# Basic abilities insurance in Germany: a monthly income if your body lets you down > Grundfähigkeitsversicherung pays a monthly benefit if you lose one of the abilities listed in the policy, such as walking, seeing, speaking or using your hands. Your job does not matter. That makes it affordable for manual workers and people with a medical history who cannot get occupational disability insurance (BU) at a reasonable price. It does not replace BU in full. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-basic-abilities-insurance.php Updated: 2026-10-31 ## Is basic abilities insurance a good substitute for occupational disability insurance? It is the second best option when BU is refused or too expensive. BU asks whether you can still do your own job. Basic abilities insurance only asks whether you have lost a specific ability. If burnout or depression stops you working but you can still walk, see and use your hands, many policies pay nothing. For tradespeople, care workers and people with health issues it is still often the only income protection they can afford in Germany. ## At a glance - **Mandatory?:** No - **Trigger:** loss of an ability listed in the policy, regardless of your job - **Duration of impairment:** usually six months, often twelve for mental health causes - **Mental health:** not covered by many policies, or only for an extra premium - **Term:** with many insurers up to age 67 ## How a claim is assessed The policy contains a list of abilities and defines when each one counts as lost. For walking, that might mean you can no longer cover a set distance without a break; for sight, a specific remaining visual acuity. If your condition meets that definition for the agreed period, you receive the full monthly benefit. Whether you work, and in what job, is irrelevant. That is both the strength and the limit. There is no argument about your occupation, no referral to another job and no question of whether you could reorganise your business. But if you lose your job without losing one of the listed abilities, you receive nothing. A surgeon with a slight tremor cannot operate, yet can still turn a key. ## Why this matters more if you are new to Germany The German state disability pension (Erwerbsminderungsrente) generally requires five years of insurance, and it only pays if you cannot do any work for six hours a day. Many people who moved here recently have no state cover for years. A private policy closes that gap, and basic abilities cover is easier to obtain than BU for many manual jobs. Health questions apply as well. They are often shorter than for BU, but treatment abroad counts just as much as treatment in Germany. Have your medical records from your home country to hand before you apply. ## The mental health gap and what the German consumer test expects Mental illness is the most common reason people have to stop working, and many basic abilities policies leave it out or offer it only as an add-on. German consumer advice centres point this out explicitly. Stiftung Warentest, the German consumer testing foundation, reviewed 37 policies from 19 insurers in its July 2025 issue. Its minimum standard includes intellectual and social abilities, mental illness and cover for long-term care needs, not just physical abilities. More than half of the policies tested were rated good. ## What is covered - Monthly benefit if you lose a covered ability such as walking, climbing stairs, seeing, hearing, speaking or using your hands - Benefit regardless of whether and where you work - Loss of mental abilities such as memory or concentration, depending on the policy - Mental illness, usually only in extended policies or as an add-on - Need for long-term care as a separate trigger, depending on the policy - Premium waiver while you receive benefits - Option to increase cover without new health questions on certain occasions, depending on the policy ## What is not covered - Inability to do your job if no listed ability is lost - Impairments below the threshold defined in the policy - Pre-existing conditions not disclosed on the application - Exclusions agreed when the insurer accepted you - Deliberately self-inflicted harm - Benefits beyond the agreed end age ## Who needs it - Tradespeople and other manual workers for whom BU is very expensive - People with a medical history who were refused BU or only offered it with exclusions - Students, apprentices and young professionals who want affordable cover early - Newcomers to Germany without a record in the state pension system - Anyone with BU cover who wants extra protection against serious physical harm ## Who does not need it - If you can get affordable BU cover without major exclusions, take that first - If your savings would carry you to retirement without earned income ## What it costs Because your job does not affect the benefit, it affects the premium less than with BU. For manual occupations basic abilities insurance is therefore usually much cheaper. The biggest differences come from the scope of cover and the add-ons you choose. **What drives the premium:** - Number and definition of covered abilities - Add-ons for mental health, care needs, serious illness or sick leave - Age and health when you apply - Monthly benefit amount - Term and end age - Occupation, broadly classified by some insurers - Indexation before and during a claim _We do not quote a premium range, because scope and add-ons drive the price more than anything else. Your premium is only fixed in the quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Basic:** Physical abilities and senses: walking, standing, gripping, seeing, hearing, speaking. Low cost, but no cover for mental illness. - **Extended:** Adds mental abilities, mental illness and long-term care needs. In line with the minimum standard used by Stiftung Warentest. - **Extended with add-ons:** Extended cover plus benefits for serious illness or long sick leave. Closest to BU, and the most expensive. