What is Kirchensteuer?
Kirchensteuer is a church tax that is levied on residents in Germany that are members of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish denominations.
Kirchensteuer is automatically drawn from your monthly salary if you have indicated that you are a church member when completing your address registration (Anmeldung) in Germany.
When it comes to church tax in Germany, your local tax office (Finanzamt) doubles up as the collection agency. Depending on where you are living in Germany, the Finanzamt will withhold an additional 8–9% of your income tax, which will be funnelled through to your respective religious denomination.
To avoid the tax altogether, follow the instructions listed in our blog post on church tax.