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Insurance for professional legal guardians and guardians of minors in Germany

As a professional legal guardian (Berufsbetreuer) in Germany you run bank accounts, file applications and sign contracts for people who can no longer do so themselves. A missed deadline or a forgotten pension claim costs them money, and you are liable for it. Since 2023 you cannot register without financial loss liability insurance. This page explains what is compulsory, what makes sense and what it costs. Much of it applies equally to professional guardians of minors (Berufsvormund).

Insurance for professional legal guardians

The question almost everyone asks first

Is the €250,000 minimum enough?

For registration, yes. In practice often not. If you look after people with property, inheritances or larger savings, €250,000 per claim can run out quickly, and all claims in one year share the €1 million annual limit. Higher limits usually cost only a modest extra premium. Make sure the policy names your work as a professional legal guardian and, where relevant, as a guardian of minors.

What goes wrong in this trade

  1. 01

    Missed deadline

    An objection to a health insurer's decision goes out too late. The benefit is lost and the client claims the amount from you.

  2. 02

    Forgotten application

    Housing benefit, basic income support or a care grade is applied for months too late. Lost benefits are a classic financial loss.

  3. 03

    Payments that keep running

    After a move into a care home the old rent keeps going out by standing order for months.

  4. 04

    Clearing a flat

    When a home is cleared, keepsakes or valuable items end up in the skip. Relatives demand compensation.

  5. 05

    Data in the wrong hands

    Malware in your office opens online banking and email. Several clients are affected at once.

  6. 06

    Disputes with relatives

    Children or heirs accuse you of mistakes and bring in a lawyer and the guardianship court.

Risk radar
Liability 5Fire and water 2Theft 2Cyber 4Downtime 3Health 2

Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.

The insurance you need

Essential

Professional indemnity

Financial loss liability is a condition of registration and pays when a client loses money through your mistake. It also defends you against unfounded claims.

Strongly advised

Business liability

For injury and property damage, for example if a client falls in your office or you damage something on a home visit.

Cyber insurance

For data breaches, ransomware and the cost of notifying clients and authorities.

Business legal expenses

For disputes about your fees, with your office landlord or other conflicts that liability insurance does not cover.

Occupational disability

Self employed guardians live on their ability to work. If you fall ill, the fees for every case stop.

Depends on the business

Business contents

Replaces files, computers and furniture after fire, water or burglary.

What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on the number of cases, the limit of cover, office staff and whether you are a self employed guardian or a guardianship association.

InsuranceExampleTypical range
Professional indemnitySelf employed guardian, statutory minimum of €250,000 and €1 million a yearabout €150 to €350 a year
Professional indemnityOffice with two guardians, €500,000 per claimabout €400 to €900 a year
Cyber insuranceSmall guardianship office, €250,000 limitabout €300 to €700 a year
Business legal expensesGuardian with an office, contract and employment legal expensesabout €300 to €600 a year
Business contentsOffice furniture and equipment worth €20,000about €80 to €200 a year

For comparison: The statutory cover for a self employed guardian costs about as much a year as a few hours of your work on a single case.

All premiums are guide figures from our quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax,

October 2026.

The minimum limits are set out in the Betreuungsorganisationsgesetz.

Your premium depends on the number and type of cases.

Sources of the price examples

Our suggestions: three packages

01

Sole guardian

For: self employed guardians working from home

  • Professional indemnity
  • Business liability
  • Occupational disability

Together about €250 to €500 a year, excluding income protection

Request this package

02

Guardianship office

For: two to five guardians sharing an office and an administrator

  • Professional indemnity
  • Business liability
  • Cyber insurance
  • Business legal expenses
  • Business contents

Together about €1,200 to €2,800 a year

Request this package

03

Association

For: recognised guardianship associations with employed guardians

  • Professional indemnity
  • Business liability
  • Cyber insurance
  • Business legal expenses
  • Business contents

Together individual, usually from about €2,500 a year

Request this package

The worst day in a guardianship office

Six things that really can happen to professional guardians, all on one Monday. Tap through and see who pays.

Damage so far€37,800
  1. A decision turns up in the post; the deadline for an objection passed last week. The client loses a benefit.

    €4,800 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  2. A client trips over a cable in your office and breaks a wrist.

    €6,500 · Paid by: Business liability

  3. The bank reports that the old rent has been paid for six months after the move into a care home.

    €3,900 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  4. A fake email installs ransomware, and the files of forty clients are encrypted.

    €12,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance

  5. A son claims you sold the family home below value and sues.

    €9,000 · Paid by: Professional indemnity

  6. Your office landlord demands a disputed service charge payment and you need a lawyer.

    €1,600 · Paid by: Business legal expenses

Which package would you have had?

Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €37,800

Illustrative amounts before any excess.

What is paid depends on the policy terms.

Practical tips from your broker

  1. Have the policy name your work as a professional legal guardian and, if relevant, as a guardian of minors.
  2. Choose a higher limit than the minimum if you look after people with property or larger assets.
  3. Keep a deadline calendar with a stand in for holidays; missed deadlines are the most common cause of claims.
  4. Ask about run off cover: losses often come to light long after a case has ended.
  5. Protect banking access with two factor login and a separate password for each client.
  6. Report every claim to the insurer straight away, even if you think it is unfounded.

Why NAMMERT for your business

A comparison, not a group scheme

As a broker we collect quotes from several insurers and compare limits, annual aggregate and run off cover, not just the premium.

Proof for the registration authority

We make sure the insurance certificate shows the statutory minimum limits, so your registration does not stall over paperwork.

Explained in English

German policy wording can be hard going. We explain the clauses that matter in plain English.

Family run since 1989

Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

What does it cost?

For a self employed guardian with the statutory minimum,

premiums in our quoting work are about €150 to €350 a year.

Higher limits and more guardians cost more.

Am I personally liable to the person I look after?

Yes.

Under the German Civil Code the guardian is responsible for damage caused by a breach of duty

unless the guardian is not at fault.

That is why financial loss cover matters so much.

Does the policy also cover guardianship of minors?

Only if that work is named in the policy.

A guardian of a minor is liable in much the same way, so it should be included.

Is bodily injury covered by financial loss liability?

No.

If someone falls in your office or you damage something on a visit, public liability pays.

Many insurers offer both in one policy.

What about claims after a case has ended?

Claims often arrive years later, for example from heirs.

Check that run off cover is long enough, including after you retire.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Legal guardian

The recommended covers are ticked.

Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Occupational disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung)

For example data analyst in an office, or civil engineer with site visits

We discuss details personally for an anonymous enquiry

For example how long you plan to stay in Germany, self-employment, existing policies

Business liability insurance in Germany (Betriebshaftpflicht)

For example electrical installation in homes, café with outdoor seating, online shop for furniture

For example work at clients' sites, own products, exports to the US, parent company abroad

Professional indemnity insurance in Germany (Berufshaftpflicht)

For example tax adviser with payroll, freelance software developer,

architect for residential buildings

For example current policy abroad, clients in the US, side activities,

expiry date of existing cover

Business legal expenses insurance in Germany (Firmenrechtsschutz)

For example plumbing business, tax practice, online shop for electronics

Existing disputes cannot be insured, but knowing about them helps us advise you

Cyber insurance for businesses in Germany

Rule of thumb: cost of three to four weeks of downtime plus recovery

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT.

Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act.

Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company.

It does not arrange your contract.

Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated