Does private accident insurance also pay for a workplace accident in Germany?
In short
Yes. Private accident insurance in Germany applies worldwide and around the clock, so it also pays for a workplace accident, on top of the employers' liability insurer (Berufsgenossenschaft). Its disability benefit depends only on the basic sum and disability degree. With EUR 100,000 and 20 percent disability that is EUR 20,000, alongside injury benefit and any statutory accident pension.
EUR 10,000 private, statutory pension only from 20 percent
20 percent disability, EUR 100,000, no progression
EUR 20,000
Premiums from publicly quoted tariff examples, as of July 2026.
Worked examples under the model limb schedule AUB 2020; yours may differ.
Worked example
Carpenter, circular saw, two fingers injured
A carpenter loses his index finger at work and another finger stays stiff. Private accident insurance with a EUR 150,000 basic sum.
Berufsgenossenschaft
treatment, rehab, injury benefit, pension only from 20 percent reduced earning capacity
Limb schedule, index finger
10 percent
Other finger stiff
5 percent
Private disability benefit
15 percent of EUR 150,000, EUR 22,500
On top of everything the Berufsgenossenschaft pays, he receives a one-off EUR 22,500 from private accident insurance.
Why both insurers pay
Private accident insurance is a fixed sum insurance. It pays an agreed amount for lasting harm and does not ask who else pays. Whether you are hurt at the office, on a building site or on holiday makes no difference.
Statutory accident insurance replaces treatment costs and income after a workplace accident (section 8 SGB VII). The two systems do not exclude each other, they complement each other. The private insurer does not deduct what the Berufsgenossenschaft pays.
Where the Berufsgenossenschaft falls short after a workplace accident
A statutory accident pension is only paid if earning capacity is reduced by at least 20 percent beyond the 26th week (section 56 SGB VII). A stiff finger or a slightly restricted knee often does not reach that. Then there is no further money after the injury benefit.
Private accident insurance pays from the first percent of disability. After a workplace accident costing you an index finger, that is 10 percent of the basic sum under the model limb schedule.
After a workplace accident
Berufsgenossenschaft
Private accident insurance
Treatment and rehab
yes, no co-payment
no, only with an add-on
Income replacement
injury benefit, 80 percent of regular pay
only with a daily allowance add-on
Benefit for lasting harm
pension from 20 percent reduced earning capacity
one-off payment from 1 percent disability
Assessment
reduced earning capacity
limb schedule and basic sum
Premium
paid by the employer
paid by you
Report the workplace accident twice
Your employer reports the workplace accident to the Berufsgenossenschaft. Your private insurer hears nothing about it. So report the accident to it yourself, ideally at once.
The private disability benefit has its own deadlines: the disability must occur within 15 months, be confirmed by a doctor and be claimed in that time. A Berufsgenossenschaft report does not automatically replace this, as it assesses reduced earning capacity, not the limb schedule.
Occupation and premium
Your job has a big effect on the premium. Manual trades cost considerably more than office jobs for the same basic sum. If you move into a riskier job, you must tell your insurer.
Under the model terms, a riskier job means lower sums insured at the same premium one month after the change, also for accidents in leisure time (clause 6.2 AUB 2020). Instead you can pay the higher premium and keep your sums.
When you do not need it for your job
Office workers have a low accident risk at work, and the Berufsgenossenschaft covers the serious cases. The real reason for private accident insurance is then leisure time, when the Berufsgenossenschaft never pays.
If an accident would cost you your job, for example a tradesperson with a hand injury, think about disability insurance first. It replaces income, while accident insurance pays only once.
Step by step
Report the workplace accident to your employer and see an accident insurance doctor.
Report it to your private accident insurer at the same time.
Keep copies of all medical reports for both insurers.
Before 15 months, have the disability confirmed for the private insurer and claim it.
Tell the insurer if you change jobs.
Checklist
Accident report to the employer
Your own report to the private insurer
Report from the accident insurance doctor
15 month deadline noted
Occupation in the policy matches your current job
Common mistakes
Believing the Berufsgenossenschaft informs the private insurer
Missing the private deadline while the statutory process is still running
Not reporting a move into a manual trade
Cancelling private accident insurance because you are covered at work anyway
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Is the private benefit offset against the statutory pension?
No, both are paid alongside each other.
The private disability benefit depends only on basic sum and disability degree.
Does private accident insurance also pay for a commuting accident?
Yes, it applies everywhere.
The Berufsgenossenschaft also pays for the commuting accident.
Do employees need private accident insurance at all?
Often not for work, as the Berufsgenossenschaft carries the serious cases.
For leisure time it can make sense.
What about the self employed?
The self employed are often not covered by statutory accident insurance,
so the private policy is their only benefit after a workplace accident.
Many can join the Berufsgenossenschaft voluntarily.
Does private accident insurance pay for an occupational disease?
No, occupational and trade diseases are excluded under the model terms.
Statutory accident insurance is responsible for them.
