Moving in together, or getting married: two incomes, one plan

4 min read · Updated 31 October 2026 · Written for English speakers dealing with money in Germany

Two incomes, two sets of contracts, one household. Some things you can share, some change only once you marry, and some protect a partner only if you arrange them.

On this page

  1. Sort out tax as a couple
  2. Share what you can
  3. Protect each other

  1. Sort out tax as a couple

    Married couples and civil partners can be taxed jointly: the tax is worked out on half the joint income, then doubled. It saves most when one earns much more.

    Tax classes. They set your monthly pay, not the year's tax.

    Married, you choose III and V, or IV and IV, with or without a factor. They change how much is withheld each month, and the tax return settles the year. With III and V, or a factor, a return is compulsory.

    Not married? Each of you files alone.

    Joint assessment and the couples' tax classes are for marriage and civil partnership only.

  2. Share what you can

    One home, one set of cover: some policies cover the household, and some double up.

    Liability insurance. One family policy can cover you both.

    A family or partner policy covers a spouse, and an unmarried partner living with you where the policy names them. Then the second policy can go.

    Health insurance. A spouse with little income can be covered free.

    In public insurance, a spouse or civil partner with little income of their own is covered through a member at no extra cost (family insurance, § 10 SGB V). An unmarried partner isn't. Who family insurance covers.

    Savings. €2,000 tax-free for a married couple.

    Married couples share a saver's allowance of €2,000 a year, and one exemption order can cover both.

  3. Protect each other

    Marriage gives a partner rights by law. Living together doesn't: a will and the right cover do it instead.

    A will. Without one, an unmarried partner inherits nothing.

    A surviving spouse shares the estate with any children by law (§ 1931 BGB); an unmarried partner has no share at all. A will must be written by hand and signed, or made before a notary (§§ 2231, 2247 BGB).

    Inheritance tax. €500,000 tax-free for a spouse, €20,000 for a partner.

    Between unmarried partners the allowance is only €20,000 (§ 16 ErbStG). A life insurance payout counts as inheritance too (§ 3 ErbStG), so who holds the policy can decide whether it's taxed.

The other life stages

Primary sources checked on 26 October 2026: the statutes and official pages linked above.

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Often goes together with

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Everything above is general. For advice on your own situation, you can ask for an English-speaking financial planner in Germany. They agree their fee with you before they start. You pay us nothing. If you go ahead with them, they may pay us a referral fee. What they pay never decides who your request goes to.

General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. A financial plan turns on details — your income, your family, and where you will live in ten and thirty years, and none of that can be judged from an article. A licensed professional who knows your situation can tell you what applies to you.