Following a ruling by the constitutional court, German states must allocate hundreds of millions of euros in additional funding over the coming years to ensure adequate pay for their civil servants. This figure comes from a survey conducted by Spiegel involving the responsible state ministries.
Schleswig-Holstein anticipates needing €460 million more in 2025 and 2026, followed by an annual requirement of €500 million thereafter. Silke Schneider, the State Minister of Finance (The Greens), described this legally mandated adjustment as an “extremely significant challenge” for the coming years. Hesse projects a need for an additional €755 million annually. These increased budget allocations mean that civil servant salaries in Hesse will rise by almost 14% within eighteen months. The State Interior Minister, Roman Poseck (CDU), noted that this places the state budget “at strain limits”. Berlin could not provide a specific total but confirmed it has made “financial provisions” amounting to €493 million for both 2025 and 2026. Meanwhile, Brandenburg estimates its required extra funds per budget year to fall somewhere between €300 million and €600 million.
The constitutional court had issued its ruling in November, declaring that a large segment of civil servants were not earning sufficient wages. Although the decree was specifically focused on Berlin, its repercussions extend beyond the capital. The calculations are highly complex, which is why many of the states have not yet published their definitive required amounts.