Does accident insurance pay out on death in Germany?
In short
Yes, but only if a death benefit is agreed and death results from the accident within one year. Then German accident insurance pays out the agreed sum, often only EUR 5,000 to 10,000. Death from illness brings nothing. The death must be reported within 48 hours.
Statutory benefits and worked examples, plus premiums from published tariff examples in Germany.
Example
Typical range
Private death benefit in many policies
about EUR 5,000 to 10,000
Widow's pension from the Berufsgenossenschaft, annual earnings EUR 45,000, first three months
EUR 30,000 a year, EUR 2,500 a month
Same pension from the fourth month, with a child entitled to orphan's pension, 40 percent
EUR 18,000 a year, EUR 1,500 a month
Private accident insurance, office job, EUR 100,000 basic sum
about EUR 60 to 180 a year
The death benefit range is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Widow's pensions calculated under section 65 SGB VII without income offset,
premiums from publicly quoted tariff examples, as of July 2026.
Worked example
Cycling accident in leisure time, death after four months
A 52 year old has a cycling accident at the weekend and dies of the effects four months later. His policy has EUR 100,000 for disability and EUR 10,000 death benefit, with his partner as beneficiary.
Disability benefit
none, death in the first year
Death benefit
EUR 10,000
Recipient
the named partner
Berufsgenossenschaft
nothing, it was a leisure accident
His partner receives EUR 10,000. Without being named as beneficiary, the money would have gone into the estate.
When the death benefit is paid
The death benefit (Todesfallleistung) is a separate component. It pays the agreed sum if the insured person dies from the effects of an accident within one year of the accident. If death comes later, this component pays nothing.
If illnesses contributed at least 25 percent to the death or injury, the death benefit is also reduced by that share (clause 3.2 AUB 2020).
Death and the disability benefit
If the insured person dies from the accident within the first year, there is no claim to the disability benefit. Only the death benefit is paid, if agreed. Without it, the survivors get nothing.
If the person dies after the first year, or from another cause before the disability was assessed, the insurer pays the disability benefit at the degree expected from the medical findings (clause 2.1.2.3 AUB 2020). That money goes to the estate or the beneficiary.
Case
What is paid
Death from the accident after three months
death benefit, no disability benefit
Death from the accident after 14 months
no death benefit, disability benefit possible
Heart attack eight months after a broken leg
disability benefit at the expected degree, if the conditions are met
Death from illness without an accident
nothing
Who gets the money
For the death benefit, the life insurance rules on beneficiaries apply (section 185 with sections 159 and 160 of the Insurance Contract Act, VVG). You can name a person and change them at any time. If several are named without shares, they split equally.
If no one is named, the benefit belongs to the policyholder and falls into their estate. If you want an unmarried partner to receive the money, you must name them as beneficiary expressly.
What statutory accident insurance pays on death
If someone dies from a workplace or commuting accident, the Berufsgenossenschaft pays survivors a death grant of one seventh of the reference amount, transfer costs and survivors' pensions (sections 63 and 64 SGB VII).
The widow's or widower's pension is two thirds of annual earnings for the first three months, then 30 or 40 percent depending on age, children and earning capacity (section 65 SGB VII). These ongoing pensions are often worth more than any private death benefit.
Why the death benefit should usually be small
A family needs money when the breadwinner dies, whether from an accident or illness. A high death benefit in accident insurance only covers death from an accident, not from illness.
Term life insurance (Risikolebensversicherung), which pays for any cause of death, makes more sense. In accident insurance, a death benefit for the funeral and first costs is enough. If you have no one to provide for, you do not need it at all.
Step by step
Report the death to the insurer within 48 hours, even if the accident was already reported.
Obtain the death certificate and medical records on the cause of death.
Check who is named as beneficiary in the policy.
For a workplace or commuting accident, inform the Berufsgenossenschaft.
Check whether a disability had already been confirmed or claimed before death.
Checklist
Notice within 48 hours done
Death certificate and medical reports
Policy schedule with beneficiary
Records on the cause of the accident, such as a police report
Other policies checked, such as term life or credit card cover
Common mistakes
Missing the 48 hour deadline in the middle of grief
Not naming a beneficiary when the money should go to an unmarried partner
Planning family protection only through accident insurance
Forgetting to claim a disability that was already foreseeable before death
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does accident insurance pay for death from a heart attack?
No, a heart attack is an illness.
If someone falls because of impaired consciousness, for example circulatory failure,
the accident is excluded under the model terms.
Can I change the beneficiary later?
Yes, a revocable beneficiary can be changed at any time without the insurer's consent (section 159
VVG).
An irrevocable one cannot.
Is a post mortem required?
The insurer may request a post mortem by a doctor it appoints,
as far as needed to assess the claim.
What happens to an accident pension on death?
It is paid until the end of the month of death and then stops.
Can I leave out the death benefit?
Yes, if you have term life insurance or no one to provide for.
