Salary Expectations in a German Cover Letter: What to Write

German job ads frequently ask for your Gehaltsvorstellung — a stated salary expectation in the application itself. This surprises many international applicants: it is not a courtesy question. Leaving it out when the ad asks for it can get your application filed as incomplete.

Picking the number

• Research your market value for the role, industry and region — Munich pays differently from Magdeburg.
• Gross annual salary is the currency: always state the yearly Brutto figure, including fixed components.
• A realistic corridor in your head, one number in the letter. A range in the letter (“€55,000–65,000”) negotiates against you — only the lower end gets read. State one concrete figure at the upper end of your realistic corridor; negotiation only ever moves down from there.

Where it goes

At the end of the cover letter, in the final paragraph before the sign-off — after your arguments, not before them. Value first, then price.

Phrasings that work

“Meine Gehaltsvorstellung liegt bei einem Jahresbruttogehalt von 62.000 Euro.” (My salary expectation is a gross annual salary of €62,000.)

“Meine Gehaltsvorstellung liegt bei 62.000 Euro brutto jährlich — über die Details spreche ich gern im persönlichen Gespräch.” (…I’m happy to discuss the details in person.)

The second version signals you’re open to talking without discounting your number. Avoid apologetic framing (“I hope this isn’t too much”) and the word “negotiable” without a figure — both weaken your position.

If the ad doesn’t ask

Then don’t volunteer one. An unprompted salary figure gives away negotiating room before the company knows your value.

How Zusaga helps

Zusaga generates cover letters tailored to the job and your resume — in the German DIN 5008 format when appropriate — and every paragraph stays editable, including the salary sentence:

Each job’s apply plan also tells you what the specific channel expects — including when the ad demands a salary expectation.