Commuters with an annual gross wage of less than 10,000 euros have the longest commute to work.
They covered an average of 32 kilometers, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Tuesday based on the data from the 2018 tax returns for the commuter allowance.
If the employees earned between 10,000 and 100,000 euros a year, they commuted an average of 26 kilometers.
With a gross wage of between 100,000 and 500,000 euros, the average distance was around 28 kilometers, for those with a salary of more than half a million euros it is 25 kilometers.
In the debate about relief due to rising petrol prices, an increase in the commuter allowance is currently being considered.
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner is open to increasing the commuter allowance.
"Everyone benefits from this, because that applies regardless of car, train and bicycle," said the FDP chairman at the weekend.
In 2018, the commuter allowance was 30 cents per kilometer of one-way commutes.
After a legal reform last May, it is now 38 cents from the 21st kilometer.
Average commute 26 kilometers
In 2018, around 13.7 million employees received the commuter allowance, also known as the commuter allowance.
They covered an average of 26 kilometers on their way to work.
Around 81 percent (11.1 million) stated that they used the car for at least part of the route.
Only cases were recorded in which the income-related expenses were above the employee lump sum of 1000 euros.
Those who stayed below this amount often did not report the kilometers they commuted in their tax returns.
The more rural a person lived, the more frequently they also used the car.
In large cities, 67 percent of commuters said they used their car for at least part of the way.
In small towns the proportion was 87 percent, in rural communities even 90 percent.