Can I still get disability insurance after psychotherapy in Germany?
In short
Yes, you can often still get disability insurance (BU) after psychotherapy in Germany, sometimes with a loading or an exclusion of mental illness. Some insurers only ask about the last 3 or 5 years, older therapy then need not be disclosed. An anonymous risk enquiry with several insurers shows your chances first. Never leave anything out: the insurer can withdraw up to 10 years later.
What disability insurance costs in Germany and how health issues can change the premium.
Example
Typical range
Young adult, office job, no health issues
often from about EUR 50 a month
Depending on age, job and health
EUR 100, 150 or more a month
Loading after completed psychotherapy
often 25 to 50 percent on the premium
Premiums from a published market overview, 2026.
The loading is a guide value from our quoting practice, each insurer decides case by case.
Worked example
28 years old, office job, psychotherapy four years ago
After a break up she had 20 sessions of outpatient psychotherapy, no treatment and no sick leave since.
Insurer asking about 3 years
therapy need not be disclosed, standard terms
Insurer asking about 5 years
must be disclosed, outcome open
Insurer asking about 10 years
must be disclosed, loading or exclusion more likely
Route
anonymous enquiry with all three
The enquiry shows who accepts her without a loading. She applies only there, with truthful answers.
Why psychotherapy matters for disability insurance
Mental illness is the most common reason for a disability pension in Germany, at around 36 percent. That is why insurers ask specifically about outpatient psychotherapy, psychiatric treatment and medication. A completed course of psychotherapy is not an automatic refusal for many insurers, but it is checked closely.
Insurers rarely recognise the preventive value of psychotherapy. Consumer advocates still advise not to go without help and to get expert advice before applying for disability insurance.
Which periods insurers ask about
Each insurer decides how far back its health questions go. Some ask about psychotherapy for three or five years only, others for ten. If your therapy lies outside the period asked, you do not have to disclose it to that insurer.
Under section 19 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG) you must disclose what the insurer asks in text form, and completely. What counts is what is in your patient file and your health insurer's billing records, not how you remember the treatment.
Possible outcomes after psychotherapy
The decision depends on diagnosis, duration, time since the end and your condition today. A short therapy after a personal crisis years ago is judged differently from recurrent depression with long sick leave.
Situation
Possible decision
Short therapy, long finished, no relapse
standard terms or a small loading
Therapy in recent years, stable
loading or exclusion of mental illness
Therapy still ongoing
postponed until it ends
Repeated episodes, long sick leave
refusal, then look at alternatives
The anonymous risk enquiry
In an anonymous risk enquiry (anonyme Risikovoranfrage) a broker or insurance adviser sends your health details without your name to several insurers. You learn who would accept you on which terms, without the insurers learning your name or address.
Norman Nammert works as an insurance broker. The commission is paid by the insurer, so the enquiry is free for you. Bring medical reports and your health insurer's list of billed treatments.
Why leaving things out is expensive
If you hide psychotherapy you were asked about, you risk your disability cover exactly when you need it. The insurer checks the records when you claim. For wrong answers it can withdraw, cancel or adjust the contract, and in case of fraud it pays nothing.
These rights expire five years after the contract starts, ten years for intent or fraud. For claims within these periods they still apply.
Step by step
Request your patient file and your health insurer's billing list.
Note diagnoses, period and end of the psychotherapy.
Have a broker run an anonymous risk enquiry.
Apply only with the insurer that fits.
Answer all health questions completely and truthfully.
Checklist
Billing data from your health insurer obtained
End of therapy and any relapses documented
Periods asked by each insurer known
No applications in your own name before the enquiry
Exclusion offer weighed against loading offer
Common mistakes
Leaving psychotherapy out of the application
Applying in your own name to several insurers and collecting refusals
Skipping needed therapy out of fear for the disability cover
Accepting an exclusion of mental illness without checking alternatives
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Can I get disability insurance after psychotherapy without a loading?
Yes, if the therapy lies outside the period asked or ended long ago without relapse.
Do I have to disclose couples therapy or counselling?
It depends on the wording of the question.
If the insurer asks about psychotherapeutic treatment, billed therapy is included.
Which is better: loading or exclusion?
Usually the loading, because excluding mental illness removes the most common cause of disability.
What if all insurers refuse?
Look at basic ability insurance (Grundfähigkeitsversicherung) or earning incapacity cover,
