The invention provides a device for determining the engine load for an internal combustion engine, such device having an input channel for receiving an item of engine speed information, as well as an intake manifold pressure sensor and an air mass flow rate sensor arranged upstream of a throttle valve, and/or a throttle valve angle sensor. The engine speed is fed to a Kalman filter as an input value and at least one of the three variables intake manifold pressure, throttle-valve air mass flow rate and throttle valve angle is fed as a variable measured by the respective sensor. The Kalman filter derives estimated values for the variables intake manifold pressure and throttle-valve air mass flow rate, with which the air mass flowing into a respective cylinder of the engine per working cycle is determined.