Yes, you can insure your hands in Germany, but not with a hands only policy. Cover comes from two contracts: private accident insurance with an enhanced limb schedule (verbesserte Gliedertaxe) that values the hand at up to 100 instead of the usual 55 percent, and occupational disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung) that also pays after illness. Good accident cover costs from just over EUR 100 a year.
What accident and occupational disability cover for the hands costs in Germany.
Example
Typical range
Accident insurance, adult, good cover in the consumer test
just over EUR 100 a year
Accident insurance, adult, very good tariff in the consumer test
from EUR 188 a year
Extra premium for an enhanced limb schedule for the hands
about 10 to 25 percent
Occupational disability, age 30, office job, EUR 1,000 pension
about EUR 50 to over 100 a month
Occupational disability, roofer starting at 20, EUR 1,000 pension
about EUR 100 to over 200 a month
Occupational disability, doctor age 30, EUR 2,500 pension
about EUR 90 to 160 a month
As of October 2026.
Accident premiums from the consumer test of February 2026,
disability examples from the consumer advice centre.
The extra premium for the schedule,
the doctor example and the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice.
Your premium depends on job, age and health; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Violinist, accident insurance with a EUR 150,000 basic sum
How the enhanced limb schedule works if an accident makes the left thumb completely unusable.
Standard schedule, thumb 20 percent
EUR 30,000
Enhanced schedule, thumb 50 percent
EUR 75,000
Partial loss of function, a quarter of the thumb value
EUR 7,500 or EUR 18,750
Extra premium for the enhanced schedule
about EUR 20 to 50 a year
The enhanced schedule pays EUR 45,000 more for a complete loss. For a partial loss it pays pro rata, regardless of whether you can still play.
Two contracts to protect your hands
A policy that covers only your hands is unusual for private customers in Germany. You build cover for your hands from private accident insurance (private Unfallversicherung) and occupational disability insurance.
Accident insurance pays a lump sum if an accident permanently damages the hand. Occupational disability insurance pays a monthly pension if you can no longer do your job, whether the cause is an accident or an illness.
Cause of the hand injury
Accident insurance
Occupational disability insurance
Cut, fall, crush injury
yes, by the limb schedule
yes, if you can no longer do at least 50 percent of your job
Arthritis, rheumatism, tendon disease
no, not an accident
yes, on the same condition
Nerve damage after surgery
usually no
yes, on the same condition
Small permanent damage to one finger
yes, pro rata by the schedule
usually no, you can still work
What the limb schedule means for your hands
The limb schedule (Gliedertaxe) fixes what percentage of the sum insured the loss or full loss of function of a body part is worth. Common values are 55 percent for the hand at the wrist, 20 for the thumb and 5 for any other finger.
Jobs that depend on the hands can get enhanced schedules. A group contract for musicians, for example, sets arm and hand at 100 percent, the thumb at 50 and other fingers at 30 percent. Some insurers offer similar values for hand, thumb and index finger to medical professions.
The limit many people overlook
Even an enhanced limb schedule does not ask whether you can still play the violin or operate with the injured hand. In 2022 the Munich Higher Regional Court (case 25 U 3648/21) ruled for a professional musician that finger function is assessed medically in general.
The musician therefore received 25 percent rather than the full 100 percent for the finger. If you want to insure the loss of your job itself, you need occupational disability insurance.
Who should insure their hands
Surgeons, dentists, physiotherapists, musicians, precision mechanics and tradespeople often lose their income with a damaged hand. For them an enhanced limb schedule and occupational disability cover with a sufficient pension make sense.
If you work at a desk, the standard limb schedule usually protects your hands well enough. You do not need an expensive special schedule then.
What occupational disability insurance does for your hands
The policy should pay if you are expected to be unable to do at least 50 percent of your last job for six months. Make sure the insurer waives abstract referral (abstrakte Verweisung), so it cannot point you to a different job.
Jobs with a high risk to the hands cost more to insure. The younger you are when you start, the lower the premium stays.
Step by step
Work out what your income depends on: fine motor skills, strength or particular fingers.
Compare the limb schedules for hand, thumb and fingers in accident insurance.
State on the application that you mainly use your hands in your job.
Look at occupational disability insurance with a waiver of abstract referral.
Have quotes compared; Norman Nammert arranges cover as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler), and the insurer pays the commission.
Checklist
Hand valued clearly above 55 percent in the limb schedule
Thumb and index finger increased if you earn your living with them
Rule for several injured fingers on one hand understood
Disability pension covers about 80 percent of your net income
Waiver of abstract referral agreed
Health questions about hands and joints answered truthfully
Common mistakes
Believing an enhanced schedule pays automatically once you cannot work
Taking only accident insurance and forgetting illnesses such as arthritis
Describing your job too vaguely on the application
Leaving out earlier hand problems on the application
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Can you insure just one finger?
Not on its own.
Fingers have their own percentages in the accident insurance limb schedule,
and better tariffs raise them.
Does accident insurance pay for arthritis in the hands?
No, arthritis is an illness, not an accident.
Only occupational disability insurance helps if it stops you working.
How much does accident insurance pay for a lost hand?
With the standard schedule 55 percent of the basic sum, so EUR 82,500 with EUR 150,000.
An enhanced schedule can pay up to 100 percent, before any progression.
Is an enhanced schedule worth it for office jobs?
Usually not.
The extra premium pays off mainly if your income depends on fine motor skills.
Are there special tariffs for surgeons?
Yes, some insurers offer medical professions accident tariffs with higher values for hand,
thumb and index finger and cover for occupational infections.
