Paediatrician salary: What does a paediatrician earn?

As a paediatrician, you bear great responsibility for the health and well-being of children and adolescents. But what about the salary in paediatrics and adolescent medicine? In this article, you will find out what you can earn as a paediatrician in Germany and which factors influence your income.

Paediatrician salary in Germany - An overview

As a paediatrician in Germany, you can expect an attractive gross salary. According to statistics, the average monthly salary is around €7,314.81, which corresponds to an annual salary of around €87,777.69. However, your actual income depends on various factors such as your place of work, professional experience and the specific job.

Regional differences also play a role in your gross salary as a specialist in paediatrics and adolescent medicine. Salaries are usually higher in urban centres such as Munich, Frankfurt or Berlin than in rural areas. Average salaries can also vary between federal states, as the following table shows:

Factors that influence the salary of paediatricians

The salary of paediatricians is influenced by various factors. The respective collective agreements, the position and experience in the profession as well as the place of work play a decisive role. Depending on the employer and the organisation of the institution, earning potential can vary significantly. Additional benefits and bonuses also contribute to the overall salary.

Collective agreements for doctors

Collective agreements regulate the payment of employed paediatricians according to their position and professional experience. The collective agreements differ depending on whether the facilities are publicly or privately funded. As a rule, the gross salary increases with the number of years of professional experience. It is also possible to negotiate a non-tariff salary.

Average salaries of paediatricians by federal state

Paediatrician salaries also vary depending on the region. While a paediatrician in Baden-Württemberg can earn an average of around €83,200 per year, the average salary in Saxony-Anhalt is €69,100. Overall, the salary for paediatricians in Germany ranges between €181,400 and €216,600, with an average salary of €198,800.

Additional benefits and surcharges

In addition to the basic salary, paediatricians, particularly those in senior positions such as senior consultant or head physician, can benefit from additional benefits. These additional payments can amount to between 20-40% of the basic salary. These include, for example, bonus payments or profit sharing for higher positions. In addition, allowances for night work, public holidays, weekend work and on-call duty must be taken into account, which increase the total salary.

Paediatrician salary in clinics and practices

The starting salary for paediatricians in specialist clinics can be up to €5,000 gross per month, while in smaller medical practices it is around €4,000. As your experience increases, so does your earning potential - even without a managerial position, salaries of up to €13,000 per month are possible. The salary range for paediatricians in Germany is therefore quite wide. You can find suitable vacancies throughout Germany.

Earning opportunities for medical specialists

After successfully passing the specialist examination, the salary of a paediatrician increases significantly. The starting salary for young paediatric specialists is between around 6,700 and 7,200 euros per month. The salary increases further with increasing professional experience. Specialists in paediatrics with over 20 years of professional experience earn an average of over €9,000 gross per month.

Senior physician salary in paediatrics

As a senior consultant in paediatrics and adolescent medicine, you can earn an attractive salary. The starting salary as a senior consultant according to TV-VKA is 8,742 euros and 10,284 euros as a senior consultant. On average, senior physicians earn between 8,700 and 10,000 euros per month. However, deviations are possible depending on the federal state, collective agreement and institution.

The table shows examples of salary differences depending on position and professional experience. As a senior consultant in paediatrics, you can earn an annual salary of over 250,000 euros, while those starting out in a paediatric practice start with around 48,000 euros per year.

Comparison with other medical specialities

As a paediatrician, you earn an average salary compared to other medical specialties. The annual gross salary of a doctor in Germany is around 93,793 euros. However, there are significant differences between the various specialisations.

Radiologists top the income scale with an average net income of 1,103,000 euros per year in their own practice. More on this in our own article: Radiology salary. Ophthalmologists follow with 541,000 euros. Paediatricians achieve a net income of around 271,000 euros per practice, which is in the middle range. At the lower end of the scale are neurologists and psychiatrists with a net income of 232,000 euros.

Salaries in clinics also vary depending on the speciality and position. Chief physicians earn the most with an average of 16,450 euros gross per month. Internists in clinics are also among the top earners with almost 31,000 euros gross per month. Paediatricians in managerial positions can achieve similarly high salaries.

Overall, the specialisation has a significant influence on the income of doctors, both in private practice and in clinics. As a paediatrician, your earning potential is in the middle to upper range compared to other medical specialisations.

Income as a paediatrician in private practice

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the average annual net income for individual practices in paediatrics and adolescent medicine is around 239,000 euros. Although this income is below the average of around 296,000 euros for all doctors in private practice, it still offers financial security and independence.

However, income and expenses vary greatly between the different specialisms. Whilst paediatricians have an average income of 474,000 euros and expenses of 235,000 euros, radiologists, for example, have an average income of 474,000 euros, Nuclear medicine specialist and radiotherapists generate income of over 3 million euros with expenses of 1.8 million euros. The average monthly net income for doctors in private practice is 24,600 euros.

There are also regional differences in the income of doctors in private practice. In federal states such as Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, the average net income is higher than in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In addition, setting up a practice in cities often offers a higher income compared to rural regions, partly due to the higher takeover costs for practices. It therefore makes sense to look for suitable jobs in larger cities.

Overall, setting up as a paediatrician offers good earning opportunities and the chance to set your own priorities in patient care. Whether in your own local practice or as an employed doctor - with careful planning and business expertise, you can build a successful career while providing medical care to children and young people.

Paediatrician net salary: How high is it? A sample calculation

To give you an idea of the net salary of a paediatrician, let's take a look at some examples.

Net salary of a paediatrician as a career starter

With a gross salary of 6,473 euros in tax class 1, 3,953 euros net remain after deduction of taxes and duties. If a paediatrician earns 7,697 euros gross, he/she will receive 4,557 euros net.

Net salary of a paediatrician with professional experience

In the top range, with a gross salary of 9,151 euros, which is the maximum, you can expect a net salary of 5,327 euros. These figures give you an idea of the net income of a paediatrician, depending on the respective gross salary.

Of course, the actual net salary depends on individual factors such as tax class, additional benefits and supplements. Nevertheless, these examples provide a good overview of the earning potential in paediatrics and adolescent medicine after deduction of taxes and social security contributions.