Many employees in Germany are dissatisfied with their professional situation and are looking for new opportunities. In addition to classic job portals, business networks like XING and LinkedIn are increasingly gaining importance for career planning.
XING, with over 21.5 million users, is focused on the German-speaking region, while LinkedIn is used internationally and counts around 18 million members in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. These platforms not only offer companies and recruiters valuable insights but are also an important career tool for employees and the self-employed. However, many of the useful functions are only available with a paid membership. What is often overlooked: These costs can be claimed for tax purposes.
Are membership fees income-related expenses?
Tax-wise, expenses are considered Werbungskosten (income-related expenses) if they serve to acquire or secure income. This includes the fees for paid memberships on XING or LinkedIn if they are used for professional development, job searching, or acquisition.
Since some local tax offices (Finanzamt) may be hesitant to recognise these costs, it can be helpful to provide evidence of the professional benefit, such as applications or the use of specific career functions.
Important: Keep the standard deduction of 1,230 euros in mind
For employees, a Werbungskostenpauschale (standard deduction for income-related expenses) of 1,230 euros per year (as of 2024) applies automatically. This means that income-related expenses – including fees for XING and LinkedIn – only become tax-effective if they exceed this amount. Those who already have other income-related expenses, for example for commuting to work, specialist literature, or further training, can reach this threshold faster through the additional costs for business networks and thus achieve higher tax savings.
Advanced career features – is the investment worth it?
Basic memberships on XING and LinkedIn are free but offer only limited functions. Those specifically looking for a job can benefit from advanced modules:
- XING ProJobs increases visibility with recruiters, allows for detailed profile information, and offers professional profile optimisation. The costs are around 300 euros per year.
- LinkedIn Career offers application analyses, the possibility of direct contact with recruiters, and expanded insights into the labour market. The costs are approximately 472 euros per year and can be cancelled monthly.
Since these modules directly serve the job search, they are generally recognised as deductible application costs.
Professional development via business platforms
In addition to job searches, XING and LinkedIn also offer paid further education opportunities:
- LinkedIn Learning provides courses tailored to the profession with certificates of completion.
- XING Premium includes industry-specific training on topics such as leadership and management for 9.95 euros per month.
Since professional training is tax-incentivised, these costs can also be claimed as income-related expenses.
So, can these costs be deducted?
Business networks have long been more than just contact platforms. They offer valuable opportunities for job searching, further education, and professional networking. Anyone who uses them actively for their career should include the resulting costs in their tax return. However, the standard deduction of 1,230 euros applies – only those whose total income-related expenses exceed this limit will benefit from the membership fees for tax purposes.
**Note
**This article is for general information purposes and was carefully created by the editorial team at Lexo.Tax. Personal tax advice can only be provided within the framework of a membership at Lexo.Tax – and exclusively to the extent legally permitted according to § 4 Nr. 11 StBerG (Tax Consultancy Act).