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mental illness | available as an add-on | included in the main policy with a clear definition | Mental illness is the most common reason for losing the ability to work. | | Duration of impairment | twelve months | six months, also for mental health causes | Every month of waiting is a month without income. | | Long-term care | from a high care level | separate trigger from a low care level | Care needs often arise without one listed ability being completely lost. | | Definition of abilities | clear thresholds | realistic thresholds, such as walking a short distance rather than full paralysis | Whether the policy pays depends entirely on the wording. | | End age | 60 or 63 | 67 | Serious illness becomes more common in the years just before retirement. | | Increase option | on marriage and birth of a child | many occasions, also at regular intervals without a reason | Your benefit should grow with your income without new health questions. | | Switch to BU | none | switch to BU without new health questions up to a certain age | A way for students and apprentices to move to stronger cover later. | ## Insurers on the German market Basic abilities insurance is underwritten by German life insurers. The list of abilities and their definitions matter more than the brand. This is a market overview, not a statement about which insurers we work with. - **Allianz**: life insurer of the Allianz group, agents and brokers - **Hannoversche**: direct insurer of the VHV group - **R+V**: insurer of the German cooperative banks, banks and brokers - **Baloise**: German life insurer of the Baloise group, agents and brokers - **Nürnberger**: part of the Nürnberger group, agents and brokers - **Swiss Life**: German company of the Swiss Life group, mainly through brokers - **Württembergische**: part of the W&W group, agents and brokers - **Zurich**: German life insurer of the Zurich group, agents, banks and brokers - **die Bayerische**: part of the die Bayerische group, agents and brokers - **HUK-COBURG**: sells directly, does not work with brokers 77 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Lebensversicherer). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Roofer with a slipped disc** (monthly benefit while he cannot walk or stand): If he can no longer walk the distance in the policy or stand for long enough, an ability is lost. Any sound policy pays, without asking about his job. - **Burnout, a year off work** (at €1,500 a month: €18,000 in the first year): Basic policies do not cover mental illness. Extended ones pay if the definition is met, often only after twelve months of impairment. - **Stroke with speech problems** (monthly benefit until the end age, often for years): Speaking is in almost every list. If the impairment lasts for the agreed period, the policy pays. - **Eight months of chemotherapy** (months without income, benefit only with an add-on): Cancer treatment does not necessarily take away one ability for good. An add-on for serious illness or sick leave closes this gap, the basic policy does not. - **Care needs after an accident** (monthly benefit plus premium waiver): Strong policies pay from a low care level. Basic ones only pay if a listed ability is also lost. - **Software developer with RSI** (unable to code full time, but no benefit): She can still grip, write and use a phone, just not type for hours. The threshold is not met. This is the case BU exists for. ## Myth or truth - „Basic abilities insurance is just BU under another name." ✘ False. BU looks at your job, basic abilities insurance only at specific abilities. If you lose your job without losing one of them, it pays nothing. - „For manual workers it is usually much cheaper than BU." ✔ True. Because the job plays no part in the benefit, the surcharge for physical work is small. In trades where BU is barely affordable, that is the main reason to choose it. - „Mental illness is always included." ✘ False. Many policies leave it out or charge extra. Stiftung Warentest therefore counts it as part of the minimum standard. - „Children can already be insured." ✔ True. Several insurers accept children from age six. This locks in their health at that age, and some policies allow a later switch to BU. - „Because the health questions are shorter, they matter less." ✘ False. A wrong answer lets the insurer withdraw from the contract, just as with any other life policy, and usually at the moment you claim. ## Common mistakes - Taking basic abilities cover without first checking whether BU is available - Choosing the cheapest policy that leaves out mental illness - Comparing only the number of abilities, not their definitions - Answering the shorter health questions from memory and forgetting treatment abroad - Setting the monthly benefit too low or letting cover end before 67 - Not increasing cover as your income rises ## FAQ ### Which abilities are typically covered? Almost always seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, climbing stairs, standing, sitting and using your hands and arms. Better policies add driving, using a keyboard or smartphone, memory, concentration and social abilities. What counts is the point at which an ability is treated as lost. ### Does it pay for burnout or depression? Only if the policy explicitly includes mental illness, either in the main cover or as an add-on. A longer qualifying period, often twelve months, then usually applies. Without that, mental illness is generally not covered. ### Can I take out a German policy if I am not a German citizen? Yes. What matters is that you live in Germany when you apply and can pay from a SEPA account. Some insurers ask how long you plan to stay. Nationality as such is rarely an obstacle. ### Do I have to answer health questions? Yes. Many insurers ask fewer questions than for BU, but the answers are just as binding. If you give wrong answers, the insurer can withdraw from the contract within five years, or ten if deliberate, under German insurance law. ### From what age can I apply? Several insurers accept children from age six. The maximum entry age is often 55 or 60. The younger and healthier you are when you apply, the lower the premium. ### How long does it pay? As long as the ability remains lost, at most until the agreed end age. If your condition improves so that the definition is no longer met, the benefit stops. ### What happens if I leave Germany? The cover usually continues worldwide, because the loss of an ability is a medical finding. Check the policy terms before you move, and keep paying from an account the insurer accepts. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## Request quotes We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-basic-abilities-insurance.php#anfrage --- 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.