Does accident insurance pay for a broken bone in Germany?
In short
Only if something remains. In Germany, private accident insurance (private Unfallversicherung) pays the disability benefit for a broken bone only if the impairment is expected to last more than three years. If the bone heals without after-effects, this part pays nothing. If, say, a tenth of the hand's function is lost, the model limb schedule gives 5.5 percent, so EUR 5,500 on a EUR 100,000 sum.
Disability benefit under the model limb schedule, calculated without progression on a EUR 100,000 sum insured.
Example
Typical range
Forearm fracture, healed without after-effects
EUR 0 disability benefit
Wrist fracture, hand keeps a tenth less function (55 percent times 1/10)
5.5 percent, EUR 5,500
Ankle fracture, foot keeps two tenths less function (40 percent times 2/10)
8 percent, EUR 8,000
Lower leg fracture, leg below the knee three tenths impaired (50 percent times 3/10)
15 percent, EUR 15,000
Values from the non-binding model terms AUB 2020.
Your tariff may have higher rates and a progression.
The figures are worked examples, as of October 2026.
Worked example
Bike fall, broken wrist
Sum insured EUR 100,000. After a year, the hand's mobility remains reduced by a tenth.
Limb schedule, hand
55 percent
One tenth of that
5.5 percent
Disability benefit
EUR 5,500
Deadlines met
medical certificate and claim within 15 months
EUR 5,500 as a one-off payment. Had the fracture healed fully, only extra benefits from the contract would have been paid.
Why a fracture alone does not bring money
Private accident insurance is designed for lasting consequences. The German insurers' model terms (AUB 2020) give the example themselves: a broken bone that heals without after-effects within a year is not a lasting impairment.
An impairment counts as lasting if it is expected to last more than three years and no improvement is expected. Typical cases after a fracture are a stiff shoulder, a wrist that no longer moves fully, or a knee with arthritis after a joint fracture.
The deadlines where claims fail
Under the model terms, the disability must have arisen within 15 months of the accident and been certified in writing by a doctor. You must also claim it from the insurer within 15 months. Missing the deadline means losing the claim, excused only in exceptional cases.
With fractures it is often unclear in the first year what will remain. So report as a precaution that you expect a disability. It costs nothing and keeps the claim open. Your tariff may have longer deadlines than the model, your contract decides.
Deadline after the accident
What must happen
without delay
report the accident, see a doctor
15 months
disability has arisen and is certified in writing
15 months
disability claimed from the insurer
up to 3 years
either side may ask for a reassessment of the degree
How the benefit is calculated after a broken bone
For arms, legs, hands and feet the limb schedule (Gliedertaxe) applies. In the model, full loss of a hand counts 55 percent, a foot 40 percent, a leg below the knee 50 percent. If only part of the function is lost, the corresponding share applies.
The percentage is multiplied by your sum insured (Grundsumme). If you agreed a progression, the benefit rises further at higher degrees. Your tariff states from which degree it applies.
Fracture add-ons and immediate payments
Whether you get money for the fracture itself depends on your terms. Look for benefits such as a fixed amount per fracture, a hospital daily allowance or money for rehabilitation and help at home. They only exist if they are in the contract.
To be honest, what matters for your protection is lasting damage, not the single plaster cast. A fracture add-on is a nice extra. A sufficient sum insured and a good limb schedule are more important.
Accident at work: statutory accident insurance
If you break a bone at work or on the direct way there, the employers' liability insurance association (Berufsgenossenschaft) is responsible. It pays treatment and rehabilitation. A pension is only paid if your earning capacity is reduced by at least 20 percent beyond the 26th week after the accident.
In your free time statutory accident insurance does not pay. There only private accident insurance helps.
Step by step
Report the accident to the insurer at once and collect all medical reports.
Attend all treatment, including rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
Within 15 months, state in writing that you expect a disability.
Get the written medical certificate of disability in time.
Check the decision and, if needed, ask for a reassessment within three years.
Checklist
Accident report with date
X-rays and medical reports
Disability claimed before 15 months are up
Written medical certificate
Checked which fracture benefits your tariff has
Common mistakes
Waiting to see whether something remains and missing the 15 months
Assuming every fracture is paid automatically
Reporting an accident at work only to the private insurer and forgetting the Berufsgenossenschaft
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does accident insurance pay for a broken arm that heals?
Not the disability benefit.
Only if your tariff includes benefits for fractures,
hospital or rehabilitation is there money for it.
Is a stress fracture an accident?
Usually not, because there is no sudden external event.
The accident definition in your terms decides.
What if my condition gets worse later?
Under the model terms, you and the insurer can have the degree reassessed up to three years after
the accident.
Does statutory accident insurance pay in my free time?
No.
It covers work and the direct way there, not your free time.
Can I get an advance?
If it is certain that a benefit will be paid but not yet how much,
