Here I will give you an overview of the regular income that I receive as a member of parliament and the expenses that are covered by the Bundestag for my work.
You can also find this information in detail on the official website of the German Bundestag: Expense allowance for members of the German Bundestag
I do not receive any other income beyond that.
All members of the Bundestag (MdB) receive 10,591.70 euros per month (as of July 2023). This sum is intended to ensure that the MPs can work independently. The amount of compensation is based on the salaries of other management positions in the public service, such as judges. All details are regulated in the MPs Act and are publicly available. We MPs do not receive any special payments such as: B. Christmas bonus and have to pay regular income tax on it.
In addition to their “diet,” MPs also receive a monthly tax-free allowance that we can use to cover other expenses. It is currently 5,051.54 euros per month (as of 2024). This includes, for example, setting up and maintaining my constituency office in Dresden and my regional offices in Görlitz and Plauen, costs related to my constituency support and the rent for my second home in Berlin and much more.
All MdBs are provided with office space in the Bundestag that is equipped with PCs, laptops, telephones, etc. In addition, I have a budget of 12,000 euros per year as part of the so-called “account for benefits in kind”, which I can spend on other office equipment, such as office supplies, company cell phones, tablets, mandate-related specialist books, business cards, mobile phone and landline contracts and much more. In contrast to the flat rate fee, the account for benefits in kind is not transferred to my bank account, but is reimbursed by the Bundestag after the respective invoice is presented.
I currently employ nine people in my Berlin office and my offices in Saxony. I have 25,874 euros available per month (employee gross, as of March 2024). The salary is not paid out by me, but rather by the Bundestag's human resources administration.
Traveling expenses
In the urban area of Berlin, we MPs are allowed to use the German Bundestag transport service at any time, but we can also use local public transport with a free ticket. Personally, I also like to ride my bike. The free travel card from Deutsche Bahn (like Bahncard 100 in 1st class) is very useful for my trips to the constituency or other trips within Germany. I could also have air travel within Germany that occurs in the exercise of my mandate booked through the Bundestag. Until now, this wasn't necessary thanks to the good train connections.