# Insurance for live-in care agencies and home care for seniors in Germany

> Live-in care agencies in Germany (24-Stunden-Pflege) place or post carers who live with seniors in their homes. The risk sits in three places: in the home, where people fall and things break; in the placement, where mistakes cost money; and in employment law, which keeps catching up with agencies and families. This page shows what an agency should insure and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-live-in-care.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Who is liable if a placed carer does not help a senior get up and she falls?

It depends on your model. If the carer is employed by your agency or a partner company, the claim usually goes against the employer and its liability policy. If you only place carers, you are liable for errors in the placement. Be clear about your model and have it described exactly in the policy.

## At a glance

- **Minimum wage:** Foreign carers posted to German households are entitled to the statutory minimum wage for on call time too (Federal Labour Court, 24 June 2021, 5 AZR 505/20)
- **Family as employer:** Employees are covered by statutory accident insurance (§ 2 SGB VII); for households the state accident insurance funds (Unfallkassen) are responsible (§ 129 SGB VII)
- **Biggest risk:** Falls and care errors in the home, and disputes over working time, status and pay
- **Basic cover from:** about €300 a year for the public liability policy of a small placement agency (guide price from our quoting practice)
- **Often forgotten:** Financial loss from the placement itself: wrong information, a carer not arriving, errors in the contract

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Falls at home:** Seniors fall getting up, in the bathroom and on the stairs. Afterwards the question is whether the carer acted correctly.
- **Damage in the home:** A hob is left on, the washing machine overflows, a vase falls. Other people's property suffers in everyday life.
- **Money and valuables:** Carers have access to cash, cards and jewellery. If something is missing, suspicion follows fast.
- **Employment law and status:** Minimum wage for on call time, false self employment, posting rules: claims hit agencies and families alike.
- **Placement errors:** A carer does not match the care needs, a changeover fails, information was wrong. The family wants compensation.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 1, Theft 3, Cyber 3, Downtime 2, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for injury and property damage from the agency's work and, if carers are employed by you, from care in the home. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Professional indemnity** (Strongly advised): Covers pure financial loss from advice and placement, which public liability does not pay. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For employment law, status questions and disputes with families and partner companies. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Helps after attacks on client data, care levels and ID copies, and with reporting duties. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Adds fixed disability sums to the statutory cover of employed carers. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on turnover, number of households and your model: agencies that only place carers pay less than businesses with their own employed carers.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Placement agency with up to 30 households | about €300 to €900 a year |
| Business liability | Business with its own employed carers, 50 households | about €1,500 to €4,000 a year |
| Professional indemnity | Financial loss from placement, €250,000 cover | about €400 to €1,000 a year |
| Business legal expenses | Agency with office staff, employment and contract legal expenses | about €600 to €1,400 a year |

For comparison: Liability and financial loss cover for a small agency cost about as much a year as a few days of live-in care in one household.

_Guide prices from our quoting practice, as of October 2026. There are hardly any published tariff examples for these agencies; the sources below support the legal statements. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Federal Labour Court: judgment 5 AZR 505/20 of 24 June 2021](https://www.bundesarbeitsgericht.de/entscheidung/5-azr-505-20/)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 129 SGB VII](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__129.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Placement** (agency placing self employed or posted carers): Business liability, Professional indemnity, Cyber insurance. Together: about €1,200 to €3,000 a year
- **Agency** (agency with office team, many households and partner companies): Business liability, Professional indemnity, Business legal expenses, Cyber insurance. Together: about €2,500 to €6,000 a year
- **Employer** (business with its own employed carers): Business liability, Professional indemnity, Business legal expenses, Cyber insurance, Group accident insurance. Together: about €5,000 to €12,000 a year

## The worst day in live-in care

Five things live-in care agencies really experience, all on a single Friday here. Tap through the day and see who pays.

- 06:50: A senior falls on the way to the bathroom at night; the employed carer did not hear the bell. (€30,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 09:30: A pan is left on the hob and the family's kitchen is covered in soot. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:45: A family claims the cost of emergency care because the promised carer never arrived. (€5,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 14:20: A former carer sues for pay for on call hours. (€12,000, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 16:30: ID copies and care levels from the client database appear online. (€15,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)

**Damage so far:** €71,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Describe your model precisely in the policy: placement, posting via partners or your own employment.
- Include financial loss from placement; public liability usually does not cover it.
- Have damage to property in the client's home and lost keys explicitly included.
- Record working and on call times; since the Federal Labour Court ruling they are at the heart of every dispute.
- Advise families who employ directly to register their carer with the Unfallkasse and to check their private liability policy.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We sort out your model:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and obtains quotes from several insurers. We check which cover fits placement, posting or employment.
- **We know claims from practice:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. That experience goes into our advice.
- **Advice in English:** Agency, team and your private cover with one contact person. Advice is free of charge; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Does the minimum wage apply to on call time in live-in care?

According to the Federal Labour Court judgment of 24 June 2021 (5 AZR 505/20), foreign carers posted to German households are entitled to the minimum wage for on call time too.

### Is a carer employed directly by the family covered by accident insurance?

Yes, employees are covered by statutory accident insurance. For households the state Unfallkassen are responsible; the family registers the carer there.

### What insurance does a placement agency need?

Public liability for injury and property damage and professional indemnity for placement errors, plus legal expenses and cyber cover.

### How much does liability insurance cost for an agency?

About €300 to €900 a year for a placement agency with up to 30 households, about €1,500 to €4,000 with your own employed carers. These are guide prices from our quoting practice.

### Does insurance pay if money goes missing in the home?

Public liability does not cover theft by your own carers. Fidelity insurance covers that and is taken out separately.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-live-in-care.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.