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Can I get German disability insurance with back problems?

In short

Can I get German disability insurance with back problems? Usually yes, but often not on standard terms. After a slipped disc insurers often exclude all spinal conditions, others accept you with a surcharge. Complaints for which you last saw a doctor more than five years ago are no longer asked about on many applications. An anonymous risk enquiry shows who will insure you and how.

Can I get German disability insurance with back problems?

What it costs

What German occupational disability insurance costs and what to expect with back problems.

ExampleTypical range
Office clerk, 30, EUR 1,000 benefit to 67, no prior conditionsaround EUR 50 to over 100 a month
Roofer, 20, EUR 1,000 benefit to 65, no prior conditionsaround EUR 100 to over 200 a month
Surcharge for back problemsabout 10 to 30 percent on the premium
Spine exclusionEUR 0 extra, but no cover for your back

Premiums without prior conditions from examples by the German consumer advice centre,

as of November 2026.

The surcharge is a guide value from our quoting practice;

only the enquiry shows whether and how an insurer accepts you.

Worked example

Industrial clerk, 31, slipped disc three years ago

Treated without surgery and with physiotherapy, free of symptoms for two years, orthopaedist's report available. The broker sends an anonymous enquiry to five insurers for a EUR 1,000 benefit.

Two insurersspine exclusion
One insurer20 percent surcharge
One insurerpostponed by one year
One insurerrefusal
Premium with surcharge instead of about EUR 60about EUR 72 a month

He takes the surcharge and is also covered if his back makes him unable to work. If he stays free of symptoms, he can later ask for a reduction.

Why your back weighs so much in German disability insurance

According to statistics as of 2026, musculoskeletal conditions are the reason for almost 18 percent of all claims under occupational disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung, BU), second only to mental illness. If you have had back problems, the insurer sees a higher risk.

How strictly it judges depends on the findings: a one-off tension, recurring back pain, a slipped disc or surgery. Insurers rate the same details differently. The German consumer advice centre describes cases where one insurer accepted normally, another wanted a surcharge and a third refused.

FindingsWhat often follows
One-off tension, long ago and healedoften acceptance without restriction
Recurring back pain with physiotherapysurcharge or spine exclusion
Slipped disc, treated without surgeryoften exclusion of all spinal conditions
Disc surgery in recent yearspostponement or refusal possible
Complaints outside the look-back perioddo not have to be disclosed

Exclusion or surcharge

An exclusion removes all conditions and secondary conditions of the spine from cover. If your back later makes you unable to work, the BU pays nothing, even after years of premiums. A surcharge costs more but keeps full cover, so it is usually the lesser evil.

If the reasons for the surcharge later disappear, you can ask for it to be reduced under Section 41 of the German Insurance Contract Act (VVG). With an exclusion, ask before signing whether and when the insurer will review it.

What you must disclose

Under Section 19 VVG you must state everything the application asks in text form. That is usually five years of outpatient treatment and ten years of hospital stays. Minor complaints such as neck tension and prescribed physiotherapy count too if they fall within the period.

A back problem for which you last saw a doctor more than five years ago no longer falls under such a question. If you leave out something asked, the insurer can still act for up to five years after signing under Section 21 VVG, ten years if intentional or fraudulent.

Anonymous risk enquiry instead of single applications

Do not apply to one insurer after another. A refusal can be recorded in the insurers' information system (HIS). With an anonymous risk enquiry (anonyme Risikovoranfrage), a broker asks several insurers at once, without your name, on what terms they would cover you.

Attach doctors' letters, MRI reports and a short note from your orthopaedist confirming you are free of symptoms. You have a right to see your patient file under Section 630g of the German Civil Code (BGB).

Step by step

  1. Request your patient file and your health insurer's billing data for five to ten years.
  2. List diagnoses, treatments and physiotherapy with dates.
  3. Get a current orthopaedist's report on being free of symptoms.
  4. Have a broker send an anonymous risk enquiry to several insurers.
  5. Compare surcharge and exclusion, then apply with complete answers.

Checklist

  • Look-back period of every question read
  • Physiotherapy and sick notes included
  • Findings and report on being free of symptoms available
  • No single applications before the enquiry
  • Exclusion only after comparing with a surcharge

Common mistakes

  • Leaving out back pain because it seemed harmless
  • Accepting a spine exclusion without comparing
  • Giving up after the first insurer refuses
  • Waiting to apply until new complaints are on file

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I have to disclose physiotherapy?

Yes, if the application asks about treatment in that period.

Prescribed therapies appear in your health insurer's data.

Can I get BU after disc surgery?

Often only after a period without symptoms, and then usually with an exclusion.

An enquiry shows what is possible.

Which is better, surcharge or exclusion?

Usually the surcharge, because then disability caused by your back is covered too.

Can an exclusion be removed later?

That depends on the insurer.

Ask before signing whether it reviews it after some years without symptoms.

Do I have to report new back problems after signing?

No.

Anything that arises after the contract is concluded does not have to be reported.

Sources

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