How you are insured during a sabbatical in Germany depends on pay: if salary continues from a time account, all social insurance continues. With unpaid leave, employment counts as continuing for one month only. After that you insure yourself voluntarily, in 2026 at least about EUR 270 to 278 a month for health and care. Private policies carry on.
Premiums and limits for 2026 for a sabbatical without pay.
Example
Typical range
Voluntary health and care insurance, minimum base, with child
about EUR 270 a month
Voluntary health and care insurance, minimum base, childless
about EUR 278 a month
Minimum voluntary pension contribution
EUR 112.16 a month
Long-term travel health insurance over 12 months, without North America
from about EUR 1.63 a day
Long-term travel health insurance over 12 months, with USA and Canada
from about EUR 2.20 a day
Calculated from the official 2026 values (EUR 1,316.67,
reduced rate 14.0 percent plus 2.9 percent average extra contribution,
care 3.6 or 4.2 percent) and published tariff examples.
Your premium depends on insurer, income and destination; we obtain the exact quote.
Worked example
Six months unpaid sabbatical, statutory insured, childless
What the break costs if no salary is paid and you pay only the minimum premium.
First month
EUR 0, employment continues
Health and care, five months × about EUR 278
about EUR 1,390
Voluntary pension, five months × EUR 112.16
EUR 560.80, if you choose
Travel health insurance, 180 days from EUR 1.63
from about EUR 293
Together about EUR 1,680 to 2,240 for six months, depending on whether you keep paying into the pension.
Sabbatical with a time account
Many sabbaticals in Germany run through a time account (Wertguthaben): you work more beforehand or give up salary, which is saved and paid during the break. Employment then continues under Section 7(1a) SGB IV, as long as the pay during the sabbatical does not differ unreasonably from the previous twelve months.
In this kind of sabbatical you stay covered for health, care, pension and unemployment insurance, and your employer pays the contributions. Ask for written confirmation that your model counts as a Wertguthaben before the leave starts.
Unpaid sabbatical: what happens after one month
If you take the sabbatical as unpaid leave, employment counts as continuing in social insurance for one month only (Section 7(3) SGB IV). Then compulsory insurance ends. Your statutory health insurer (Krankenkasse) automatically continues you as a voluntary member (Section 188(4) SGB V).
As a voluntary member you pay the whole premium during the sabbatical. In 2026 it is based on at least EUR 1,316.67 a month, so about EUR 270 with care insurance, about EUR 278 if you are childless. Married people should check family insurance through their spouse, which is free if your own income does not exceed EUR 565 a month.
Privately insured people pay the full premium during an unpaid sabbatical without the employer subsidy, which only exists for employees (Section 257 SGB V). Put this amount into your budget beforehand.
Sabbatical model
Health and care
Pension
Time account with pay
continues via employer
continues
Unpaid up to one month
continues
no contributions
Unpaid over one month
voluntary, from about EUR 270
voluntary from EUR 112.16
Privately insured, unpaid
full premium without subsidy
voluntary from EUR 112.16
Pension and accident cover during a sabbatical
Without salary, no pension contributions are paid during a sabbatical. You can close the gap with voluntary contributions (Section 7 SGB VI): in 2026 from EUR 112.16 a month, because the minimum base equals the mini job limit of EUR 603 (Section 167 SGB VI) and the rate is 18.6 percent.
Statutory accident insurance only covers work and the way to work, so it does not apply during an unpaid sabbatical. Private accident insurance covers leisure time and travel. If you will not return to your employer after the break, check your unemployment benefit rights with the employment agency first.
Sabbatical abroad: health cover while travelling
For a travelling sabbatical, German statutory health insurance is often not enough: outside Europe it usually pays nothing, and it never pays repatriation. Long-term travel health insurance for trips over twelve months costs from about EUR 1.63 a day without North America and from about EUR 2.20 with the USA and Canada.
If you stay registered in Germany during the sabbatical, your Krankenkasse continues and you pay your premium. If you deregister completely, ask your insurer beforehand how you will be readmitted when you return.
Private policies and an empty home
Liability, contents, disability and term life insurance continue unchanged during a sabbatical. Do not cancel disability insurance to save money: a new contract after the break costs more and asks new health questions. If money is tight, ask about deferring premiums.
If your home stands empty for a long time during the sabbatical and nobody checks on it, the model contents terms treat that as an increase in risk you must report. Tell your insurer or arrange for someone to look after the flat.
Norman Nammert works as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) and checks health cover, travel cover and running policies with you before your sabbatical. The insurer pays the commission, so the advice is free for you.
Step by step
Ask your employer whether the sabbatical runs through a Wertguthaben.
For unpaid leave, inform your health insurer in advance and ask for the premium.
Check family insurance through your spouse.
Decide on voluntary pension contributions.
Take out long-term travel health insurance for trips.
Tell your contents insurer about a long absence or arrange for the home to be looked after.
Checklist
Sabbatical model clarified in writing
Health insurance secured from the second month
Health and care premium budgeted
Travel health cover including repatriation
Disability insurance continues
Home looked after or absence reported
Common mistakes
Assuming health insurance is free during an unpaid sabbatical
Cancelling disability insurance to save money
Travelling outside Europe without travel health insurance
Leaving the flat empty for months without telling the contents insurer
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Am I health insured during a sabbatical?
Yes.
With pay from a time account everything continues;
in an unpaid sabbatical you become a voluntary member after one month and pay yourself.
Am I covered by accident insurance during a sabbatical?
Not by statutory cover if you are not working.
Only private accident insurance protects you then.
What does health insurance cost during an unpaid sabbatical?
In 2026 at least about EUR 270 a month including care, about EUR 278 if childless,
more with other income.
Does my employer pay into my pension during a sabbatical?
Only if salary is paid from a time account.
Otherwise you can pay voluntarily from EUR 112.16 a month.
Do I need to tell my contents insurer about a sabbatical?
If the home stands empty for a long time and nobody checks on it, yes.
