Lohnkonzepte Gmbh

What Lohnkonzepte Gmbh does

Lohnkonzepte GmbH is a privately held German limited liability company founded in 1994 and headquartered in Wilhelmshaven, that delivers digital payroll optimization services to German employers. The company's core offering is the structuring and administration of tax- and social-security-advantaged salary components — including meal vouchers, prepaid benefit cards, internet allowances, vacation bonuses, and overtime flat-rate payments — that allow employers to increase employee net pay while reducing their own payroll tax and social-insurance burden. Claimed customer outcomes include an average 30% increase in employee net pay and up to 38% employer payroll cost reduction in case studies (e.g., Seitz GmbH).

The product portfolio combines a core "Lohnkonzept" wage-optimization service with a proprietary employer administration portal (Verwaltungsportal), the givve prepaid benefit card and card-management system, and the CleverLunch digital meal-voucher sub-brand and companion mobile app (iOS/Android). The platform is operationally integrated with major German payroll systems via a "One-Click-Import" feature that generates import files formatted for ADDISON (Wolters Kluwer / RZL) and ZGAST, with electronic signature workflows powered by Adobe Acrobat Sign. The company claims to administer over 15,000 employees across its client base, supported by 31 years of specialized regulatory and tax-compliance expertise in the German payroll market.

The business model is a recurring, usage-gated subscription: a per-active-employee monthly fee is charged only for employees with a statement entry in a given billing cycle, with no fee for inactive or departed employees; CleverLunch adds a per-active-user fee for receipt-submitting employees. Go-to-market is consultative B2B direct sales, supported by an online savings calculator (top-of-funnel), SEO, LinkedIn presence, client case studies, and Cal.com-enabled consultation booking. The company operates exclusively in Germany, has no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors, and is led by Managing Director (Geschäftsführerin) Karin Päper.

Name

Lohnkonzepte Gmbh

Legal name

Lohnkonzepte GmbH

Website

https://lohnkonzepte.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lohnkonzepte GmbH is a German payroll optimization provider founded in 1994 that structures tax- and social-security-advantaged salary components — including givve prepaid cards and CleverLunch meal vouchers — to help German employers reduce payroll taxes while increasing employee net pay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payroll & Compensation Optimization Services

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing (BPACAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD)

Keywords

• Payroll optimization services
• Tax-free employee benefits
• Wage optimization
• Meal voucher platform
• Employee compensation planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilhelmshaven

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Per-Active-Employee Usage Fee: A per-employee monthly usage fee is charged only for employees who have a statement entry generated at the billing date (i.e., employees who have participated in the salary optimization scheme in any form). If an employee has not participated (e.g., due to departure, loss of entitlement), no fee is charged. This is a recurring, usage-gated subscription model where revenue scales with active employee count.
2. CleverLunch App Fee: CleverLunch charges employers a per-active-user fee for the digital meal voucher platform. The app itself is free for employees to test without registration. Fees apply only when employees submit receipts for reimbursement. This is bundled with the core Lohnkonzepte payroll optimization service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lohnkonzepte GmbH provides full-service wage (salary) optimization for German employers, structuring part of compensation through tax- and social-security-advantaged salary components (Lohnbausteine) such as prepaid benefit cards (givve), digital meal vouchers (CleverLunch), internet allowances, vacation bonuses, and overtime premiums. The offering covers conception, implementation, and ongoing administration via a proprietary web portal, reducing employer payroll side costs while increasing employee net pay.

Product overview

Lohnkonzepte GmbH is a full-service salary optimization company founded in 1994, offering a platform-based approach to help German companies reduce payroll side costs while improving employee net compensation. The core offering is the Lohnkonzept wage optimization service, which uses tax-advantaged wage components (Lohnbausteine) such as givve prepaid cards, CleverLunch meal vouchers, internet allowances, vacation bonuses, and overtime payments. The portfolio includes a proprietary employer administration portal (Verwaltungsportal) with real-time dashboards, the CleverLunch digital meal voucher sub-brand with its companion mobile app, and One-Click Import functionality for seamless integration with various German payroll accounting systems including ADDISON and ZGAST. The company manages over 15,000 employees across its client base, with an average of 30% more net payout achieved for employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CleverLunch: A digital meal voucher brand operated by Lohnkonzepte GmbH, allowing employees to photograph and upload receipts for reimbursement of meals and food expenses.

