Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Accident insurance

Is accident insurance worth it for retirees in Germany?

In short

Often yes, if you live alone in Germany and nobody nearby could help after a fall. What counts in retirement is help at home, such as shopping and cleaning for up to six months, more than a lump sum. At 75, a policy with a EUR 75,000 basic sum costs about EUR 150 to 560 a year. With savings and family close by, you usually do not need one.

Request a quote +49 3375 29 12 77

Is accident insurance worth it for retirees in Germany?

What it costs

Premiums from a published German tariff comparison and a consumer test, plus the statutory household help.

Example	Typical range
Retiree, 75, EUR 75,000 basic sum, no progression or pension, EUR 5,000 on death	about EUR 12.50 to 46.75 a month, around EUR 150 to 560 a year
Adult, 35, office job, good basic cover	from about EUR 100 a year
Adult, 35, very good cover	from about EUR 188 a year
Help-at-home tariff (Assistance) alone, new customer aged 75, consumer test 2019	from about EUR 51 a year
Household help from health insurance after serious illness	up to 4 weeks, with co-payment

As of October 2026. Your premium depends on age, basic sum and the help services included. Whether help is paid for or only arranged is stated in each tariff's conditions.

Worked example

Widow, 74, living alone in Hamburg, daughter 300 kilometres away

She falls on the pavement and breaks her hip. After two weeks in hospital she returns home.

Household help from health insurance	up to 4 weeks, with co-payment
Help afterwards without a senior tariff	pay for it or organise it yourself
With a senior tariff	shopping, cleaning and lifts to the doctor for up to 6 months
Premium for such a tariff	about EUR 150 to 560 a year

For her the tariff pays off mainly because of help at home. If her daughter lived next door, she would usually not need it.

What retirees actually need it for

During your working life, private accident insurance (private Unfallversicherung) mainly protects your income and pays for adapting your home or car. In retirement your pension keeps coming, so an accident does not cost you income.

What changes is daily life. After a broken hip many people cannot shop or clean for weeks. Senior tariffs therefore focus on practical help: meals, shopping, laundry, a lift to the doctor and a home emergency call system (Hausnotruf).

Your situation	Worth it?	Why
Living alone, no family nearby	often yes	otherwise nobody helps day to day
Couple, both still fit	rather not	you can help each other
Children live close and help	usually not	help is already there
Large savings	usually not	you can pay for help yourself
Already assessed with a care grade (Pflegegrad)	rarely	long-term care insurance already pays

Where the limits are

The policy only pays after an accident. A stroke or a serious illness is usually not covered unless the tariff names it.

If an existing condition contributed to the damage, many policies cut the benefit. This affects older people more often. Good senior tariffs largely waive this cut and treat fractures due to osteoporosis as an accident.

Help at home: read the small print

Not every tariff pays for the help. Some only arrange a care service or cleaner, and you pay the bill yourself.

Make sure the costs are covered and the help lasts at least six months.

What you get without the insurance

Your statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenkasse) pays for household help for up to four weeks after a serious illness, especially after a hospital stay, with a co-payment. This applies even without children in the household, as long as you do not have care grade 2 to 5.

For a longer period this is often not enough. That gap is what a senior tariff closes if nobody can step in.

Keep or change an old policy?

If you still have a policy from your working years, check whether it cuts benefits or raises the premium from a certain age. Good contracts continue without such age rules.

A high accident pension or high progression (a multiplier for severe disability) is of little use in retirement. It is often cheaper to lower the basic sum and add help at home.

Step by step

Be honest about who would help you for a few months after a fall.
Check an existing policy for age clauses and add-ons you no longer need.
Choose help at home that is fully paid for and lasts at least six months.
Look for low deductions for existing conditions and cover for osteoporosis fractures.
Set the basic sum to what adapting your home might cost.

Checklist

Help at home is paid for, not just arranged
Help for at least six months after the accident
Fractures due to osteoporosis count as an accident
Low deductions when illness contributed
No benefit cuts or premium jumps from a certain age
24-hour emergency call included

Common mistakes

Keeping an old policy with high progression unchanged
Assuming help services are always free
Waiting until after 75, when few insurers still accept new customers
Mistaking accident insurance for long-term care cover

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Am I covered by statutory accident insurance as a pensioner?

Not in your free time. Statutory cover only applies to certain activities, such as some kinds of voluntary work.

Up to what age can I take out a policy?

Senior tariffs usually accept new customers up to about 75. After that it becomes difficult.

Does it pay for a fall without anyone else involved?

Yes, a fall is an accident. If an illness caused dizziness first, the tariff may cut or refuse the benefit.

Lump sum or monthly pension in old age?

For adapting your home and paying for help, a lump sum is often more practical. An accident pension usually starts only at 50 percent disability.

Does it replace long-term care insurance?

No. Most care needs arise from illness, not from accidents.

Should I cancel my old policy when I retire?

Not too quickly. A new contract costs more at your age and may no longer be available. Review and adjust it first.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Accident insurance

We compare several insurers and come back with a proposal. Free for you; the insurer pays our fee. You can write in English.

1Who is it for?

Personal My company

2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

Please review all my existing policies

3Details

Personal accident insurance (private Unfallversicherung)

Who should be covered? * Year of birth (if several people: the oldest) * Your job * Be specific, for example software developer in an office, or electrician on building sites Preferred base sum for permanent impairment * Any high-risk sports or hobbies? For example motorcycling, diving, climbing, paragliding Any existing disability or serious pre-existing condition? * Anything else that matters to you For example accident pension, cover when travelling home, help at home after an accident

4Your current policy

Current insurer Policy ends on What matters more to you?

5How can we reach you?

Name * Email * Phone Postcode Town Preferred contact Anything else we should know