# Insurance for freelance nurses and self employed carers in Germany

> Freelance nurses and self employed carers in Germany work on their own account, in home care, in counselling or as agency nurses. They are personally liable for every mistake, and social security law has its own rules: compulsory pension insurance, the Berufsgenossenschaft and the question whether you count as self employed at all. This page shows what you should insure and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-freelance-nurse.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## As an agency nurse, am I covered by the care home's liability insurance?

Do not rely on it. As a self employed nurse you are liable for your own mistakes; the facility's policy mainly protects the facility and its employees. Your own professional liability policy covers your work wherever you are.

## At a glance

- **Pension insurance:** Self employed carers in nursing, maternity, infant or child care who regularly employ no staff subject to insurance must pay into the statutory pension scheme (§ 2 SGB VI)
- **Accident insurance:** Anyone self employed in health care or welfare is covered by statutory accident insurance by law (§ 2 (1) no. 9 SGB VII), usually with the BGW
- **Status:** Agency nurses working in inpatient care homes are as a rule employees in that work (Federal Social Court, 7 June 2019, B 12 R 6/18 R)
- **Biggest risk:** A care error causing harm, for which you are personally liable
- **Basic cover from:** about €100 a year for professional liability of a freelance nurse (guide price from our quoting practice)

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Care errors:** A fall during a transfer, a mixed up injection, a missed pressure sore: you pay for the consequences from your own assets.
- **Damage in other homes:** On home visits an aid breaks, water leaks or a key goes missing.
- **Status checks:** If the pension insurer classifies you as an employee, back payments and disputes with clients follow.
- **Losing your ability to work:** Back, knees, infections: a self employed carer who cannot work has no income.
- **Accidents on the road:** Many kilometres between jobs, often in your own car and in all weather.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): Pays for injury, property damage and financial loss from your care work and defends you against unjustified claims. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Car insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is compulsory; declare business use for your visits. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Replaces income if you can no longer work in your profession for health reasons. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For status checks, fee disputes and conflicts with clients. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Also pays for accidents in your free time, which the Berufsgenossenschaft does not cover. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Professional liability is cheap; income protection and your car cost more. The premium depends on your field, such as intensive care or counselling.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Freelance nurse in home care, €3 million cover | about €100 to €300 a year |
| Professional indemnity | Agency nurse in intensive care and hospitals, €5 million cover | about €250 to €600 a year |
| Occupational disability | Nurse aged 35, €1,500 monthly benefit | about €1,000 to €2,000 a year |
| Business legal expenses | Self employed without staff | about €250 to €600 a year |

For comparison: Professional liability costs about as much a year as two or three hours of a freelance nurse's fees.

_Guide prices from our quoting practice, as of October 2026. Income protection depends heavily on age and health. The sources below support the legal statements; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Gesetze im Internet: § 2 SGB VI, self employed persons](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_6/__2.html)
- [Gesetze im Internet: § 2 SGB VII, compulsory accident insurance](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__2.html)
- [Federal Social Court: press release on agency nurses, 7 June 2019](https://www.bsg.bund.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2019/2019_22.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (nurse at the start of self employment): Professional indemnity, Car insurance. Together: about €600 to €1,300 a year, mostly for the car
- **Self employed** (nurse with regular clients and home visits): Professional indemnity, Car insurance, Occupational disability, Business legal expenses. Together: about €2,000 to €4,000 a year
- **Full cover** (agency nurse in intensive care with full income protection): Professional indemnity, Car insurance, Occupational disability, Business legal expenses, Accident insurance. Together: about €2,500 to €5,000 a year, depending on age

## The worst day as a freelance nurse

Five things that really happen to freelance nurses, all on a single Monday here. Tap through the day and see who pays.

- 07:30: On the way to your first visit you slide into a parked car. (€4,000, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 09:10: A patient falls during a transfer and breaks a wrist. (€15,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 11:40: While cleaning, a patient's hearing aid falls into the sink and is ruined. (€2,500, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 14:00: The pension insurer classifies your main contract as employment; you appeal. (€4,000, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 17:20: A slipped disc puts you out of work for months. (€18,000, Paid by: Occupational disability)

**Damage so far:** €43,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Name all activities in the policy: basic care, treatment care, intensive care, counselling and training.
- Include lost keys and damage to things in your care.
- Have your status checked before a large contract, for example with a formal status determination procedure.
- Register with the BGW and check your insured sum; it determines benefits after a work accident.
- Protect your income early; the younger and healthier you are, the lower the premium.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We compare for the self employed:** Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and obtains quotes from several insurers, from professional liability to income protection.
- **We know claims from practice:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. That experience goes into our advice.
- **Advice in English:** Liability, car, income and pension with one contact person. Advice is free of charge; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Do I need professional liability as a freelance nurse in Germany?

No law requires it in general. Without it you pay for care errors from your private assets.

### Do I have to pay into the pension scheme as a self employed nurse?

Yes, if you work in nursing, maternity, infant or child care and regularly employ no staff subject to insurance (§ 2 SGB VI).

### Am I covered by the BGW as a self employed nurse?

Anyone self employed in health care or welfare is covered by statutory accident insurance by law under § 2 (1) no. 9 SGB VII.

### Can I work as an agency nurse in a care home?

In 2019 the Federal Social Court ruled that agency nurses in inpatient care homes are as a rule employees. Self employment there is only possible by way of exception.

### How much does professional liability cost for nurses?

About €100 to €300 a year for home care, about €250 to €600 for intensive care and hospital work. These are guide prices from our quoting practice.

## 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-freelance-nurse.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.