Top Current Accounts in Germany for Salary Earners
Banks appreciate salary earners because their regular income helps maintain financial stability and generate interest-based profits. Many banks in Germany offer reduced or waived fees for customers who receive a regular income, such as a salary, scholarship, or pension. Typically, if you receive more than €700–€800 per month into your account, you can avoid paying the monthly management fee. Additionally, salary earners often enjoy better terms for overdrafts and credit products. If you're searching for the best current account for salary earners, this guide is for you.
C24 Smart
C24 Smart might not explicitly market itself as a salary earner's account, but it's one of the best options available. The account is free by default, regardless of whether you receive a salary, and it even pays daily interest on your balance. Essentially, your current account doubles as a savings account that automatically accrues daily interest. You can open up to four additional subaccounts (called "pockets") and set up rules for organizing your income. This makes it easy to manage your finances and earn interest on the money you keep in your account.
After receiving three salary payments, you can apply for an overdraft to provide financial flexibility between paychecks. A free girocard and debit Mastercard are included, which is unusual since girocards typically cost €1 per month. Moreover, C24 Smart offers unlimited SEPA Instant transfers, allowing you to make immediate transactions or automate periodic transfers. Another advantage is free cash withdrawals from any ATM, a feature that sets this account apart. With its unique offerings, C24 Smart is highly recommended.
Santander 1|2|3 Giro
Santander's 1|2|3 account is a loyalty program that rewards you for depositing your salary and meeting specific activity criteria, such as setting up direct debits and making regular transactions. For example, you'll receive €1 per month as a "salary bonus" for incoming payments of at least €1,200 in one lump sum. Additionally, you can earn €2 per month as an "active bonus" by setting up at least three direct debits, and €3 per month as a "loyalty bonus" if you trade securities with Santander. In total, you can earn up to €108 annually through these bonuses.
While the account itself is free, you'll need to pay €12 annually for an optional girocard. However, a credit card is included, offering a 1% fuel discount and purchase protection insurance. Like C24 Smart, this account allows unlimited SEPA Instant transfers, making it ideal as a primary account. Free cash withdrawals are available only at Santander or Cash Pool ATMs; using other ATMs incurs high fees. Unfortunately, opening this account requires an in-branch appointment and documentation, such as a work contract and previous bank statements. If you prefer to skip the branch visit, Santander's BestGiro account can be opened online, though it doesn't offer the loyalty bonuses of the 1|2|3 account.
N26 Standard
N26 is a well-established digital bank that offers a range of banking services entirely online. The Standard account is free, but additional services come at a cost. For instance, instant transfers cost €0.49 each, and access to subaccounts (called "spaces") requires a paid subscription. The savings rate is relatively low at 1% and only applies if you move money into a separate savings account. By contrast, C24 offers 1.75% interest on your balance, including subaccounts.
N26 provides crypto trading, a feature not available with the other accounts reviewed here. However, it doesn't offer girocards—only a debit Mastercard. The overdraft rate is competitive at 8.9%, but free cash withdrawals are limited to two per month. Additionally, N26 charges a custody fee for balances exceeding €50,000. If you plan to store large amounts of money in your account, consider another bank or transfer excess funds to a savings account to avoid fees.
DKB Girokonto
DKB is a popular choice in Germany, blending the features of a digital and traditional bank. While it lacks physical branches, its app and online banking services are comprehensive. The Girokonto is free if you deposit at least €700 per month; otherwise, it costs €4.50 per month. It offers a low overdraft interest rate of 9.28% and a competitive 1.75% interest rate for flexible savings accounts. Securities trading is also available, and there are no custody fees for account balances.
The Visa debit card is free, but an optional girocard costs €11.88 per year. Cash withdrawals are free from any ATM since DKB doesn't operate its own ATM network. However, the account lacks SEPA Instant transfers, which means transfers can take a few days. Additionally, the foreign currency conversion fee is high at 2.2%, making the debit card less ideal for use outside the Eurozone. Overall, DKB is a solid option for salary earners.
ING Girokonto
ING's Girokonto is another excellent choice for a primary account. Its features and fee structure are very similar to DKB's, but it is slightly more expensive. For instance, if you deposit less than €1,000 per month, the account costs €4.90 per month. The girocard costs €17.88 annually, the overdraft rate is higher at 10.99%, and the savings account interest rate is lower at 1.25%.
Despite these drawbacks, ING has a strong reputation, especially compared to DKB, which has recently faced customer dissatisfaction due to outages. If reliability is your priority, ING might be the better choice, even if it costs slightly more.
Feel free to explore our Current Account Comparison Tool for more tailored options. See all the bank accounts and filter them according to your needs in the Current Account Comparison Tool.
Dmitry Filippov
Fintech author at Supafinance.de