Nursing assistant salary in Germany (2026): the TVöD pay table

Your nursing assistant salary in Germany follows the TVöD in public hospitals and care homes run by towns and districts. The full name of this public employers' agreement is Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst. From 1 May 2026, your gross monthly pay is:

• Pay grade P 5: €2,907 to €3,629.
• Pay grade P 6 (at least one year of training): €3,012 to €4,013.

Across all employers, the Federal Employment Agency gives a median monthly salary of €3,596 for full-time healthcare helpers. For helpers caring for older people, known as geriatric care, it is €3,335.

The TVöD nursing table, Anlage E (Pflegedienst), gives gross monthly amounts in euros. You work an average of 38.5 hours a week full-time, or 39 hours at employers in the Baden-Württemberg municipal employers' association.

• P 5: Who it is for: Care helpers doing this work; Step 1: 2,907.18; Step 2: 3,146.33; Step 3: 3,216.62; Step 4: 3,334.09; Step 5: 3,422.22; Step 6: 3,629.25
• P 6: Who it is for: Care helpers with at least one year of training, doing this work; Step 1: 3,012.49; Step 2: 3,187.41; Step 3: 3,363.47; Step 4: 3,737.95; Step 5: 3,833.41; Step 6: 4,013.41

The agreement uses Pflegehelfer, or care helper, for two groups:

• healthcare and nursing helpers (Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegehelfer)
• geriatric care helpers (Altenpflegehelfer)

The German states set the rules for the training itself.

Care helpers in public hospitals and care homes are paid from pay grades P 5 and P 6.

P 7 and higher have a special entry step. P 5 and P 6 follow the general TVöD rules:

• Start. You start in step 1 without relevant experience, step 2 with at least one year of relevant experience, and usually step 3 with at least three. Your employer can also count earlier work that helps you do the new job.
• Moving up. You reach step 2 after one year in step 1, then step 3 after two years in step 2. Step 4 follows three years in step 3, step 5 follows four years in step 4, and step 6 follows five years in step 5. From step 3, your performance also affects when you move up.

The hospital part of the agreement, TVöD BT-K, sets these extra payments.

• Care allowance (Pflegezulage): Amount: €141.82 a month from 1 May 2026; Where to read the rule: Hospital part of the TVöD
• Flat allowance: Amount: €25 a month (€35 for employers in the Baden-Württemberg municipal employers' association); Where to read the rule: Hospital part of the TVöD and its notes
• Rotating-shift allowance (Wechselschichtzulage): Amount: €250 a month if you always work rotating shifts. Otherwise €1.49 an hour (€1.47 in Baden-Württemberg).; Where to read the rule: Hospital part of the TVöD

• The care allowance and flat allowance cover grades P 5 to P 16.
• Some nursing staff in grades P 5 to P 9 get further monthly extras for working mostly in intensive care or certain other wards. The notes to the pay-grade rules set these amounts.
• Night, Sunday and holiday pay comes on top under the general part of the TVöD.

The Federal Employment Agency's Entgeltatlas shows pay for full-time helpers at all kinds of employers. The TVöD table covers only employers that follow that agreement. These figures are from 31 December 2025.

• Helpers in healthcare and nursing (KldB 81301): Lower quartile: €3,184; Median: €3,596; Upper quartile: €4,202
• Helpers in geriatric care (KldB 82101): Lower quartile: €2,989; Median: €3,335; Upper quartile: €3,731

Half the employees earn more than the median and half earn less. A quarter earn below the lower quartile, and a quarter above the upper quartile.

• The figures include one-off payments such as bonuses.
• They cover all experience levels.
• They exclude pay above the social insurance contribution ceiling, the income limit used to calculate social insurance payments.

The amounts exceed the lowest TVöD steps because they include experienced staff as well as new starters.

Federal states

These state figures cover full-time employees at all employers on 31 December 2025.

• Hamburg: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,823; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,435
• Baden-Württemberg: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,753; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,452
• Rhineland-Palatinate: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,702; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,349
• Bavaria: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,684; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,364
• Bremen: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,674; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): not published
• North Rhine-Westphalia: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,668; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,453
• Hesse: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,601; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,298
• Saarland: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,587; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,371
• Lower Saxony: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,536; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,251
• Berlin: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,495; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,279
• Schleswig-Holstein: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,442; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,244
• Saxony-Anhalt: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,437; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,228
• Thuringia: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,406; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,148
• Brandenburg: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,377; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,196
• Saxony: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,309; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,161
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,281; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,156

• Helpers in healthcare and nursing: the median is highest in Hamburg (€3,823) and lowest in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (€3,281).
• Helpers in geriatric care: the median is highest in North Rhine-Westphalia (€3,453) and lowest in Thuringia (€3,148).

