Dependants in 2026: who counts in a German garnishment
The column of the German garnishment table depends on the people you support. The law lists exactly who belongs, and their own income can change the result.
Attachable with your dependants
€192.94
With no dependants it would be €988.82.
| Difference made by the dependants | €795.88 |
| Allowance | €2,517.65 |
Count only people you actually support under a legal duty (section 850c(2) ZPO). If such a person has income of their own, the court may disregard them in whole or in part on application (subsection 6).
| People | Attachable | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | €988.82 | €2,011.18 |
| 1 | €407.59 | €2,592.41 |
| 2 | €192.94 | €2,807.06 |
| 3 | €44.86 | €2,955.14 |
| 4 | €0 | €3,000 |
| 5 or more | €0 | €3,000 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How we calculate · 2026 table (Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 80) and ZPO checked on 28 October 2026
In a German wage garnishment, section 850c(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure (ZPO) counts everyone you actually support under a legal duty: a spouse or former spouse, a registered or former registered partner, relatives such as children or parents, and a parent with a claim under sections 1615l and 1615n of the Civil Code, for example the mother of your child around the birth. The first person raises your allowance by €597.42 a month, the second to fifth by €332.83 each. On top of that you keep a larger share of the net pay above the allowance: five tenths instead of three with one person. Nothing changes beyond the fifth person. On €3,300 net, €1,198.82 is attachable with no dependants, €557.59 with one, €312.94 with two and €134.86 with three. If one of these people has income of their own, the enforcement court can decide on the creditor's application that they count only partly or not at all (section 850c(6) ZPO).
Who counts and who does not
Section 850c(2) ZPO names the circle of people exhaustively: spouse, former spouse, registered partner, former registered partner, relatives, and a parent with a claim under sections 1615l and 1615n of the Civil Code. Relatives mainly means your children, in some cases also your parents or grandchildren. There must always be a legal duty to support them, and you must actually provide the support. Voluntary help without a legal duty, for example for your partner's children, does not count.
A special case is maintenance connected with a birth. Under section 1615l of the Civil Code, a father must support the mother of his child, if they are not married, from six weeks before to eight weeks after the birth. If she cannot work because she is caring for or raising the child, the duty lasts at least three years after the birth. If the father looks after the child, he has the same claim against the mother. For that time the parent entitled to support counts in the garnishment.
What each person changes
Each person has a double effect. They raise the allowance, and they increase the share of the excess you keep. The first person brings €597.42 and two tenths, each further one up to the fifth €332.83 and one tenth. That is why the gap between no dependants and one is the largest. On €3,300 net, the first person alone cuts the attachable amount by €641.23 a month, the fifth by only €23.34. The table shows every step.
| People | Allowance | Attachable | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | €1,587.40 | €1,198.82 | €2,101.18 |
| 1 | €2,184.82 | €557.59 | €2,742.41 |
| 2 | €2,517.65 | €312.94 | €2,987.06 |
| 3 | €2,850.48 | €134.86 | €3,165.14 |
| 4 | €3,183.31 | €23.34 | €3,276.66 |
| 5 or more | €3,516.14 | €0 | €3,300 |
The count stops at five: the statute provides increases only up to the fifth person, and the official 2026 table has "5 or more" as its last column. If you have to support more people and cannot manage on what is left, you can ask the enforcement court to leave you more; the particular extent of your maintenance duties is expressly one of the grounds. More under raising the exempt amount.
Monthly exemption limit
Monthly exemption limit
€2,520
| Weekly limit | €580 |
| Daily limit | €116 |
| Exempt basic amount per month | €2,517.65 |
| Until 30 June 2026 | €2,470 |
Dependants with income of their own
If a dependant earns money, for example a child in vocational training or a spouse with a salary, nothing changes at first. Only if the creditor applies can the enforcement court decide under section 850c(6) ZPO that this person counts only partly or not at all. It decides at its reasonable discretion. If the person is removed entirely, your employer uses the column for one person fewer. If the person counts only partly, a reference to the table is no longer enough; the order must then state its own amount.
On a bank account the same increases apply, but the bank needs proof. Under section 903(3) ZPO, the paying body also certifies, as far as it knows, the number of people you support by law and the dates of birth of minor children; the legal basis for the increase is section 902 ZPO. How that works is explained under P-account certificate. Child benefit itself is protected separately; see child benefit and garnishment.