Can I get income protection insurance with ADHD in Germany?
In short
Can I get income protection insurance with ADHD in Germany? Usually yes, but rarely without conditions. The diagnosis almost always triggers a closer check; with well managed ADHD and no other conditions, acceptance with an exclusion is realistic. For EUR 1,500 a month, an office worker aged 30 pays about EUR 70 a month, more with a surcharge.
What income protection costs in Germany and what to expect with ADHD.
Example
Typical range
Age 30, office job, EUR 1,500 a month, healthy
about EUR 70 a month
Range across all occupations
about EUR 20 to over 200 a month
Same policy with an ADHD exclusion
usually no extra cost, about EUR 70
Same policy with a surcharge
about 25 to 50 percent more, EUR 90 to 105
Premiums without pre-existing conditions from published examples, October 2026.
Values with exclusion or surcharge are a guide value from quoting practice;
only the enquiry shows your result.
Worked example
Analyst, 28, ADHD since school
Diagnosed at 10, medication until 18, no treatment since, no sick leave. The broker asks five insurers anonymously.
Two insurers
exclusion of all mental illness
One insurer
exclusion for ADHD only
One insurer
standard acceptance, treatment before the look-back
One insurer
deferral for one year
Premium for EUR 1,500 a month
about EUR 65
He takes the standard acceptance and has full cover.
Why ADHD matters for German disability insurance
In Germany this cover is called Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung (BU). It pays a monthly pension if you can no longer do your job for health reasons. Mental illness is the most common cause of claims, more than 32 percent according to industry figures, so insurers look closely at ADHD.
A diagnosis does not rule you out. Insurers want to know when ADHD was diagnosed, whether you take medication, whether you had therapy and whether school, training or work were affected.
Typical results with ADHD
With well managed ADHD and no other diagnoses such as depression, acceptance with an exclusion clause is realistic. With a stronger course, insurers tend to defer the application, for example until you start work.
Read the wording of any exclusion. It can cover ADHD only, or all mental illness. A broad exclusion removes cover for the most common cause of claims.
Result
What it means
Standard acceptance
full cover, less common with ADHD
Exclusion for ADHD only
cover stays for depression, burnout, back, cancer
Exclusion of all mental illness
large gap, compare first
Deferral
ask again after a set time
What you must disclose
Under section 19 of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG) you must disclose everything the insurer asks in writing, and only that. If ADHD treatment lies outside the period asked about, it does not go on that application.
What counts is your medical record. Your statutory health insurer (Krankenkasse) must tell you which diagnoses it has stored (section 305 SGB V). If a childhood ADHD diagnosis falls within the period, it must be declared.
Anonymous enquiry instead of single applications
Do not apply to one insurer after another. A decline can be noted in the insurers' information system (HIS). With an anonymous risk enquiry (Risikovoranfrage), your records go to several insurers without your name.
Norman Nammert works as an insurance broker. The insurer pays the commission, so the enquiry is free for you. A recent doctor's letter on course, medication and current fitness for work helps.
Step by step
Request your stored diagnoses from your Krankenkasse.
Get a doctor's letter on course, medication and fitness for work.
Make an anonymous enquiry with several insurers.
Compare the wording of each exclusion.
Then apply with complete answers.
Checklist
Diagnosis date and medication periods known
Health insurer statement for the look-back period
Other diagnoses such as depression checked
No single applications before the enquiry
Exclusion wording compared
Common mistakes
Leaving out ADHD because it was long ago, although the period covers it
Accepting an exclusion of all mental illness without comparing
Applying to several insurers one by one
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I have to declare childhood ADHD?
Only if the application asks about a period in which diagnosis or treatment falls.
Does medication matter?
Yes.
Stable treatment without sick leave is rated better than a changing course.
Is an ADHD exclusion bad?
A narrow ADHD exclusion leaves the rest of the cover intact.
Excluding all mental illness is a big gap.
Can the exclusion be removed later?
Some insurers offer a review after several symptom-free years.
Ask before you accept.
Can I get cover as a student with ADHD?
Often yes; some insurers defer until you start work.
