Court litigation in Germany runs under the Zivilprozessordnung (ZPO) for the civil-procedure side, with lawyer fees mechanised through the Rechtsanwaltsvergütungsgesetz (RVG) and its two annexes — Anlage 1 (the Vergütungsverzeichnis, VV RVG) carries the factor catalogue, while Anlage 2 carries the GegenstandswertThe value of the matter under German law (RVG), used to look up the statutory fee. Closely related to Streitwert but also applies outside contentious proceedings.Glossary → → 1,0-Gebühr value table. Court fees live in a separate statute, the Gerichtskostengesetz (GKG), and use their own lower value table (base 40 €, against the RVG base 51,50 €). The single biggest divergence from every other Tarifo jurisdiction sits in this group: for court representation the RVG fee is a binding statutory minimum under § 49b Abs. 1 BRAO — a lawyer may agree higher in writing (§ 3a RVG) but may not charge less. All amounts here are net of 19% USt (Nr. 7008 VV RVG); the GKG court fee is not subject to USt.
Civil claim, first instance
The default first-instance civil action — a money claim, declaratory action, performance claim, or any other contested civil matter heard in the Amtsgericht (up to 5.000 €) or the Landgericht (above 5.000 €). This is the headline case of the German litigation tariff: a Verfahrensgebühr (Nr. 3100, factor 1,3) for taking on the case, plus a Terminsgebühr (Nr. 3104, factor 1,2) when an oral hearing is held.
You file it whenever the dispute cannot be resolved out of court and a binding judgment is needed — the typical contested civil case, with an oral hearing on the merits.
Lawyer fee — Nr. 3100, 3104 VV RVG. The Anlage 2 1,0-Gebühr at the StreitwertThe value in dispute under Austrian and German law — the figure the fee scale is read against. Equivalent to material interest.Glossary →, multiplied by the factors 1,3 (Verfahrensgebühr) + 1,2 (Terminsgebühr); plus the Auslagenpauschale (Nr. 7002, 20% of the fees, capped at 20 €) and 19% USt (Nr. 7008). On early termination without an oral hearing the Terminsgebühr drops away and only the 1,3 Verfahrensgebühr remains. State court fee — Nr. 1210, 1211 KV GKG. The GKG Anlage 2 court 1,0-Gebühr at the Streitwert, multiplied by 3,0 (Nr. 1210); reduced to 1,0 (Nr. 1211) on termination by withdrawal, acknowledgement or court settlement before judgment. Payable up front under § 12 Abs. 1 GKG before the Klageschrift is served.
Compute this case in the calculatorCivil claim, no oral hearing
The variant where the case ends before an oral hearing is held — the claim is withdrawn after filing, the defendant acknowledges (Anerkenntnis), or the parties settle in writing under § 278 Abs. 6 ZPO. The Verfahrensgebühr (Nr. 3100, 1,3) is already earned by filing, but no Terminsgebühr arises because no Termin took place. On the state side the same outcome triggers the Nr. 1211 reduction.
You see it most often when a defendant pays or capitulates after receiving the Klageschrift, or where the parties hammer out a written settlement after the action is filed but before the first hearing date.
Lawyer fee — Nr. 3100 VV RVG. The Anlage 2 1,0-Gebühr at the Streitwert times the 1,3 Verfahrensgebühr only — the Nr. 3104 Terminsgebühr falls away because no oral hearing was held. Plus Auslagenpauschale (Nr. 7002) and 19% USt (Nr. 7008). State court fee — Nr. 1211 KV GKG. The GKG Anlage 2 1,0-Gebühr at the Streitwert times 1,0 — Nr. 1210’s 3,0 reduces to 1,0 when the case ends without judgment. This case-id is the back-compatible shortcut for civil_claim_first_instance with the outcome flag set to early termination; both produce byte-identical lawyer and state fees.
