tariff-bound Büromanagement | Industrial Clerk | Multiple regional Tarifgebiete, each negotiating separately, with ERA grading that varies by employer. |
These were listed as “verifiable” in the first version of this file. That was wrong — there is no one scale to check them against, only a region-and-employer-specific one.
Market estimates — not verifiable against any published source
This is now the larger half of the table. The professions added in the backlog-completion pass are market estimates wherever they do not sit on a tariff scale already verified above. That includes: Architekt and Bauzeichner, whose offices are among the least tariff-covered employers here; the whole Bauhauptgewerbe cluster (Maurer, Dachdecker, Zimmerer, Gerüstbauer, Straßen- und Betonbau, Fliesenleger, Raumausstatter), where the AEntG sector minima are real but the figures above them are not published as a single scale; the green professions; the services folder; Triebfahrzeugführer, Pilot and Fluglotse, all three of which have carrier- or employer-level agreements rather than a sector scale; Zahnarzt, MFA in private practice, and the private-practice rows of the therapy professions; and the commercial additions (Immobilien, Versicherungen, Wirtschaftsprüfer, Notar).
Two rows are labelled indicative on a verified scale rather than estimated, because the agreement is verified here but the specific groups were not separately checked: the S-groups for Sozialarbeit and the PTA groups in the ADEXA/ADA agreement. Both are flagged in TODO.md.
The original list follows.
Private-sector pay for Softwareentwickler/in, Fachinformatiker/in, Steuerfachangestellte/r, Rechtsanwaltsfachangestellte/r (no widely binding agreement exists), non-Sparkasse banking, Spedition, the trades, hospitality, road haulage, and private-practice physiotherapy. Ranges drawn from general knowledge, not from a survey. Treat them as indicative of relative position, not as accurate figures.
Given that the verified public-sector numbers turned out to be systematically low, these estimates are more likely to be understated than overstated — they were written at the same time, from the same knowledge, and nothing has corrected them.
Still unverified elsewhere in the repo
The Mindestlohn (€13.90/hour from January 2026, further rise scheduled for 2027), driver Spesen rates, and EU Blue Card thresholds, which reset every January. See visa routes.