In a company-based Ausbildung, your company pays you every month. This is called training pay (Ausbildungsvergütung). The law sets a minimum: for training that starts in 2026 it is €724 gross per month in the first year, and for training that starts in 2027 it is €764. Most trainees earn more than the minimum.
Minimum training pay per year of training
The minimum goes up in each year of your training. The year your training starts decides which column applies to you, for the whole training.
| Year of training | Training starts in 2026 | Training starts in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st year | €724 | €764 |
| 2nd year | €854 | €902 |
| 3rd year | €977 | €1,031 |
| 4th year | €1,014 | €1,070 |
All amounts are gross per month. Source: Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, BIBB (2026 rates, 2027 rates).
Who the minimum applies to
- It applies to company-based (dual) training under the Vocational Training Act (BBiG) and the Crafts Code (Handwerksordnung).
- A company bound by a collective agreement (Tarifvertrag) may pay the rate in that agreement, even if it is lower.
- A company without a collective agreement may pay at most 20 percent less than the collective rate for its sector and region.
- Some training follows other rules, for example nursing or purely school-based training (schulische Ausbildung). School-based training often has no pay. Check this before you apply.
What trainees usually earn
Most companies pay more than the minimum. In 2025, trainees in companies with a collective agreement earned €1,209 gross per month on average, across all years of training (BIBB, February 2026).
Pay differs a lot between careers. In the same data, hairdressers earned €727 per month on average, insurance and finance clerks €1,404 and milk technologists €1,463.
To see the typical pay for a career, open it in our Ausbildung Explorer. Many listings also state the pay for each year in the description.
Gross and net: what you keep
Training pay is stated as gross pay (brutto). Your company deducts social insurance: pension, unemployment, health and long-term care insurance. In 2026, your share is about 21 percent of your gross pay, a little more if you are 23 or older and have no children. Many trainees pay little or no income tax, because training pay is low.
An example from the German government: €1,048 gross per month is about €822 net in 2026 (Make it in Germany). Your health insurance is part of these deductions, so you do not pay for it separately.
Training pay and the visa
If you need a visa, your pay also matters for it. For training in 2026, your living costs count as covered if your training pay is at least €1,048 gross per month. Many first-year rates are lower. Then you show the difference with a blocked account (Sperrkonto) or a declaration of commitment. Details are in our Ausbildung visa guide.
Plan your costs
Rent is usually your biggest cost. It differs a lot between big cities and small towns. Before you sign, ask the company whether it helps trainees find a room. Plan your first months in Germany with some savings, because your first pay comes at the end of the month.
