Vorabpauschale calculator 2026
The Vorabpauschale is a small yearly tax prepayment on accumulating funds. It is a prepayment, not an extra tax: whatever you pay is credited when you sell.
In January, Lena spots a strange line on her broker statement: “Kapitalertragsteuer auf Vorabpauschale: 0.00 €”. Panic, then relief. Here's what it means and why she paid nothing.
1,000 € a year per person, 2,000 € for a married couple, minus whatever other investment income has used up.
Estimate for one fund: 26.375% flat tax including Soli, no church tax. Your broker's figures can differ slightly because they are calculated per fund unit.
How it is calculated
Because accumulating ETFs pay out nothing, the state taxes a small notional amount each January. The formula is fund value on 1 January × Basiszins × 0.7, capped at the fund's actual gain that year.
The Basiszins is 3.20% for 2026 (the tax is collected in January 2027) and was 2.53% for 2025, according to the Federal Ministry of Finance.
An example for 2026
An equity ETF worth 10,000 € on 1 January that rises during the year gives a Vorabpauschale of 10,000 × 3.20% × 0.7 = 224 €. After the 30% exemption, 156.80 € is taxable, and the tax is about 41 €. If your allowance isn't used up, you pay 0 €.
What you need to do
- A German broker handles the Vorabpauschale automatically.
- Keep enough cash in your broker's clearing account in January so the tax can be debited.
- With a foreign broker, you calculate the Vorabpauschale yourself and declare it in Anlage KAP-INV.
- Whatever you have paid is credited against your gain when you sell.
In a nutshell: the Vorabpauschale is a prepayment, not an extra tax. With a German broker and a Freistellungsauftrag, most beginners pay nothing.
This page is based on chapter 9 of the ebook From Sparbuch to Sparplan.