Highest pay

€8,313

Saxony

Lowest pay

€7,610

Schleswig-Holstein

Spread

€703

per month (top step)

Average

€7,936

all 17 employers

A 15 top step — ranking

Saxony: Top step gross €8,313. Federal (Bund): Top step gross €8,308. Hesse: Top step gross €8,275. Baden-Wurttemberg: Top step gross €8,113. Thuringia: Top step gross €8,020. Brandenburg: Top step gross €8,004. Rhineland-Palatinate: Top step gross €7,975. Berlin: Top step gross €7,965. Bavaria: Top step gross €7,872. Saxony-Anhalt: Top step gross €7,864. North Rhine-Westphalia: Top step gross €7,863. Lower Saxony: Top step gross €7,857. Hamburg: Top step gross €7,781. Bremen: Top step gross €7,748. Saarland: Top step gross €7,698. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Top step gross €7,644. Schleswig-Holstein: Top step gross €7,610

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Salary range per state (entry → top)

Saxony: Entry €6,548 – Top step €8,313. Federal (Bund): Entry €6,659 – Top step €8,308. Hesse: Entry €6,672 – Top step €8,275. Baden-Wurttemberg: Entry €6,507 – Top step €8,113. Thuringia: Entry €6,715 – Top step €8,020. Brandenburg: Entry €6,715 – Top step €8,004. Rhineland-Palatinate: Entry €6,392 – Top step €7,975. Berlin: Entry €6,385 – Top step €7,965. Bavaria: Entry €6,626 – Top step €7,872. Saxony-Anhalt: Entry €6,309 – Top step €7,864. North Rhine-Westphalia: Entry €6,321 – Top step €7,863. Lower Saxony: Entry €6,297 – Top step €7,857. Hamburg: Entry €6,441 – Top step €7,781. Bremen: Entry €6,228 – Top step €7,748. Saarland: Entry €6,191 – Top step €7,698. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Entry €6,311 – Top step €7,644. Schleswig-Holstein: Entry €6,342 – Top step €7,610

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Estimated net (top step)

Saxony: Net €5,749. Federal (Bund): Net €5,747. Hesse: Net €5,727. Baden-Wurttemberg: Net €5,634. Thuringia: Net €5,579. Brandenburg: Net €5,570. Rhineland-Palatinate: Net €5,554. Berlin: Net €5,548. Bavaria: Net €5,494. Saxony-Anhalt: Net €5,489. North Rhine-Westphalia: Net €5,489. Lower Saxony: Net €5,485. Hamburg: Net €5,441. Bremen: Net €5,422. Saarland: Net €5,393. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Net €5,361. Schleswig-Holstein: Net €5,342

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All 17 jurisdictions in detail
#StateEntryTop stepNet (est.)
1Saxony€6,548€8,313€5,749
2Federal (Bund)€6,659€8,308€5,747
3Hesse€6,672€8,275€5,727
4Baden-Wurttemberg€6,507€8,113€5,634
5Thuringia€6,715€8,020€5,579
6Brandenburg€6,715€8,004€5,570
7Rhineland-Palatinate€6,392€7,975€5,554
8Berlin€6,385€7,965€5,548
9Bavaria€6,626€7,872€5,494
10Saxony-Anhalt€6,309€7,864€5,489
11North Rhine-Westphalia€6,321€7,863€5,489
12Lower Saxony€6,297€7,857€5,485
13Hamburg€6,441€7,781€5,441
14Bremen€6,228€7,748€5,422
15Saarland€6,191€7,698€5,393
16Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania€6,311€7,644€5,361
17Schleswig-Holstein (prov.)€6,342€7,610€5,342

Why the pay differs

Until the 2006 federalism reform, pay was uniform nationwide. Since then each state sets its own tables. For A 15 this currently means a spread of €703 per month between Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein — which adds up to a five-figure sum over a career.

A 15 by state

Compare other grades

Frequently asked questions

Which state pays A 15 best?

Saxony leads at €8,313 at the top step, while Schleswig-Holstein is lowest at €7,610 — a spread of €703 per month for the same grade.

Why does pay differ by state?

Since the 2006 federalism reform, each state (and the federal government) sets civil-servant pay independently. Pay rounds, adjustment acts, and special payments therefore differ.

What is the average for A 15?

Averaged over all 16 states and the federal level, the top step is around €7,936 gross per month.

Are the net differences just as large?

The gross spread largely carries over to net, since civil servants pay no social contributions. For the exact figure including the PKV premium, use the salary calculator.

Is switching employer worthwhile?

On base salary alone, tens of thousands of euros difference are possible over a career. When switching between states, experience steps are not always fully recognised — check your step assignment.

Sources

Calculate your exact net pay

Pick your state and step for A 15 and compute including PKV and Beihilfe.

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