The €500/year tax-free savings scheme your employer funds — VL + Arbeitnehmer-Sparzulage
Vermögenswirksame Leistungen (VL) is an employer-funded savings bonus that most Blue Card hires never ask for. Up to €480/year from the employer plus €43–€86/year Sparzulage for lower earners. Here's how to get it.
The €500/year savings your employer funds
Vermögenswirksame Leistungen are cash your employer pays into a savings or ETF account — on top of your salary. Most Blue Card hires never ask. The state adds the Arbeitnehmer-Sparzulage on top for lower earners. Six years in, you walk away with a bonus.
Typical VL + Sparzulage combined
~€500/yr
€40/month employer VL + up to €86/year Sparzulage = roughly €480–€600/year the state and your employer hand you — if you ask. The form is one page, the lock-in is 6 years, the provider can be a boring Banksparplan or a low-cost ETF.
The two-part structure
€480/yr
Employer VL (typical)
€40/mo × 12 months
€43/yr
Sparzulage (single)
9% of up to €470 deposits
€86/yr
Sparzulage (married)
If both spouses qualify
6 yrs
Lock-in period
Plus 1 year rest
| Provider | Piece | Who pays | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
Vermögenswirksame Leistungen (VL) Best | Your employer | Most Tarifverträge oblige; non-tariff employers may offer voluntarily | |
Arbeitnehmer-Sparzulage | The state (via tax return) | Income cap €40,000 single / €80,000 married for ETF/shares products | |
Wohnungsbauprämie Separate bucket, can stack if you Bausparen. | The state | Separate top-up for Bausparen savings, if income under €35,000 single / €70,000 married |
- Piece
- Your employer
- Who pays
- Most Tarifverträge oblige; non-tariff employers may offer voluntarily
- Conditions
- Piece
- The state (via tax return)
- Who pays
- Income cap €40,000 single / €80,000 married for ETF/shares products
- Conditions
Separate bucket, can stack if you Bausparen.
- Piece
- The state
- Who pays
- Separate top-up for Bausparen savings, if income under €35,000 single / €70,000 married
- Conditions
Where the money goes
- Employer pays inMonthly via payroll
- Provider holdsBank, Bausparkasse, or ETF broker
- 6-year lockPlus 1 year rest
- Sparzulage at endVia yearly tax return
Common provider choices:
| Provider | Product type | Typical return | Sparzulage eligible? |
|---|---|---|---|
Banksparplan (savings account) | 1–3% fixed | No — banks don't qualify for Sparzulage | |
Bausparvertrag (Bausparkasse) | 1–2% + Wohnungsbauprämie | Yes (Wohnungsbauprämie stream, not Sparzulage) | |
Fondsparplan / ETF Best | Market return (long-term ~6–8%) | Yes — 9% Sparzulage if under income cap | |
Beteiligungssparen (employer shares) | Company performance | Yes — same 9% Sparzulage |
- Product type
- 1–3% fixed
- Typical return
- No — banks don't qualify for Sparzulage
- Sparzulage eligible?
- Product type
- 1–2% + Wohnungsbauprämie
- Typical return
- Yes (Wohnungsbauprämie stream, not Sparzulage)
- Sparzulage eligible?
- Product type
- Market return (long-term ~6–8%)
- Typical return
- Yes — 9% Sparzulage if under income cap
- Sparzulage eligible?
- Product type
- Company performance
- Typical return
- Yes — same 9% Sparzulage
- Sparzulage eligible?
Who qualifies
| Provider | Your status | VL from employer | Sparzulage from state |
|---|---|---|---|
Blue Card holder, tariff employer Best | Yes — €40/mo standard | Yes if under income cap, certain product types | |
§19c skilled worker, tariff employer Best | Yes — same terms | Yes if under income cap | |
Blue Card, non-tariff employer | Employer-optional; ask HR | Yes if they offer VL + income cap | |
Ausbildung / Azubi Best | Typically yes — lower VL (often €13–€27/mo) | Yes — income usually under cap | |
Working student (Werkstudent) | Rare — most firms exclude | Rarely applies | |
Freelance / self-employed | No — VL is employee-only | No Sparzulage either |
- Your status
- Yes — €40/mo standard
- VL from employer
- Yes if under income cap, certain product types
- Sparzulage from state
- Your status
- Yes — same terms
- VL from employer
- Yes if under income cap
- Sparzulage from state
- Your status
- Employer-optional; ask HR
- VL from employer
- Yes if they offer VL + income cap
- Sparzulage from state
- Your status
- Typically yes — lower VL (often €13–€27/mo)
- VL from employer
- Yes — income usually under cap
- Sparzulage from state
- Your status
- Rare — most firms exclude
- VL from employer
- Rarely applies
- Sparzulage from state
- Your status
- No — VL is employee-only
- VL from employer
- No Sparzulage either
- Sparzulage from state
How to claim
Ask HR: 'Bietet ihr VL an?'
