You pay a maximum of 1% of your gross income.
We stand for fairness. Therefore, your membership fee depends on your income.
Usually, the monthly membership fee amounts to 1% of your gross income. But you can save even more! Your employer doesn’t yet consider you membership fee in payroll accounting? Then, you can deduct your membership fee from your wage tax!
Example: If you, for instance, pay a monthly membership fee of EUR 38.70 (the “maximum” fee), you get a tax return of about EUR 14.50. Therefore, your actual monthly membership fee decreases to about EUR 20.-.
In 2024, you pay a maximum monthly fee of EUR 40.80. (After tax deduction even only about EUR 24.50). The maximum fee is adjusted every year.
Certain groups like school students or retired employees pay even less. All details are outlined further below.
Fixed monthly fees:
- Unemployed members
- Secondary membership (primary membership with another trade union)
- Unpaid leave
- Early maternity protection
- Military servants/civilian servants without prior membership
- Childcare beneficiaries without prior membership
- Marginally employed employees (salary below the marginal employment threshold)
pay EUR 3.-/month
- Retired employees
pay EUR 5.-/month
Fixed yearly fees:
- School and university students EUR 12.-/year
Other membership fees:
Atypical employees (freelancers, crowd workers, trade licence holders without employees as well as free journalists with press card) pay 1% of their gross income and a minimum membership fee of EUR 10.-/month.
Retired journalists with press card EUR 8.-/month
Regular monthly payments are liable for contributions, such as:
- Salary/wage/apprenticeship compensation
- Dirty-work and danger bonuses, severity allowances, commissions and bonuses
- Termination and vacation compensations
- Reduced salary/wage upon part-time parental leave
- Reduced salary/wage upon partial pension
Not included in the membership fee:
- Overtime (also lump sums)
- Vacation and Christmas bonuses
- Personal allowances
- Redundancy payments
- and similar payments
Non-contributory periods:
(are credited as membership periods after a paid membership period of at least 6 months)
- Statutory maternity protection
- Parental leave for the period stipulated by law or works agreement
- Unpaid sick leave
- Military or civilian service
This also applies to:
- Development assistance
- Educational leave
- Full-time family hospice leave