Which insurance policies are really worth it for children in Germany?
In short
Three insurance policies are really worth it for children in Germany: family liability that also pays for damage by children under seven, about EUR 60 to 180 a year; child disability or accident cover; and term life insurance on the parents, from about EUR 8 a month. A life policy on the child itself is not needed.
Published premiums for the main policies around children in Germany.
Example
Typical range
Family liability, cover EUR 10 to 50 million
about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Child disability insurance, range of tested tariffs
about EUR 107 to 421 a year
Child accident insurance, base sum EUR 100,000 with progression
about EUR 50 to 100 a year
Term life on a parent, 30, non-smoker, EUR 200,000, 25 years
about EUR 8 to 15 a month
Disability income for a pupil, 12, EUR 1,000 benefit, starter phase
EUR 24.25 a month, then EUR 47.12
Figures from published tariff examples and tests, as of October 2026.
Your premium depends on age, cover and health; we obtain the exact quote.
Worked example
Family with two children aged 3 and 6, both parents working
This is the basic cover with family liability, disability cover and term life on both parents.
Family liability
about EUR 60 to 180
Child disability insurance for two children
about EUR 214 to 842
Term life EUR 200,000 per parent, two policies
about EUR 192 to 360
About EUR 466 to 1,382 a year in total. With accident cover instead of disability cover the cost drops by several hundred euros, but illness is then not covered.
The order that matters for children
Not every policy sold for children is worth it for children. What matters is what could ruin a family: a large liability claim, a lasting disability of the child, or the death of a parent who earns. Extras for teeth or hospital come after that.
This page gives the overview. Details for each type of cover are on the linked pages on liability, disability and term life.
Insurance
Worth it for children?
Family liability
yes, first
Child disability insurance
yes, also covers illness
Child accident insurance
yes, if disability cover is too expensive
Term life on the parents
yes, while children depend on you
Dental extra with orthodontics
can make sense, take it out early
Term life on the child
no
Phone or tablet insurance
usually no
Liability: when small children cause damage
Under section 828 of the German Civil Code (BGB), children under seven are not liable for damage, and in road traffic this applies until their tenth birthday. Parents only pay if they failed in their duty to supervise. The neighbour with the scratched car is then left with the bill, which often strains the relationship.
Good family tariffs pay such damage anyway, up to a sub-limit or the full sum insured. Children are usually covered in the family tariff until the end of their first education, so they do not need a policy of their own.
Disability: the cover families forget most often
In day care, at school and on the way there, your child is covered by the statutory accident insurance (gesetzliche Unfallversicherung), but not in free time or at home. More importantly, around 90 percent of severe disabilities in children are caused by illness, not accidents.
Child disability insurance also pays after illness, usually as a lifelong pension, and costs about EUR 107 to 421 a year. If money is tight, child accident insurance for about EUR 50 to 100 is better than nothing, but it only pays after accidents.
Insure the parents, not the child
Nobody depends on a child's income, so term life insurance on a child protects nobody. The child, on the other hand, needs protection if a parent dies: term life insurance (Risikolebensversicherung) on each earning parent, about three to five times gross annual income.
A non-smoking 30-year-old pays about EUR 8 to 15 a month for EUR 200,000 over 25 years. The parents' own disability insurance also protects the children, because it secures the family income.
What children usually do not need
Savings plans for children wrapped in an insurance policy are an investment, not protection. Compare costs and term with a simple savings plan before you commit for 18 years. Phone insurance for a child often costs more over the years than a replacement device.
Disability income insurance for children is usually possible from age ten. It locks in today's health, but it only becomes a topic at school age and does not replace disability cover for young children.
How a broker helps families with children
Norman Nammert works as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) and checks with you which policies your children really lack and which ones overlap. The insurer pays the commission, so the service is free for your family.
Step by step
Switch liability to a family tariff and check the sub-limit for children under seven.
Decide: child disability cover or, on a tight budget, child accident cover.
Take out term life on each earning parent, running until the youngest child is about 25.
Check the parents' own disability insurance.
Consider dental cover with orthodontics before the first orthodontist visit.
Review savings plans and gadget insurance critically.
Checklist
Family liability covers children under seven
Disability or accident cover for each child
Term life on each earning parent
Parents' disability insurance checked
No term life on the child
Expensive insurance savings plans avoided
Common mistakes
Treating child accident insurance as full protection, although illness is the more common cause
Insuring the child and forgetting the parents
Staying in a single tariff after the baby arrives
Buying costly savings plans wrapped in insurance as provision for children
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does my child need their own liability insurance?
No.
Children are covered by their parents' family liability insurance,
usually until the end of their first education.
Is my child insured at school in Germany?
Yes, through the statutory accident insurance, including the way to school.
That cover does not apply in free time or at home.
Child disability or child accident insurance?
Child disability insurance also covers illness and is therefore the broader protection.
It costs more and depends on health questions.
When should I take out insurance for children?
Liability and term life on the parents before the birth,
disability cover soon after the birth while the child is healthy.
Is extra hospital cover worth it for children?
It is a comfort extra, not protection against ruin.
Look at it only once liability, disability and term life are in place.