Products and services

• Lohnkonzept (Wage Optimization Service) Full-service salary optimization service that helps German companies reduce payroll side costs while improving employee compensation through tax-advantaged wage components. The service covers conception, implementation, and ongoing management of wage optimization strategies for employers of all sizes.
• CleverLunch Digital Meal Voucher Platform Digital meal voucher system allowing employees to photograph receipts and submit them for tax-free reimbursement. Integrates with the Lohnkonzepte platform for seamless payroll integration of meal subsidies, enabling up to 15 tax-free meal subsidies per month per employee.
• Verwaltungsportal (Employer Administration Portal) Cloud-based SaaS administration portal for employers providing real-time KPI visibility into employees, wage components (Lohnbausteine), and documents. Features active employee counts, savings summaries, give Card status tracking, salary component management, and monthly electronic salary statement generation.
• givve Card Prepaid Benefit Card Prepaid card solution for employees to receive tax-advantaged benefits from employers, managed through the Lohnkonzepte platform with real-time balance tracking. Includes card ordering, loading, unloading, setup changes, PIN/credentials support, and loss reporting. Registered brand of Lohnkonzepte GmbH.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 60% more net pay for employees without additional employer cost
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ADDISON (RZL / Wolters Kluwer)coreTechnology or IntegrationLohnkonzepte has a dedicated integration with ADDISON (a major German payroll/accounting software by Wolters Kluwer / RZL). The One-Click-Import feature generates customized import files formatted for the ADDISON input interface, enabling seamless data transfer.
• ZGASTcoreTechnology or IntegrationLohnkonzepte integrates with ZGAST, a German payroll software. The One-Click-Import feature generates ZGAST-compatible import files to streamline payroll data synchronization.
• Huck GmbH & Co. KGminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHuck GmbH & Co. KG appears as a client logo on the Lohnkonzepte website and has publicly shared its positive experience using Lohnkonzepte for tax-free quarterly bonus payments. It functions as a customer that may also refer other companies within its network.
• Continentale BKKminorOthersContinentale BKK (a German statutory health insurance fund) appears as a referenced logo on the Lohnkonzepte website, indicating a working relationship or mutual referral/network association.
• LSWB (Lohn- und Gehaltsabrechnungsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg)minorOthersLSWB appears as a referenced logo on the Lohnkonzepte website. LSWB is a Baden-Württemberg association of payroll/accounting professionals, suggesting a referral or network partnership.
• ERGO GroupminorOthersERGO Group (a major German insurance company) appears as a referenced logo on the Lohnkonzepte website, indicating a business relationship or mutual referral/network association.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• DATEV eG: DATEV is a German cooperative providing tax, payroll, and accounting software to German tax advisors and SMEs. It is an ecosystem enabler and potential competitor: if DATEV built native salary optimization features, it could disintermediate Lohnkonzepte through its dominant German payroll software footprint.

Regional players

• Zalaris ASA: Zalaris is a Nordic-headquartered payroll and HR services provider with operations across Northern Europe. While focused on Nordic markets, it provides comparable payroll outsourcing and benefits administration services that overlap with Lohnkonzepte's offering in adjacent European geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Up (Up Deutschland, formerly Sodexo BRS): Up is the consumer-facing brand spun off from Sodexo Benefits & Rewards, operating a meal voucher and employee benefits network in Germany. It competes in the same meal voucher and prepaid benefits category as Lohnkonzepte but with a broader retail acceptance network and legacy Sodexo scale.
• Pluxee (Germany operations): Pluxee (formerly Sodexo Benefits & Rewards Services) is a large international employee benefits and meal voucher provider with German operations. It competes with Lohnkonzepte in the employee meal voucher and benefits category, with broader geographic reach but less specialized tax-optimization depth.
• SD Worx: SD Worx is a large European HR and payroll outsourcing provider with German operations. It competes with Lohnkonzepte in payroll-adjacent services but at a much broader scale and across multiple countries, offering bundled HR/payroll rather than specialized salary optimization.

Direct peers

• Probonio GmbH: Probonio is a German SaaS company offering digital salary optimization (Lohnoptimierung) for employers, structuring tax-free salary components such as meal vouchers, internet allowances, and benefit cards. It competes directly with Lohnkonzepte in the same German Entgeltoptimierung category with similar per-employee SaaS economics.
• Belonio GmbH: Belonio is a German digital meal voucher and benefits platform allowing employees to submit receipts for tax-free reimbursement. It competes directly with Lohnkonzepte's CleverLunch product and broader meal/benefits voucher category.
• Spendit AG: Spendit is a German prepaid card and employee benefits platform, offering the SpenditCard for tax-free wage extras (meal allowances, benefits-in-kind). It overlaps with Lohnkonzepte's givve card and broader tax-advantaged benefits administration offerings for German employers.

Emerging players

• HRworks: HRworks is a German HR and payroll SaaS provider targeting SMBs. It competes with Lohnkonzepte in payroll-adjacent services for German employers, though it lacks the specialized tax-optimization angle and 31-year regulatory depth.
• Personio: Personio is a German HR SaaS platform for SMBs covering payroll, recruiting, and people management. It is an emerging competitor in the German HR/payroll space; while not specialized in tax-optimized salary components, it has the scale and product roadmap to expand into this category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lohnkonzepte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lohnkonzepte Gmbh