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In Germany, published rates for a reporter start at €3,623 a month on staff.

33 figures from 11 documents by BDZV, BJV, DJV…, quoted as printed · updated 1 Nov 2026

On staff €3,623 a month17 staff figures
Sources 6 documents22 figures from 3 bodies · latest 1 Feb 2026

What reporter work in Germany pays, according to the documents that set rates there, each quoted as printed. How the pay guide works →

What the published rates say

Day

Reporter, inside and outside assignments, level 5, per dayver.di · Collective agreement €1,214.76
Reporter, inside and outside assignments, level 1, per dayver.di · Collective agreement €490.97
Desk reporter, level 1, per dayver.di · Collective agreement €408.48
Average day rate, televisionFreischreiber · Survey €320
Average day rate, all mediaFreischreiber · Survey €200
Average day rate, newspapersFreischreiber · Survey €144

Month

Group 2b, from year 15DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026 €5,529
Group 2b with standard qualification, years 1-4DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026 €3,894
Group 2a without standard qualification, years 1-3DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026 €3,623
Trainee (Volontariat), year 1DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026 €2,464

Printed line (37-letter standard)

Nachrichten und Berichte, Erstdruckrecht, Auflage über 100.000DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026 €1.27
Nachrichten und Berichte, Erstdruckrecht, Auflage bis 10.000 (ab 01.02.2027)DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2027 €0.70
Nachrichten und Berichte, Erstdruckrecht, Auflage bis 10.000DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026 €0.69
Nachrichten und Berichte, Zweitdruckrecht, Auflage bis 10.000DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026 €0.59

Day of 8 hours

Reporter breaking newsver.di · Collective agreement · 1 Apr 2023 €716.33
Reporter standard plus (live or higher output)ver.di · Collective agreement · 1 Apr 2023 €397.96
Reporter standardver.di · Collective agreement · 1 Apr 2023 €350.20

Broadcast minute

27.10 InterviewCollective agreement · 1 Jan 2023 €38.49–€48.73
02.10 Aktuelle Kurzbeiträge (Berichte)Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2023 €27.50–€50.29

Piece or item

Audio report up to about 5 minutesver.di · Collective agreement €297.50
26.40 Selbstgesprochene informative Kurzbeiträge (Quickies)Collective agreement · 1 Jan 2023 €119.45–€139.89

Hour

Average earnings per hour, all mediaFreischreiber · Survey €25

Article

Online text contributionver.di · Collective agreement €265.63

What reporter job ads in Germany offer

Open market

What employers offered in public job ads over the last 12 months, from 130 job ads with pay. These figures come from the open job market, not from journalist.net, and we do not check them.

ReporterOn staff €39,000 a year 130 ads
Journalism jobs in Germany → The middle figure of the ads for each job, with the middle half of them. Shown only where at least 3 employers posted ads with pay and none posted more than half of them.

Each published rate as a day's pay

US$ a day at the ECB rate for the month. A month is 12 payments over 260 working days, or 13 or 14 where the agreement says so; a year is 260 days; a shift counts as a day.

Type of workWhatAs printedUS$ a daySource
On staffGroup 2a without standard qualification, years 1-3€3,623 a month$187.40DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026
On staffGroup 2b with standard qualification, years 1-4€3,894 a month$201.42DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026
On staffGroup 2b, from year 15€5,529 a month$285.99DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026
On staffReporter standard€350.20 an 8-hour day$392.48ver.di · Collective agreement · 1 Apr 2023
On staffReporter standard plus (live or higher output)€397.96 an 8-hour day$446ver.di · Collective agreement · 1 Apr 2023
On staffDesk reporter, level 1, per day€408.48 a day$457.79ver.di · Collective agreement
On staffReporter, inside and outside assignments, level 1, per day€490.97 a day$550.24ver.di · Collective agreement
On staffReporter breaking news€716.33 an 8-hour day$802.81ver.di · Collective agreement · 1 Apr 2023
On staffReporter, inside and outside assignments, level 5, per day€1,214.76 a day$1,361.42ver.di · Collective agreement
FreelanceAverage day rate, newspapers€144 a day$161.38Freischreiber · Survey
FreelanceAverage earnings per hour, all media€25 an hour$224.14Freischreiber · Survey
FreelanceAverage day rate, television€320 a day$358.63Freischreiber · Survey
Trainees and internsTrainee (Volontariat), year 1€2,464 a month$127.45DJV · Collective agreement · 1 Feb 2026

Every figure, as printed

Open a row for the wording in the document and its dates.

