How do I claim occupational disability benefits in Germany?
In short
How do I claim occupational disability benefits in Germany? You notify your insurer in text form and send medical reports, a detailed description of your job and proof of income. The review takes about 190 days on average. Benefits are paid back to the month after you became disabled, as long as you report within the deadline in your contract.
Figures from claims practice and statutory fees that matter when you claim.
Example
Typical range
Average length of review
about 190 days, approvals 179 days, refusals 197 days
Share of decisions in favour of the insured
almost 80 percent
Cancer diagnoses
almost 95 percent of claims lead to payment
First consultation with a lawyer without fee agreement, consumer
at most EUR 190
Examination by the insurer's experts
EUR 0 for you, the insurer pays
As of October 2026.
The study figures cover cases decided in 2023 at 16 providers.
The document list comes from the association's model conditions as of July 2025;
the forecast period, degree and reporting deadline are set by each tariff.
That many policies name six months,
50 percent and a three year reporting deadline and defer premiums interest free during the review
on request is a guide value from our quoting practice.
We are happy to review your policy with you.
Worked example
Software developer from Ireland, 41, burnout and depression
He has a BU policy paying EUR 2,000 a month. In March his doctors find he cannot work in his job for the foreseeable future. He reports in May, and the insurer decides after about 190 days in November.
Disability began
March
Entitled from
1 April, at the end of the month
Back payment April to November
8 months × EUR 2,000 = EUR 16,000
Premium waiver
also backdated to April
Same case, reported after the contractual deadline
money only from the month of reporting
The long review costs him nothing if the claim is accepted, because payment is backdated. For the months in between he needs savings or sick pay. Reporting early loses nothing.
When to file your claim
Claim as soon as it is clear that illness, an accident or loss of strength will keep you from doing at least half of your job for a longer time. Many German occupational disability policies (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung, BU) ask for a medical forecast of six months. If you have already been limited to that degree for six months without a break, many policies treat that as disability too.
Do not wait for certainty. Your entitlement starts at the end of the month in which the disability began. But if you report after the deadline your contract sets, the insurer only pays from the month you report, unless the delay was not your fault.
Documents the insurer will ask for
The model conditions of the German insurance association list what you must provide at your own cost. Further examinations by doctors the insurer appoints are paid by the insurer. Reports in English usually help, but the insurer may ask for German translations.
Document
What matters
Proof of date of birth
a copy of your passport or ID is usually enough
Description of the cause
illness, accident or loss of strength, with dates
Detailed medical reports
cause, onset, type, course, expected duration and degree of limitation
Job description
every task with its share of a typical working day, your position in the company
Income details
payslips or profit statements
List of doctors and clinics
all practitioners, including former ones and those abroad, with addresses
Other benefit providers
German pension insurance, health insurance fund, other insurers
Employers
current and former employers
Your job description often decides the claim
The insurer looks at the job you last did, as it was before your health problems. So write down a typical working day in hours and minutes: what you did, how often, how long and with what strain. A label like office work is not enough.
Then mark for each task what you can no longer manage. Your doctors should refer to exactly these tasks in their reports. The insurer weighs not only the time but also how essential a task is for your job.
How the review works
The insurer reviews your documents, requests reports from doctors and may ask you to see its own medical experts. It often also checks whether your answers to the health questions were complete when you signed.
In the end it must state in text form whether it will pay, under section 173 of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG). It may limit its acceptance in time only once and is bound until that date. If the review is not finished a month after your claim and the delay is not your fault, section 14 VVG lets you ask for an advance on the amount that is certainly owed.
Why claims really fail
According to the latest market study, fewer than half of all reported cases end in a decision at all. More than half of the cases without payment are not real refusals but claims with missing evidence or claims that were withdrawn.
Common real reasons are a forecast that is too short, a degree below 50 percent, or incorrect answers when signing. Half of all refusals for breach of the duty to disclose concern insured people under 35.
When you do not need to claim yet
If you are signed off sick for a few weeks and your doctors expect a full recovery, statutory sick pay (Krankengeld) comes first. A claim without a solid forecast is usually refused.
Still, report the case as a precaution if it is unclear how long it will last. A report costs nothing and protects you from missing a deadline.
Step by step
Inform the insurer in text form and ask for the claim forms.
Write down a typical working day with every task and its share of time.
Talk to your doctors about forecast, duration and degree of limitation.
Collect medical reports, proof of income and a list of all practitioners.
Keep copies of everything and send documents with proof of delivery.
Answer the insurer's questions quickly and completely.
Check the decision and get advice if it is a refusal or time limited.
Checklist
Claim sent in text form, date noted
Job description in hours and minutes
Medical reports with a forecast of at least six months where possible
Degree of limitation explained for each task
Original application reread to prepare for questions
Sick pay or savings planned for the review period
Copies of all documents kept
Common mistakes
Waiting until doctors are completely sure
Describing the job in a single word
Sending medical reports that do not refer to individual tasks
Leaving the insurer's questions unanswered
Signing a time limited acceptance offered as an agreement without checking it
Simply stopping premium payments during the review
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
How long does the review take?
About 190 days on average, so a little over six months.
Cancer cases are often faster, mental illness and accidents usually take longer.
Will I be paid retroactively?
Yes, from the month after the disability began, if you report within your contract's deadline.
Premiums paid for that time are refunded if your policy includes a premium waiver.
Do I have to keep paying premiums during the review?
In principle yes.
Many tariffs defer premiums interest free on request until the decision.
Ask for this rather than simply stopping.
Can I send medical reports in English?
Usually yes, but the insurer may ask for a German translation.
Clarify early who pays for it.
May the insurer accept only for a limited time?
Yes, but only once and for a good reason.
It is bound by its acceptance until that date.
Is BU the same as the state reduced earning capacity pension?
No.
The statutory pension for reduced earning capacity (Erwerbsminderungsrente) is claimed separately
