Same salary, wildly different paycheck. This index estimates the share of gross income a single person keeps after income tax and mandatory social contributions in every EU country, at €60,000 a year gross. The spread in 2026 is enormous: an employee keeps about 83% in Bulgaria but only about 59% in Romania, a difference of roughly €14,400 a year on the same salary. For the self-employed on small-business regimes the gaps are even wider: Croatia and Czechia lead at ~92% kept.
EU Take-Home Pay Index 2026
Verified November 2026Which EU country fits your income and life?
Take the relocation checkEmployees: % of €60k gross kept, all 27 countries
| # | Country | Kept, % of gross | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgaria | ~83% | ~€4,150 |
| 2 | Estonia | ~78% | ~€3,900 |
| 3 | Czechia | ~76% | ~€3,800 |
| 4 | Malta | ~76% | ~€3,800 |
| 5 | Cyprus | ~75% | ~€3,750 |
| 6 | Ireland | ~75% | ~€3,750 |
| 7 | Sweden | ~75% | ~€3,750 |
| 8 | Luxembourg | ~74% | ~€3,700 |
| 9 | Netherlands | ~73% | ~€3,650 |
| 10 | Finland | ~69% | ~€3,450 |
| 11 | France | ~69% | ~€3,450 |
| 12 | Latvia | ~69% | ~€3,450 |
| 13 | Austria | ~68% | ~€3,400 |
| 14 | Slovakia | ~68% | ~€3,400 |
| 15 | Spain | ~68% | ~€3,400 |
| 16 | Hungary | ~67% | ~€3,350 |
| 17 | Denmark | ~66% | ~€3,300 |
| 18 | Croatia | ~65% | ~€3,250 |
| 19 | Greece | ~65% | ~€3,250 |
| 20 | Italy | ~63% | ~€3,150 |
| 21 | Germany | ~62% | ~€3,100 |
| 22 | Poland | ~62% | ~€3,100 |
| 23 | Portugal | ~62% | ~€3,100 |
| 24 | Belgium | ~61% | ~€3,050 |
| 25 | Lithuania | ~61% | ~€3,050 |
| 26 | Slovenia | ~60% | ~€3,000 |
| 27 | Romania | ~59% | ~€2,950 |
Self-employed: % kept under each country’s typical regime
Using the most common small-business regime where one exists (Italy’s forfettario, Poland’s ryczalt for IT, Czechia’s pausalni dan, France’s micro-entrepreneur and similar).
| # | Country | Kept, % of gross | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Croatia | ~92% | ~€4,600 |
| 2 | Czechia | ~92% | ~€4,600 |
| 3 | Slovenia | ~83% | ~€4,150 |
| 4 | Bulgaria | ~82% | ~€4,100 |
| 5 | Hungary | ~79% | ~€3,950 |
| 6 | Poland | ~78% | ~€3,900 |
| 7 | Netherlands | ~76% | ~€3,800 |
| 8 | Ireland | ~75% | ~€3,750 |
| 9 | Romania | ~75% | ~€3,750 |
| 10 | Lithuania | ~74% | ~€3,700 |
| 11 | Malta | ~73% | ~€3,650 |
| 12 | Slovakia | ~73% | ~€3,650 |
| 13 | Italy | ~71% | ~€3,550 |
| 14 | Cyprus | ~69% | ~€3,450 |
| 15 | Greece | ~69% | ~€3,450 |
| 16 | Latvia | ~67% | ~€3,350 |
| 17 | Denmark | ~66% | ~€3,300 |
| 18 | France | ~66% | ~€3,300 |
| 19 | Portugal | ~66% | ~€3,300 |
| 20 | Luxembourg | ~65% | ~€3,250 |
| 21 | Spain | ~65% | ~€3,250 |
| 22 | Germany | ~64% | ~€3,200 |
| 23 | Austria | ~63% | ~€3,150 |
| 24 | Estonia | ~63% | ~€3,150 |
| 25 | Sweden | ~62% | ~€3,100 |
| 26 | Finland | ~60% | ~€3,000 |
| 27 | Belgium | ~58% | ~€2,900 |
How to read this index
Figures are modelled estimates for a single person with no children under standard rules, calibrated against public net-salary calculators and OECD effective-rate data. Special expat regimes (Spain’s Beckham law, Portugal’s IFICI, Cyprus 50% exemptions) are not assumed, and family situations shift results by double digits. Explore other income levels (€30k and €120k) in the interactive comparator, or open any country for the full three-profile breakdown. Rates as of November 2026. Tax rules change every budget cycle and depend on your personal situation: verify with a licensed tax advisor before acting.
Already an EU citizen? Then none of this needs a visa, and the choice comes down to exactly these numbers: relocating within the EU walks through how to pick.
Citing this index: you are welcome to reference these figures with a link to this page as the source (MoveMap EU Take-Home Pay Index 2026).
Sources and verification
Checked November 2026- Tax Foundation Europe: corporate income tax rates, 2026: Headline corporate rates, including this year's changes in Lithuania, Slovakia and Luxembourg.
- Tax Foundation Europe: top personal income tax rates, 2026: Top statutory personal rates across the bloc.
- Tax Foundation Europe: dividend tax rates, 2026: Dividend taxation for company owners.
- Tax Foundation Europe: tax burden on labour: Combined income tax and social contribution burden on employees.
- OECD, Taxing Wages 2026: Effective tax rates on labour income, used to calibrate the take-home estimates.
Figures are compiled from the sources above and public national summaries, then cross-checked against public net-salary calculators. Where 2026 rules were still in flux at the time of writing, the text says so rather than picking a number. Everything is a labelled estimate for orientation, not a substitute for advice on your own case.
Published by Dobreon sp. z o.o., Krakow, Poland (VAT PL6772528744). Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it.
Taxes are one of eight dimensions
The relocation check weighs take-home pay alongside cost, language, documents and long-term plans, and ranks all 27 EU countries for your situation.