The Federal Employment Agency does not publish figures for helpers in geriatric care in Bremen.

Large cities

The Entgeltatlas lists eleven large cities separately. Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen are city-states, listed in the state table above.

• Munich: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,993; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,559
• Stuttgart: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,875; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,635
• Essen: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,715; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,618
• Hanover: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,705; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,332
• Cologne: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,701; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,556
• Frankfurt am Main: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,685; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,396
• Dortmund: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,671; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,424
• Düsseldorf: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,514; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,346
• Nuremberg: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,467; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,326
• Leipzig: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,330; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,210
• Dresden: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): not published; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): not published

• Helpers in healthcare and nursing: the median is highest in Munich (€3,993) and lowest in Leipzig (€3,330).
• Helpers in geriatric care: the median is highest in Stuttgart (€3,635) and lowest in Leipzig (€3,210).

The Federal Employment Agency does not publish figures for Dresden.

Age groups

The same data split by age group, for all of Germany.

• Under 25: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,441; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,208
• 25 to under 55: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,619; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,338
• 55 and over: Helpers in nursing, median (KldB 81301): €3,635; Helpers in geriatric care, median (KldB 82101): €3,382

• Helpers in healthcare and nursing: the oldest group earns €194 (6%) more than the youngest.
• Helpers in geriatric care: the difference is €174 (5%).

Age gives only a rough idea of experience: the Entgeltatlas compares different people on one day, rather than following a person's pay through their career. It cannot explain differences between states or age groups, or show what someone earns just after recognition in Germany.

Compare your job offer with this table if the employer follows the TVöD. These employers are mostly municipal hospitals and care homes; others use their own agreements or contracts.

The new national qualification Pflegefachassistenz starts on 1 January 2027. The pay agreement we used does not mention it, so ask your employer which grade applies. To compare this role with other care jobs, see our guide to caregiver jobs in Germany.

All amounts are gross monthly pay for full-time work, before tax and social security. What you take home depends on your personal circumstances.

Most employers in elderly care, called Altenpflege, must pay at least the Pflegemindestlohn if no collective agreement like the TVöD covers them. This is the care sector's minimum wage, set by regulation. The table gives hourly rates from 1 July 2026 and the increases from 1 July 2027. Qualified helpers need at least one year of training; Pflegefachkräfte are qualified nurses.

If the regulation covers your job, it provides nine extra paid leave days per calendar year for a five-day week. The number changes if you work a different number of days. You do not get this entitlement if your collective agreement, company agreement, contract or other rules already give you more paid leave in total than the legal minimum.

• Care helpers (Pflegehilfskräfte): From 1 July 2026: €16.52/hour; From 1 July 2027: €16.95/hour
• Qualified helpers (at least 1 year of training): From 1 July 2026: €17.80/hour; From 1 July 2027: €18.26/hour
• Nurses (Pflegefachkräfte): From 1 July 2026: €21.03/hour; From 1 July 2027: €21.58/hour

Whether you need formal recognition depends on the German occupation your training is compared with and whether its title is protected in your chosen state. State rules still govern most nursing-assistant roles. You may be able to take an unregulated helper job without a recognition decision, but you cannot use a protected title on that basis. This also does not replace recognition as a qualified nurse.

There is no single German level for all nursing-assistant jobs. For a protected title, the authority handling your application sets the language requirement; for an unregulated job, your employer decides what you need in practice. Check your exact occupation and state in the official Recognition Finder.

To compare pay as a registered nurse, see what a qualified nurse earns in Germany. Recognition can cost money; our guide to financial support for recognition in Germany explains the funding options. Many states accept the type of certificate explained in our guide to the German B2 exam as proof.

The new federal Pflegefachassistenz route starts on 1 January 2027. Transition rules let some training already started under state law continue. Existing state qualifications do not all automatically end in 2029 or convert to the new title. If you have a German or foreign assistant qualification, ask the authority which procedure applies to you.

You must also have the right to work. If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, your residence permit must allow the job or qualification measure. See how to work as a nursing assistant in Germany; our free personalised roadmap shows the steps for your country and state.