5 minutesGerman phrasing: "Ich würde gerne Vermögenswirksame Leistungen in Anspruch nehmen — was für Verträge akzeptiert ihr?" Most companies have a standard list of accepted providers.
Choose a provider
1–3 eveningsFor ETF route: Consorsbank, ING, DWS Top Dividende, comdirect are popular VL-ETF options. For Bausparen: Schwäbisch Hall, Wüstenrot. Compare fees — some charge €0, others 5% front-load.
Open the VL contract
30 minutesOnline application. Provider gives you a Bestätigung with contract number + bank details.
Hand Bestätigung to HR / payroll
5 minutesHR configures the monthly payment. Money appears in the VL account the following pay cycle.
Claim Sparzulage on your yearly tax return
10 minutes/yearIn your Steuererklärung, add Anlage VL (the provider issues a Bescheinigung vermögenswirksamer Leistungen each year). Finanzamt pays the 9% Sparzulage into your account.
Wait 6 years — then claim
Year 7After the 6-year Ansparphase + 1 year Ruhejahr, the account unlocks. All contributions + growth + Sparzulage come back to you tax-free (ETF gains follow normal capital-gains rules).
Common mistakes
Do this
- Ask HR on day 1 — most companies let VL start with the first full month, but some require waiting periods
- Choose ETF VL if you're under 45 and plan to stay long-term — market upside dwarfs 1% Banksparplan
- File Anlage VL in your tax return every year — Sparzulage is claimed annually, not at the 6-year end
- Married? Put a VL contract in each spouse's name — Sparzulage doubles to ~€86/year combined
Avoid these
- Don't skip "because my employer didn't mention it" — German HR rarely advertises, but tariff obligation exists
- Don't break the lock early — you lose all Sparzulage, and the tax benefit unwinds
- Don't pick a high-fee Bausparen when you don't plan to buy property — wrong product for your goal
- Don't confuse VL with bAV (betriebliche Altersvorsorge) — both employer-paid, different rules, can stack
The numbers over 6 years
Blue Card specifics
- You qualify from day 1 of your tariff contract — no tenure requirement, no probation gate. The law treats Blue Card employees identically to German colleagues for VL.
- The €40k/€80k Sparzulage income cap is taxable income after Werbungskosten, Sonderausgaben, and deductions — not gross. A Blue Card engineer on €60k gross often lands under €40k taxable income in year one if they deduct relocation (Umzugskostenpauschale), Doppelte Haushaltsführung, and a partial-year tax factor. Check yearly.
- When you leave Germany before 6 years: the VL contract continues if you keep the provider, but your employer stops paying in. Sparzulage pays out at contract end as long as you were eligible in each deposit year.
Related safety-net programs
- German tax deductions you're probably missing — Werbungskosten, Sonderausgaben, relocation.
- Banking basics — German accounts, brokerages, and what ETF providers accept.
- Kindergeld €259/month per child — another benefit employers don't remind you to claim.
- Pflegegeld up to €990/month — if you end up caring for a family member.
- The full German safety net, mapped.
The bottom line
You are covered if you just ask. VL is free money you're leaving on the table the moment you sign a German employment contract and don't fill in the form. Six-year horizons sound long, but by the time you're eligible to apply for Niederlassungserlaubnis (permanent residence at year 4–5), your VL contract is close to paying out. This is one of the most reliable, lowest-effort wins in the German safety net.
Source: finanztip.de — Vermögenswirksame Leistungen, smartsteuer.de — Arbeitnehmer-Sparzulage, 5. Vermögensbildungsgesetz §13.
Last updated: 2026-04-23