How much Spesen can a truck driver in Germany claim in 2026?
Spesen for truck drivers in Germany in 2026: 28 EUR per 24-hour day, 14 EUR for partial days and a 9 EUR cab-overnight flat rate, with an example.
Logifie Team
Logistics Technology Experts
In 2026 a truck driver in Germany can claim 28 EUR Spesen for each calendar day with 24 hours away from home and 14 EUR for arrival days, departure days and days with more than eight hours away. A driver who sleeps in the cab can add a flat 9 EUR per calendar day.
How much Spesen can a truck driver claim per day?
The amounts come from section 9 of the German Income Tax Act , which fixes the domestic Verpflegungspauschale (meal allowance) at 28 EUR for a full day of 24 hours away and 14 EUR for the arrival day, the departure day, or a day with more than eight hours away and no overnight stay. Spesen is the everyday word for these allowances. Legally they cover extra meal costs, not wages.
Days abroad follow country-specific rates instead. The Federal Ministry of Finance publishes them each year, and its letter of 2025-12-05 sets them from 2026-01-01, so a day in Poland or France is not paid at the domestic 28 EUR.
Can a driver who sleeps in the cab claim extra?
Yes. Under section 9(1) no. 5b of the same act, an employee who sleeps in a vehicle can apply a flat 9 EUR per calendar day for overnight costs without receipts, and the rate can be used uniformly for the whole calendar year ( source ). It sits next to the meal allowance, so both can apply on the same day.
Meals provided by the employer reduce the allowance: 20 percent of the 28 EUR rate for breakfast and 40 percent for lunch or dinner, which is 5.60 EUR and 11.20 EUR.
What does a month of Spesen look like for a driver?
Take a driver who leaves on Monday, returns on Friday and sleeps four nights in the cab. Monday and Friday pay 14 EUR each, and Tuesday to Thursday pay 28 EUR each, so the meal allowance is 112 EUR. Add 4 x 9 EUR for cab nights and the week totals 148 EUR. Four such weeks give 592 EUR, before any meal reductions and with every day counted at domestic rates.
No change for 2027 has been published as of 2026-10-23, so treat these figures as the 2026 rates and check again in December. Drivers comparing offers can see how carriers structure pay on our driver careers page , and more rules are covered in the Logifie blog .
Frequently asked questions
Is Spesen taxable for truck drivers in Germany?
Spesen paid by the employer up to the statutory amounts are tax-free. Anything above those amounts counts as taxable wages. If the employer pays nothing, the driver can usually claim the same amounts as income-related expenses in the annual tax return.
Does the 14 EUR rate apply on arrival and departure days?
Yes. On a trip with an overnight stay, the arrival day and the departure day each carry 14 EUR, regardless of how many hours the driver was away that day. Only the full 24-hour days in between pay 28 EUR.
Will the Spesen rates change in 2027?
No change has been published as of 2026-10-23. The domestic amounts are written into the Income Tax Act, while foreign rates are reset by a Ministry of Finance letter that usually appears around December.
Can the 9 EUR cab flat rate and the 28 EUR meal allowance be claimed together?
Yes. They cover different costs: the 28 EUR rate covers extra meal costs and the 9 EUR flat rate covers overnight costs in the vehicle. A driver who spends a full day away and sleeps in the cab can apply both for that calendar day.
Running trucks in Germany and need steady loads? Register as a carrier with Logifie and talk to dispatch.