Printed69 DocumentDaily-newspaper agreement for employee-like freelance journalists (§ 12a TVG), 2025 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Feb 2026 Cents per Normalzeile (34–40 letters; other lengths pro-rated by letters/37).
Printed127 DocumentDaily-newspaper agreement for employee-like freelance journalists (§ 12a TVG), 2025 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Feb 2026 Cents per Normalzeile.
Printed59 DocumentDaily-newspaper agreement for employee-like freelance journalists (§ 12a TVG), 2025 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Feb 2026 Cents per Normalzeile. Second-print right = simple (non-exclusive) use right (§ 13 Abs. 2).
Printed3.623,00 € DocumentSalary table for staff editors at German daily newspapers, from 1 Feb 2026 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Feb 2026
Printed2b mit Regelqualifikation … 1. bis 4. Berufsjahr 3.894,00 € DocumentSalary table for staff editors at German daily newspapers, from 1 Feb 2026 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Feb 2026
Printed5.529,00 € DocumentSalary table for staff editors at German daily newspapers, from 1 Feb 2026 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Feb 2026
PrintedVolontariat: 1. Ausbildungsjahr 2.464,00 € DocumentSalary table for staff editors at German daily newspapers, from 1 Feb 2026 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Feb 2026
PrintedReporter Standard 350,20 € DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk day rates for editorial services, 1 Apr 2023 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2023
PrintedReporter Standard Plus 397,96 € DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk day rates for editorial services, 1 Apr 2023 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2023
PrintedReporter Breaking News 716,33 € DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk day rates for editorial services, 1 Apr 2023 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Apr 2023
Printed02.10 Aktuelle Kurzbeiträge (Berichte) Minute 27,50 50,29 Mindest- 126,52 honorar DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk radio fee frame from 1 January 2023 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Jan 2023 Listed under A. Urheberrechtliche Leistungen, 02.00 Manuskripte.
Printed26.40 Selbstgesprochene informative Kurzbeiträge (Quickies) 119,45 139,89 DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk radio fee frame from 1 January 2023 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Jan 2023 Between 0:40 and 1:30 minutes, outside news programmes; unit not printed, per item.
Printed27.10 Interview Minute 38,49 48,73 DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk radio fee frame from 1 January 2023 · Collective agreement StatusIn force · 1 Jan 2023
Printeddurchschnittlich auf Einnahmen von 25 Euro pro Stunde DocumentFreischreiber fee report: average freelance journalist earnings, 2024 · Survey StatusIn force
Printedder durchschnittliche Tagessatz liegt bei 200 Euro DocumentFreischreiber fee report: average freelance journalist earnings, 2024 · Survey StatusIn force
Printedfreie Zeitungsjournalisten … (144 Euro/Tag) DocumentFreischreiber fee report: average freelance journalist earnings, 2024 · Survey StatusIn force
PrintedFreie beim Fernsehen (320 Euro/Tag) DocumentFreischreiber fee report: average freelance journalist earnings, 2024 · Survey StatusIn force
PrintedStufe 1 490,97 DocumentWDR fee framework for freelancers, Jan 2026 edition · Collective agreement StatusIn force
PrintedStufe 5 1.214,76 DocumentWDR fee framework for freelancers, Jan 2026 edition · Collective agreement StatusIn force
PrintedTischreporter:innen Stufe 1 408,48 DocumentWDR fee framework for freelancers, Jan 2026 edition · Collective agreement StatusIn force
PrintedBeiträge bis ca. 5 Minuten 297,50 DocumentWDR fee framework for freelancers, Jan 2026 edition · Collective agreement StatusIn force
PrintedBeitrag 265,63 DocumentWDR fee framework for freelancers, Jan 2026 edition · Collective agreement StatusIn force
Printed70 DocumentDaily-newspaper agreement for employee-like freelance journalists (§ 12a TVG), 2025 · Collective agreement StatusAgreed, starts later · 1 Feb 2027 Cents per Normalzeile. Dated step: 65 (to 28.02.2025) → 66 → 67 → 69 → 70.
PrintedBeiträge bis 5 Minuten 274,77 DocumentWDR radio minimum fees for freelancers, 21 Dec 2022 · Collective agreement StatusReplaced or expired · 21 Dec 2022
PrintedMeldungen 65,68 DocumentWDR radio minimum fees for freelancers, 21 Dec 2022 · Collective agreement StatusReplaced or expired · 21 Dec 2022
PrintedTagesaktuelle Berichte (auch Sport) Tageseinsatz/Gesamthonorar 253,07 DocumentWDR television editorial minimum fees for freelancers, 21 Dec 2022 · Collective agreement StatusReplaced or expired · 21 Dec 2022
PrintedKurzreportagen je angefangene Minute 191,12 376,90 DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk freelance fee framework (radio and TV), Apr 2021 · Collective agreement StatusReplaced or expired · 1 Apr 2021
PrintedKurzbeiträge … Minute 37,44 53,52 DocumentBayerischer Rundfunk freelance fee framework (radio and TV), Apr 2021 · Collective agreement StatusReplaced or expired · 1 Apr 2021
PrintedStandardbeitrag SL bis 3' 252 DocumentDeutschlandradio fee framework for freelancers, 1 Apr 2020 to 31 Mar 2021 · Collective agreement StatusReplaced or expired · 1 Apr 2020
PrintedStandardbeitrag SL bis 5' 298 DocumentDeutschlandradio fee framework for freelancers, 1 Apr 2020 to 31 Mar 2021 · Collective agreement StatusReplaced or expired · 1 Apr 2020
PrintedErstdruckrecht 47 - 51 DocumentJoint remuneration rules for freelance text at German daily newspapers, 2010 · Joint pay rule StatusReplaced or expired · 1 Feb 2010
PrintedErstdruckrecht … 94 – 103 DocumentJoint remuneration rules for freelance text at German daily newspapers, 2010 · Joint pay rule StatusReplaced or expired · 1 Feb 2010
PrintedZweitdruckrecht 38 - 42 DocumentJoint remuneration rules for freelance text at German daily newspapers, 2010 · Joint pay rule StatusReplaced or expired · 1 Feb 2010

Questions people ask

In Germany, published rates for a reporter start at €3,623 a month on staff.

BDZV, BJV, DJV, Freischreiber, ver.di, in 11 documents.

€39,000 a year in the middle of the ads from the last 12 months: None · 130 ads.

Printed line (37-letter standard). Rates per unit stay in that unit on our pages, never turned into a day.

A reporter's minimum nearby

Lowest staff minimum in each country's agreements, as US$ a day.

Switzerland$316.36Iceland$201.64Germany$187.40Netherlands$164.05Finland$162.73France$145.93
Journalist in GermanyCommentator in GermanyDesk editor in GermanyPresenter in Germany Reporter around the world All of Germany

About this data. These rates are compiled from publicly available sources and quoted as printed, with their date. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any figure. For information only: Journalist.net does not recommend or set rates. How we count

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