Instalment Plan Calculator
Ratenkauf Germany

Sollzins is the nominal interest rate: purely the cost of borrowing the capital, without any extra fees. Effektivzins (also called "Effektiver Jahreszins") is the effective annual percentage rate. It is legally required to include the nominal rate plus all processing fees, administrative costs, and broker commissions. It is the true total cost of the loan. German law requires that the Effektivzins is displayed more prominently than the Sollzins. Always use the Effektivzins when comparing loan offers. The calculator above uses Effektivzins for all calculations.

Yes. Even though you pay no interest, the bank registers the new debt obligation with Schufa. This increases your total liability profile. Multiple small 0% plans (a phone here, a TV there) can signal high credit dependency to the Schufa algorithm, which temporarily lowers your base score. The important thing is to never miss a payment and to set up automatic SEPA direct debit from day one. A single 0% plan that is repaid reliably typically has a neutral or positive long-term effect once it's closed.

Yes, but with an important limitation: the repayment term of the loan generally cannot be longer than the remaining validity of your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel). If your Blue Card expires in 18 months, a bank will typically not approve a 36-month loan. This is a rigid risk-management rule: the bank has no practical legal recourse if you leave Germany before the loan is repaid. For retail 0% plans (IKEA, MediaMarkt), this rule may be applied less strictly, but for formal bank loans it is standard practice. The solution: either shorten the term to fit within your visa, or wait until you have a permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) for larger loans.

Several reasons specific to Germany that many immigrants don't expect:

• Probezeit (probationary period): If you started your job less than 6 months ago, many banks consider your employment too unstable.
• Visa expiry shorter than the loan term: Explained above. German banks won't lend beyond your permit validity.
• Pfändungsfreigrenze (garnishment floor): In 2026, the un-garnishable net income floor is €1,587.40/month. If your net income minus the bank's standard living-cost estimates (Haushaltsrechnung) leaves no buffer above this floor, the bank cannot legally recover money from you via wage garnishment, so they reject you. This affects many entry-level and minimum-wage workers even with clean Schufa.
• Insufficient Schufa history: Having no bad marks is not the same as having a strong profile. A new arrival with zero local credit history is assessed as higher risk than someone with 5 years of clean German banking history.

The Zweidrittelzins ("two-thirds rate") is a German legal disclosure rule governed by the Preisangabenverordnung (PAngV). It requires that any interest rate advertised by a bank must represent the rate that at least two-thirds (66.6%) of all accepted applicants actually receive. This stops banks from advertising an unattainably low teaser rate to attract customers who will then receive a much higher rate based on their individual risk profile. For example, ING advertises rates starting at 3.69%, but their legally required representative example shows a Zweidrittelzins of 7.32%. This means 66.6% of their customers receive 7.32% or better, not 3.69%. If you are a newcomer with limited German credit history, always base your calculations on the Zweidrittelzins (typically 6–8.5%), not the advertised minimum.

This is one of the most common and painful mistakes immigrants make. When you submit a formal loan application directly to a bank, it triggers a "Kreditanfrage": a hard pull that is recorded on your Schufa file. If you do this at 3–4 banks in the same week, the Schufa algorithm interprets this as a sign that you are desperately seeking credit, which is a major red flag. It can drop your score substantially and make future approvals harder. The fix: always use aggregator portals like Check24 or Verivox to compare rates first. These portals use a "Konditionenanfrage": a Schufa-neutral condition check that does not appear on your file. Only submit a formal application once you have chosen your lender.

There is no single universal minimum, but the critical floor is the Pfändungsfreigrenze: the garnishment exemption limit. In 2026, this is €1,587.40 net per month for a single person with no dependants. Banks need to see that your net income, minus their standardised estimate of your living costs, leaves a buffer above this threshold. If your income is close to the minimum wage (€13.90/hr in 2026, roughly €2,410 gross / ~€1,700–1,900 net for full-time), you may face rejections for larger loan amounts simply because the bank cannot legally recover money from you via wage garnishment if you default. For small retail 0% plans (IKEA furniture, a phone), the bar is generally lower than for formal bank loans.

Yes. Under German law (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, BGB), every consumer credit agreement includes a mandatory 14-day cooling-off period (Widerrufsrecht). You can cancel without giving any reason, within 14 days of signing. This must be done in writing. An email to the bank or retailer citing "Widerruf des Kreditvertrages" (cancellation of the credit agreement) with the contract number is sufficient. This is a strong consumer protection right that many immigrants don't know they have. If you felt pressured into a plan at a shop, or didn't fully understand what you signed, use it.