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Who can get private health insurance in Germany?

In short

Four groups may go private: employees with a regular gross salary above EUR 77,400 a year in 2026, self-employed people and freelancers with no income limit, civil servants with state aid (Beihilfe) and students who opt out at the start. If your salary rises above the limit, it must stay above it into the next year. After that, the insurer's health check decides and may refuse you.

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Who can get private health insurance in Germany?

What it costs

The figures that decide access in 2026, and what you can expect to pay afterwards.

Example	Typical range
Annual earnings limit 2026 for employees	EUR 77,400 a year, EUR 6,450 a month
Special limit for people privately insured since 2002	EUR 69,750 a year
Maximum employer contribution to health insurance 2026	EUR 508.59 a month
Employee, 30, healthy, good tariff with senior doctor and single room	about EUR 450 to 700 a month

The limits come from the 2026 social insurance figures. The maximum employer contribution is half of 17.5 percent of the contribution ceiling of EUR 5,812.50 a month. The premium is a guide value from our quoting practice as of September 2026; yours depends on age, health and tariff.

Worked example

Software engineer, 34, salary rises in mid 2026

He has worked in Germany since 2024 and is statutorily insured. From July 2026 he earns much more and wants to switch.

Regular gross salary 2025	EUR 72,000, below the 2025 limit of EUR 73,800
Gross salary 2026 after the raise	EUR 81,000, above the limit of EUR 77,400
Expected gross salary 2027	EUR 81,000, expected to be above the 2027 limit
Earliest switch	1 January 2027

He stays compulsorily insured in 2026. Freedom to choose starts at the turn of the year, and only because 2027 is also above the limit then in force. He should cancel his statutory fund only once the private contract has been accepted in writing.

The four groups at a glance

Germany has two systems: statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) and private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung). Most people must be in the statutory system. You may only leave it if the law makes an exception for your status.

Family members are not covered for free in private insurance. Every person needs their own contract and pays their own premium, unlike the free family cover in the statutory system.

Group	Condition
Employees	regular gross salary above EUR 77,400 a year
Self-employed and freelancers	self-employment as main occupation, no minimum profit
Civil servants, judges, soldiers	entitled to state aid, only the remaining share is insured privately
Students	exemption from student statutory insurance within the first three months

Employees: the limit and the timing

What counts is the annual earnings limit (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze), EUR 77,400 or EUR 6,450 a month in 2026. It includes your regular gross salary and fixed extras such as a 13th month salary. Fluctuating overtime and one-off bonuses do not count.

If your existing salary rises above the limit, one year is not enough. Under section 6 (4) of the Social Code Book V, compulsory insurance ends only at the end of the calendar year, and only if your salary also exceeds the limit for the next year. A raise in 2026 means you can switch on 1 January 2027 at the earliest.

If you start a new job in Germany with a regular salary above the limit from day one, you can usually choose private insurance from the start of that job. Ask your employer's payroll to confirm this in writing before you sign with a private insurer.

What matters when you come from abroad

Many expats earn less than the limit, including many Blue Card holders. Then you are compulsorily insured in the statutory system, whatever your insurance was at home. International health plans from your home country usually do not replace German insurance.

Freelancers and self-employed people may choose private insurance from the start, and the immigration office will want proof of full cover. Choose a German private policy or a statutory fund, not a travel insurance, which is not accepted as permanent cover.

Allowed does not mean accepted

Your status only opens the door. Then comes the health check: back pain, psychotherapy, allergies or an operation can lead to a surcharge, an exclusion or a refusal, depending on the insurer. Answer every question truthfully, because false answers can cost you your cover later.

There is no right to be accepted into a normal tariff. Only the basic tariff (Basistarif) must take everyone who qualifies, and its benefits are limited to the level of the statutory system. Ask us for an anonymous preliminary check before a named application goes out.

The way back that many underestimate

You can only return to the statutory system with a new reason for compulsory insurance, such as a job below the limit. From age 55 this route is usually closed, even if your income falls later.

So do not compare today's premium only. Think about your life in twenty and forty years: children, part-time work, parental leave, retirement, and whether you will stay in Germany. As an underwriting agency we will also tell you when private insurance is the wrong direction for you.

Step by step

Clarify your status: employed, self-employed, civil servant or student.
As an employee, work out your regular annual gross salary with fixed extras, without overtime.
Check whether it also exceeds next year's limit, or whether you are starting a new job above the limit.
Gather your medical history of the last five to ten years, including treatment abroad.
Ask for an anonymous preliminary check before a named application goes out.
Think through family plans, part-time work, retirement and a possible move back home.
Cancel your statutory fund only once acceptance is in writing.

Checklist

Reason for access clarified and provable
Salary above the limit in the right years
Health questions answered fully and truthfully, including treatment abroad
Family plans and possible part-time work calculated
Closed way back from age 55 considered
Statutory fund cancelled only after written acceptance

Common mistakes

Counting a one-off bonus so the limit is exceeded only on paper
Cancelling before the private application is accepted
Leaving out treatment you had in your home country
Relying on an international plan from home instead of German cover
Assuming you can return to the statutory system at any time

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

What salary do I need to go private in 2026?

A regular gross salary above EUR 77,400 a year, EUR 6,450 a month. After a raise, it must also exceed the next year's limit.

Can freelancers go private without a minimum income?

Yes. If self-employment is your main occupation, you are not subject to compulsory insurance and may choose private cover regardless of profit. Artists and writers in the artists' social fund are an exception.

I have a Blue Card. Can I go private?

Only if your regular salary is above EUR 77,400. Many Blue Card salaries are below that, and then you are in the statutory system.

Can international students go private?

Yes, by applying for an exemption within the first three months. It cannot be withdrawn and applies for the whole degree.

Does a 13th month salary count?

Contractually fixed extras count. Fluctuating overtime and one-off bonuses usually do not.

Can an insurer refuse me?

Yes. There is no right to a normal tariff. Only the basic tariff must accept you, with benefits limited to the statutory level.

Can I go back to statutory insurance later?

Only with a new reason for compulsory insurance, such as a job below the limit. From age 55 this is usually closed.

Sources

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