How much tax you pay in a country depends less on the country than on how you earn: the same income can meet a 47% marginal rate as a salary, a 15% flat regime as a freelancer, or 0% (until you pay it out) inside a company. So this page splits all 27 EU countries by exactly that: pick your profile below.
Taxes in Europe: all 27 EU countries compared for 2026
Verified November 2026Not sure which EU country fits you?
Take the relocation check| Country | Headline rates | Social contributions |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Progressive 0-55% (top rate above ~€1M, kept through 2029) | ~18% employee, ~21% employer on top |
| Belgium | Progressive 25-50%, plus municipal surcharges (~7% of the tax) | 13.07% employee |
| Bulgaria | Flat 10% | ~13.8% employee |
| Croatia | Two brackets split at €60k, by default 20% and 30% (municipalities set exact rates within 15-23% and 25-33%) | 20% pension employee |
| Cyprus | Progressive 0-35% (first €22k tax-free since 2026) | 8.8% + 2.65% GESY health |
| Czechia | 15% up to ~3x the average wage (CZK 1.76M in 2026), 23% above | 11.6% employee |
| Denmark | Progressive; ~52% ceiling plus the 8% labour-market tax, and a new top-top bracket takes the highest combined rate to ~60.5% in 2026 | Minimal (ATP); funded via income tax |
| Estonia | Flat 22% (raised from 20% in 2025; the planned security tax was repealed and the rise to 24% dropped) | 1.6% unemployment employee; the 33% social tax is employer-paid |
| Finland | Progressive national + municipal, top combined ~52% with employee contributions (cut from up to ~59% in 2026) | ~9-10% employee |
| France | Progressive to 45%, plus ~9.7% CSG/CRDS social surcharges (top combined ~55.4%) | ~22% employee overall |
| Germany | Progressive 14-45% (+5.5% solidarity above thresholds, church tax optional) | ~21-22% employee (21.75% without children in 2026, up to the ceilings) |
| Greece | Progressive 9-44% | ~13.4% employee |
| Hungary | Flat 15% | 18.5% employee |
| Ireland | 20% / 40%, plus USC up to 8% and PRSI 4.35% (top combined ~52%) | PRSI 4.35% (since October 2026) |
| Italy | Progressive 23-43% (+ regional and municipal ~1.5-3%) | ~9-10% employee |
| Latvia | 25.5% up to ~€105k/yr, 33% above (2025 reform), plus 3% on income over €200k | 10.5% employee |
| Lithuania | 20% / 25% / 32% (25% above ~36 average wages, 32% above ~60) | 19.5% employee (incl. health) |
| Luxembourg | Progressive to 42%, plus solidarity surcharge (top ~45.8%) | ~13% employee (pension share raised to 8.5% in 2026) |
| Malta | Progressive 0-35% | 10% employee, capped at €55.93 a week (about €2,900 a year) in 2026 |
| Netherlands | 35.75% up to ~€38.9k, 37.56% to ~€78.4k, 49.5% above | Included in the band-1 rate |
| Poland | 12% / 32% (threshold ~PLN 120k), +4% solidarity above ~PLN 1M | 13.71% employee + 9% health |
| Portugal | Progressive 12.5-48% (+ solidarity up to 5% at the top) | 11% employee |
| Romania | Flat 10% | 25% pension + 10% health, employee-side (heavy) |
| Slovakia | 19% / 25% / 30% / 35% (four bands since 2026; 35% above ~€75k) | 14.4% employee (9.4% social + 5% health) |
| Slovenia | Progressive 16-50% | 23.1% employee (incl. 1% long-term care since July 2025), plus a flat ~€39/mo health levy |
| Spain | Progressive ~19-47% (regions set part of the scale; some exceed 50%) | 6.5% employee |
| Sweden | Municipal ~32.4% on average + 20% state tax on taxable income above SEK 643k (top ~52%) | 7% pension fee, fully refunded as a tax credit (employer pays 31.42% on top) |
Tap a country for the full picture, including the nuance notes for all three profiles.
