A garnishment protection account, or P-Konto, protects your balance against an account garnishment. From 1 July 2026, 1,590 € a month stays free on a P-Konto automatically. If you support dependants, receive child benefit or certain social benefits, the allowance can be much higher. You only get the higher amount with a certificate, though.
How a P-Konto works
Every individual can ask their bank at any time to run their current account as a P-Konto (§ 850k ZPO). This also applies if the account is overdrawn. The P-Konto is then only run on a credit basis. If the balance has already been garnished, the conversion takes effect from the fourth business day after your request. Each person may only have one P-Konto.
If the balance is garnished, you can use the allowance until the end of the month (§ 899 (1) ZPO). Whatever you do not use in a month stays protected on top in the following three months (§ 899 (2) ZPO). Only the balance above the allowance goes to the creditor.
The basic allowance: 1,590 €
The basic allowance equals the monthly exemption limit for earned income under § 850c ZPO, rounded up to the next full 10 €. Since 1 July 2026 this limit has been 1,587.40 €. So 1,590 € is protected on a P-Konto; until 30 June 2026 it was 1,560 €. The bank applies this amount without any further proof.
Increases under § 902 ZPO
On top of the basic allowance, these amounts are protected:
- Dependants: 597.42 € for the first person you support because of a legal obligation and 332.83 € each for the second to fifth.
- Child benefit and other cash benefits for children. Child benefit is 259 € per child and month in 2026. Exception: it is garnished because of a maintenance claim of the child it is paid for.
- Certain social benefits: one-off cash benefits under § 54 (2) SGB I, benefits that compensate extra costs due to physical or health damage, and benefits under SGB II, SGB XII or the Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act insofar as they exceed the basic allowance.
This is the allowance with dependants, without child benefit:
| Dependants | P-Konto from 1 Jul 2026 | until 30 Jun 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1,590.00 € | 1,560.00 € |
| 1 | 2,187.42 € | 2,145.23 € |
| 2 | 2,520.25 € | 2,471.27 € |
| 3 | 2,853.08 € | 2,797.31 € |
| 4 | 3,185.91 € | 3,123.35 € |
| 5 or more | 3,518.74 € | 3,449.39 € |
Example: you live with two children whom you support and for whom you receive child benefit. Protected are 2,520.25 € for you and your dependants plus 2 × 259 € child benefit, 3,038.25 € a month in total.
How to get the higher allowance
The bank does not know your family. For the increases you therefore need a certificate under § 903 ZPO. It can be issued by:
- the family benefits office,
- a social benefits agency, for example the job centre,
- your employer,
- a suitable person or body within the meaning of the Insolvency Code, such as a recognised debt advice centre.
The certificate states the number of dependants, the date of birth of minors and, where relevant, the amount and period of benefits such as child benefit. The bank must take it into account for the certified period. If it is open-ended, the bank can ask for a new one after two years.
If you cannot get a certificate, you can ask the enforcement court to set the increases (§ 905 ZPO). The court's decision then counts as a certificate.
Common pitfalls
- Forgetting the certificate: without proof the bank only protects 1,590 €. Hand in the certificate as early as possible.
- New children, new situation: if the number of dependants changes, you need a new certificate.
- Two P-Kontos: this is not allowed. When converting, you confirm to the bank that you have no other P-Konto.
- Wages above the allowance: if more than the P-Konto allowance is left after wage garnishment, part of it can be garnished a second time in the account. In that case get advice on applying to the enforcement court for a higher allowance.
Wage garnishment and P-Konto together
With wage garnishment your employer withholds the garnishable part. Only the rest reaches your account. The P-Konto then protects it up to the allowance. How much you keep after wage garnishment and how high your P-Konto allowance is, the wage garnishment calculator shows in one go.
Free help with the certificate and with negotiations with creditors is available from recognised debt advice centres run by municipalities, welfare organisations and consumer advice centres.
As of 26 Oct 2026. Sources: §§ 850k, 899, 902, 903, 905 ZPO; 2026 exemption notice (BGBl. 2026 I No. 80); child benefit 2026 according to the Federal Employment Agency. All information without guarantee, not legal advice.