# Garnishment calculator — how much of your income is protected

> Work out how much of your monthly net income is protected from wage garnishment under the official German table (§ 850c ZPO).

- URL: https://norta.app/en/tools/garnishment-calculator
- Language: English
- Deutsch: https://norta.app/rechner/pfaendungsrechner
- Site index for agents: https://norta.app/llms.txt

## How much do you keep in a wage garnishment?

Work out how much of your net income is likely to be protected. The basis is the official Pfändungstabelle under § 850c ZPO, in force since July 1, 2026. Your entries are processed in your browser only.

In a wage garnishment, part of your income is protected. How much stays with you depends above all on your net income and on the number of people you owe maintenance to.

The official Pfändungstabelle is built in steps of €10. Every income within a step has the same garnishable amount.

## Garnishment protection account (P-Konto)

A P-Konto protects a set amount in your bank account from an account garnishment.

Wage garnishment and account garnishment are two different things: in a wage garnishment, the money is taken at your employer. An account garnishment concerns the balance in your bank account instead.

You can require your bank to run an existing payment account as a P-Konto. You can only have one P-Konto. It is not possible to run several accounts at different banks as P-Konten.

The automatic basic protection on a P-Konto follows its own statutory exempt amount. That amount is rounded up to the next full €10.

## Common questions

### From what income onwards are wages garnished?

With no people you owe maintenance to, garnishment starts at €1,590.00 net per month. Each person you owe maintenance to raises that threshold. The basic protected amount itself is €1,587.40; the difference comes from the table rounding down in ten-euro steps.

### How much do I keep in a wage garnishment?

That depends above all on your monthly net income and your maintenance obligations. Enter both above. The calculator shows you how much is likely to stay with you under the current Pfändungstabelle, and how much is garnishable.

### What happens with a high income?

Up to a monthly net income of €4,866.30, the garnishable amount comes from the table. The part of your net income above that is fully garnishable.

### What is a P-Konto?

A garnishment protection account (Pfändungsschutzkonto), P-Konto for short, protects a set amount in your bank account from an account garnishment. It concerns account garnishment, not the calculation of a wage garnishment at your employer.

### Does Christmas pay count?

Not in this calculation. Christmas and holiday pay have special statutory protection and are treated separately from your ongoing income.

### Are my entries stored?

No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Neither your income nor the number of people is passed on to Norta or to anyone else, or stored on your device.