What would you actually keep?
Headline rates mislead: allowances, brackets, caps and special regimes decide the real number. Pick how you earn and roughly how much, and compare the estimated share of gross income you would keep across all 27 countries.
Gross income:
- 1Bulgaria~83% · €4,150/mo
- 2Estonia~78% · €3,900/mo
- 3Czechia~76% · €3,800/mo
- 4Malta~76% · €3,800/mo
- 5Cyprus~75% · €3,750/mo
- 6Ireland~75% · €3,750/mo
- 7Sweden~75% · €3,750/mo
- 8Luxembourg~74% · €3,700/mo
- 9Netherlands~73% · €3,650/mo
- 10Finland~69% · €3,450/mo
- 11France~69% · €3,450/mo
- 12Latvia~69% · €3,450/mo
- 13Austria~68% · €3,400/mo
- 14Slovakia~68% · €3,400/mo
- 15Spain~68% · €3,400/mo
- 16Hungary~67% · €3,350/mo
- 17Denmark~66% · €3,300/mo
- 18Croatia~65% · €3,250/mo
- 19Greece~65% · €3,250/mo
- 20Italy~63% · €3,150/mo
- 21Germany~62% · €3,100/mo
- 22Poland~62% · €3,100/mo
- 23Portugal~62% · €3,100/mo
- 24Belgium~61% · €3,050/mo
- 25Lithuania~61% · €3,050/mo
- 26Slovenia~60% · €3,000/mo
- 27Romania~59% · €2,950/mo
Share of gross you keep after income tax and mandatory employee-side social contributions: modelled estimate for a single person with no children, using standard rules, with no special expat regimes assumed. Real outcomes vary by deductions, municipality, family and regime eligibility. 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.
Prefer a citable snapshot? See the EU Take-Home Pay Index 2026, the full ranking at €60k for employees and the self-employed.
What the tables hide
- Social contributions are the second tax. France’s 45% headline hides ~22% employee charges; Romania’s flat 10% hides a 35% social load. Always add both columns in your head.
- Special regimes beat headline rates. Italy’s forfettario (5-15%), Poland’s ryczalt (8.5-12% for IT), Czechia’s flat monthly pausalni dan, Spain’s Beckham law and Portugal’s IFICI routinely halve what mobile professionals pay, if you qualify.
- Residence decides where you pay. Spend 183+ days in a country (or keep your centre of life there) and you generally become tax resident, whatever your visa or company setup says. If you split the year across borders, those days are worth logging as you go: Countries Days tracks them and flags the date a limit breaks, and the Schengen 90/180 calculator works out where a non-EU visitor stands right now. EU citizens moving inside the bloc have a different set of questions: this guide covers them. Our page on taxes in Estonia for foreigners shows the rule at work for e-residents, who stay non-residents.
- Families change the math. Joint filing in Germany, family quotients in France and child credits across the bloc can move effective rates by double digits.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which EU country has the lowest income tax?
Bulgaria and Romania run 10% flat rates, the EU's lowest headline income taxes. The full picture includes social contributions: Bulgaria caps them, so employees keep an estimated 78 to 86% of gross, while Romania's heavy social load leaves roughly 59%. Rates as of November 2026; verify before acting.
Which EU country is best for freelancer taxes?
Special regimes beat headline rates: Italy's forfettario runs 5 to 15% up to EUR 85,000, Poland's ryczalt charges 12% on IT revenue, and Czechia's flat monthly payment covers tax and insurance in one go. At mid incomes, the flat regimes in Croatia and Czechia lead our keep-percentage estimates, ahead of Slovenia and Bulgaria.
Where do I pay taxes if I move to another EU country?
Generally where you live: spending 183 or more days in a country, or keeping your centre of life there, makes you its tax resident regardless of visa or company setup. Double-tax treaties prevent paying twice on the same income. Complex cases belong with a licensed tax advisor.
Tax by country
Each country page carries the headline rates, the special regimes and what an employee, a freelancer and a company owner would keep there.
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.
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