A person working as a Psychologist in Germany typically earns around 5,870 EUR per month. Salaries range from 2,700 EUR (lowest) to 9,340 EUR (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Psychologist salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Psychologist salaries in Germany range from 2,700 EUR per month (minimum salary) to 9,340 EUR per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 6,350 EUR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Psychologist(s) are earning less than 6,350 EUR while the other half are earning more than 6,350 EUR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Psychologist(s) are earning less than 4,070 EUR while 75% of them are earning more than 4,070 EUR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Psychologist(s) are earning less than 8,470 EUR while 25% are earning more than 8,470 EUR.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Psychologist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Psychologist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 3,070 EUR per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 4,100 EUR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 6,060 EUR per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Psychologist(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 7,380 EUR per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 8,050 EUR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 8,710 EUR per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 3,070 EUR | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 4,100 EUR |
5 - 10 Years | +48% | 6,060 EUR |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 7,380 EUR |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 8,050 EUR |
20+ Years | +8% | 8,710 EUR |
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Psychologist employees in Germany earn 6% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 6,050 EUR | |
Female | -6% | 5,700 EUR |
Psychologist(s) in Germany are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 13% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 16 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 9% | |
Energy | 9% | |
Information Technology | 9% | |
Healthcare | 9% | |
Travel | 9% | |
Construction | 9% | |
Education | 9% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Germany for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Psychologist is considered to be a high bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
13% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 87% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 5% to 9% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 87% | |
No Bonus | 13% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Psychologist is 39% more than that of Counseling. Also, Counseling salaries are 11% more than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Adoption Services Director | 4,960 EUR | ![]() |
Alcohol and Drug Counselor | 4,140 EUR | ![]() |
Assistant Instructor | 1,810 EUR | ![]() |
Career Counselor | 4,370 EUR | ![]() |
Consultant | 4,400 EUR | ![]() |
Director of Rehabilitation Services | 5,620 EUR | ![]() |
Disability Consultant | 3,460 EUR | ![]() |
Employment Counselor | 4,200 EUR | ![]() |
Family Advocate | 3,120 EUR | ![]() |
Family Services Specialist | 3,200 EUR | ![]() |
Family Support Specialist | 4,450 EUR | ![]() |
Family Youth Worker | 1,480 EUR | ![]() |
Guidance Counselor | 4,280 EUR | ![]() |
Guidance Director | 5,410 EUR | ![]() |
Mental Health Counselor | 5,030 EUR | ![]() |
Programs Coordinator | 2,570 EUR | ![]() |
Psychologist | 5,870 EUR | ![]() |
Supervising Counselor | 4,630 EUR | ![]() |
Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor | 4,340 EUR | ![]() |
Youth Advocate | 2,390 EUR | ![]() |
Youth Care Counselor | 4,610 EUR | ![]() |
Youth Care Specialist | 2,880 EUR | ![]() |
Youth Development Manager | 5,650 EUR | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Berlin | 7,100 EUR |
Bremen | 5,920 EUR |
Dortmund | 5,670 EUR |
Dresden | 5,690 EUR |
Dusseldorf | 6,030 EUR |
Essen | 6,150 EUR |
Frankfurt | 6,370 EUR |
Hamburg | 6,580 EUR |
Hannover | 5,660 EUR |
Koln | 6,230 EUR |
Leipzig | 5,580 EUR |
Munchen | 6,730 EUR |
Nurnberg | 5,130 EUR |
Stuttgart | 6,390 EUR |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Germany earn 5% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 3,720 EUR | |
Public Sector | +5% | 3,900 EUR |