Civil claim, appeal (Berufung)
The Berufung is the ordinary appeal in civil matters under §§ 511 ff. ZPO — heard by the Landgericht (against an Amtsgericht judgment up to 5.000 €) or the Oberlandesgericht (against a Landgericht judgment above 5.000 €). The appeal court reviews questions of law in full and findings of fact within the statutory limits, which is reflected in the higher VV RVG factors compared to the first instance: Nr. 3200 carries a 1,6 Verfahrensgebühr (vs. 1,3 at first instance), with the same 1,2 Terminsgebühr under Nr. 3202.
You file it when the first-instance judgment is unfavourable and the Berufungssumme (601 €) or the Zulassung threshold is met — within one month of formal service, with the Berufungsbegründung due two months after service.
Lawyer fee — Nr. 3200, 3202 VV RVG. The Anlage 2 1,0-Gebühr at the Streitwert times the factors 1,6 (Verfahrensgebühr) + 1,2 (Terminsgebühr); plus Auslagenpauschale and 19% USt. On early termination before the Begründungsschrift the Terminsgebühr drops. State court fee — Nr. 1220, 1221 KV GKG. The GKG Anlage 2 1,0-Gebühr at the Streitwert times 4,0 (Nr. 1220) — higher than the 3,0 first-instance multiplier; reduced to 1,0 (Nr. 1221) if the appeal is withdrawn before the Begründungsschrift is filed.
Compute this case in the calculatorDemand letter, then litigation (with credit)
The combined flow: counsel first sends a Mahnschreiben or Anwaltsschreiben under Nr. 2300 VV RVG (the out-of-court Geschäftsgebühr) on the same matter, and only then — when the demand fails — files the Klage under Nr. 3100. Vorbem. 3 Abs. 4 VV RVG requires the lawyer to credit half of the Geschäftsgebühr (capped at a 0,75 Gebührensatz) against the litigation Verfahrensgebühr. The combined bill is therefore strictly less than the naïve sum of two standalone case types.
You see this whenever a lawyer is instructed pre-suit — the practical norm in commercial collections, contract disputes and consumer-law work — and the matter then escalates because the debtor or counterparty does not move. The crediting rule is a lawyer-fee mechanism only; on the state side the ordinary first-instance court fee applies, unaffected by the Anrechnung.
Lawyer fee — Vorbem. 3 Abs. 4, Nr. 2300, 3100 VV RVG. Geschäftsgebühr (Nr. 2300) at the chosen factor within the 0,5–2,5 range (default 1,3 Schwellengebühr) plus Verfahrensgebühr (Nr. 3100, 1,3) minus the Anrechnung min(0,5 × gg-factor, 0,75) applied to the Nr. 3100 part plus Terminsgebühr (Nr. 3104, 1,2) when a hearing was held; plus Auslagenpauschale and 19% USt. With the default 1,3 Geschäftsgebühr the credit is 0,65, so the Verfahrensgebühr bills at 0,65 × the 1,0-Gebühr rather than 1,3. State court fee — Nr. 1210, 1211 KV GKG. The ordinary first-instance civil court fee (3,0 × GKG Anlage 2; reduced to 1,0 on early termination) — Anrechnung is an RVG rule and has no effect on the GKG side.
Germany is the exception among Tarifo jurisdictions. For the four court representation cases on this page the RVG fee is a binding statutory minimum — your lawyer may agree a higher fee in writing (§ 3a RVG) but, by law, may not charge less (§ 49b Abs. 1 BRAO). The standard “reference valuesA tariff figure that is advisory, not mandatory — a guide to what a fee customarily is, which the lawyer and client remain free to depart from. Every number Tarifo shows is a reference value.Glossary →, not floors” framing used elsewhere on Tarifo does not apply here. Out-of-court work — including the Nr. 2300 Geschäftsgebühr that opens the combined Anrechnung flow above — is freely negotiable under § 4 RVG within the Nr. 2300 range of 0,5–2,5 (Schwellengebühr 1,3). All RVG amounts shown are net of 19% USt (Nr. 7008 VV RVG); the GKG court fee is not subject to USt. See the methodology page for the full encoding rules.