Kirchensteuer in Germany: What It Is and How to Opt Out (2026)

If you are an expat living in Germany, there is a good chance you have been paying a tax you did not know about, Kirchensteuer (church tax). Every year, thousands of expats pay hundreds of euros in church tax simply because they ticked a box on their Anmeldung form without understanding what it meant. Here is everything you need to know, and how to stop paying it today.

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What Is Kirchensteuer?

Kirchensteuer is a tax levied on members of officially recognised religious communities in Germany, primarily the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church (Evangelische Kirche). It is collected by the German state on behalf of these churches directly from your paycheck, alongside your regular income tax.

The rate is:

• 9% of your income tax in most German states
• 8% of your income tax in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg

Note: this is not 9% of your salary, it is 9% of your income tax bill. If you pay €12,000 in income tax per year, your Kirchensteuer would be €1,080.

Why Are Expats Often Paying It Without Knowing?

When you register your address in Germany (Anmeldung), the form asks for your religion (Religionszugehörigkeit). Many expats who were baptised Catholic or Protestant tick that box out of habit, not realising that doing so automatically enrolls them in the German church tax system.

Your employer then deducts Kirchensteuer from your salary every month, and it appears as a small line item on your payslip. It is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.

Look at your payslip and search for the line labelled “KiSt” or “Kirchensteuer”. If you see a number there, you are paying church tax right now.

Which Religions Are Affected?

Church tax is not limited to Catholics and Lutherans. The following religious communities are officially recognized to collect Kirchensteuer through the German tax system:

• Roman Catholic Church (Römisch-Katholische Kirche)
• Evangelical Lutheran Church (Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche)
• Evangelical Reformed Church (Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche)
• Jewish communities (Jüdische Kultusgemeinden) in most states
• Some free Protestant churches and Old Catholic communities, depending on the state

Most world religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism) are not part of the Kirchensteuer system. If you belong to any of these faiths, you will not have Kirchensteuer deducted even if you ticked a religion box on your Anmeldung. However, if you ticked “römisch-katholisch” or “evangelisch” and you were baptised in either church, you very likely are paying it.

How Much Are You Actually Paying?

Here is a rough example for someone earning €50,000 gross per year in Germany:

• Approximate income tax: ~€12,000/year
• Kirchensteuer (9%): ~€1,080/year
• Or roughly €90 per month going to the church

Over five years, that is over €5,000. For many expats, this money is being paid to a church they do not attend, in a country they did not grow up in.

How Much Can You Save?

Kirchensteuer on Investment Income

What many expats do not realise is that Kirchensteuer does not only apply to your salary. It is also automatically deducted from investment income (Abgeltungsteuer). When you receive dividends or sell shares at a profit, your German bank is legally required to withhold Kirchensteuer on top of the standard 25% Abgeltungsteuer.

Banks calculate this automatically using a central church tax database called the KiStAM database, which they query twice a year. If you are enrolled in church tax, your bank will deduct it from your investment returns without any notification to you. This is another reason many expats do not notice they are paying it, it quietly disappears from their investment returns too.

How to Opt Out: Kirchenaustritt

Leaving the church tax system in Germany is called Kirchenaustritt (church exit). It is a purely administrative act, you are leaving the church’s official civil registry in Germany, not making any statement about your personal faith or religious beliefs. You can continue attending church services, getting married in a church, and practising your religion exactly as before.

Here is how to do it:

1. Find your local authority. Depending on the state, you go to the Standesamt (registry office) or Amtsgericht (local court). Check your city website to confirm which one applies to you.
2. Book an appointment: many offices require this, do not just walk in.
3. Bring your documents: valid ID or passport plus your Meldebescheinigung (registration certificate from your Anmeldung).
4. Sign the declaration. The process takes about 15 minutes.
5. Pay the administrative fee. Usually €0–35 depending on the state.

The exit takes effect at the end of the calendar month in which you apply. If you apply on 10th May, you stop paying from 31st May.

Where to Go in Each State

Fees vary and occasionally change. Always check the official website of your city (e.g., muenchen.de, berlin.de) for the current process and cost.

Kirchensteuer in Your Annual Tax Return (Steuererklärung)

If you file an annual tax return in Germany, Kirchensteuer is handled as follows:

• Any Kirchensteuer you paid throughout the year is listed in your tax return and is partially tax-deductible as a special expense (Sonderausgabe)
• This means the effective rate you pay is slightly lower than the headline 8–9%: typically around 5–7% of your income tax in practice
• If you leave mid-year, the Finanzamt will calculate your liability only for the months you were enrolled

If you are filing your tax return to deduct your church tax payments or claim a refund for regular job expenses, using an online portal like smartsteuer (*) makes it extremely simple. They guide you through all special expenses (Sonderausgaben) step-by-step and calculate your refund in real time.

When you first opt out, double-check that your payslip in the following month shows zero Kirchensteuer. If it is still there after two months, contact your employer’s payroll department, sometimes there is a delay in the system updating.

Do You Need to Speak German?

The declaration is usually a simple one-page form. In most major cities, staff at the Standesamt are used to dealing with expats and will help you through it. Some offices require the declaration to be in German, bring a translation if needed, or ask a bilingual colleague to accompany you. In larger cities like Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, you are very likely to find an English-speaking staff member.

One practical tip: call ahead and ask whether English assistance is available. This also lets you confirm exactly which documents you need to bring and whether an appointment is required.

What Happens After You Leave?

• Your employer is automatically notified via the tax system: you do not need to tell them separately
• Kirchensteuer disappears from your next payslip after the exit takes effect
• You receive a written confirmation from the authority: keep this document
• Your bank is also updated via the KiStAM database: no investment income Kirchensteuer from the following update cycle (twice a year in January and July)
• You can still attend church services: you are only leaving the civil registry

Is There Any Downside?

For most expats: none. Some church-run institutions in Germany (hospitals, Kitas, schools) can technically preference church members when hiring or allocating spots. If you have children applying to a church-run Kita, it is worth weighing this up. In practice, however, non-members are rarely refused, and in any case, leaving the civil registry in Germany does not affect your status with your church in your home country. For the vast majority of expats, the savings far outweigh any such considerations.