How are children covered by private health insurance in Germany?

Monthly premiums for children from published market overviews and statutory figures, as of October 2026.

If both parents have private insurance, the child is normally insured privately too. There is no free family cover in that case.

If one parent has public insurance, marriage and income decide. For married parents, the child cannot be covered free of charge in public insurance if the privately insured parent earns more than one twelfth of the income threshold, which in 2026 means more than EUR 6,450 a month, and also more than the publicly insured partner.

If the parents are not married, this limit does not apply. The child can then be covered free of charge through the publicly insured parent, however much the other parent earns.

German law provides for newborn cover (Kindernachversicherung). If one parent is privately insured on the day of birth and you register the child within two months, the insurer must accept it backdated to birth, with no health questions, no waiting period and no surcharges.

This also applies to babies born ill or prematurely. That is why the deadline matters so much: miss it and you risk a health assessment with a surcharge or a rejection.

The child's cover may not be better than the insured parent's. The insurer may require the parent to have been insured for a while beforehand, at most three months. The same applies to adopted minors.

Children's premiums are low because ageing reserves are usually not built up before the 21st birthday. A typical tariff costs EUR 120 to 250 a month, on average around EUR 175.

The premium moves up an age band at about 15 and again at 21. From 21 the child pays the adult premium, often EUR 300 or more, unless it becomes subject to public insurance itself, for example through vocational training or a job.

For civil servants, Beihilfe usually covers 80 percent of a child's costs. The top-up tariff then costs only EUR 30 to 70 a month, so private cover is almost always the cheaper choice for them.

Employees receive the employer subsidy not only for themselves but also for children and a spouse who would be family-insured in public insurance. The employer pays half of the total premiums, at most EUR 508.59 a month.

If your own premium is below that limit, your employer therefore pays half of your child's premium. Self-employed parents pay the child's premium alone but can claim it as a pension and insurance expense for tax.

With several children and one parent not working, private insurance gets expensive for the whole family. Three children can easily add EUR 500 a month. If you are about to switch to private insurance and plan children, factor this in.

Also check whether a child can be covered through the other parent's public insurance. That saves a lot of money, even though private cover offers more, for example for orthodontics or a single room in hospital.