# Sick pay insurance: keeping your income when illness keeps you off work > In Germany your employer pays your full salary for the first six weeks of illness. After that, public health insurance pays sick pay that is capped and below your net income. Self-employed people often get nothing at all unless they have opted in. A private daily sick pay plan (Krankentagegeld) pays a fixed amount for every day you cannot work, so rent, loans and living costs stay covered. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-sick-pay-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-03 ## From which day should private sick pay start? For employees, from day 43, which is exactly when the employer's six weeks of continued pay end. If you are self-employed, choose the start day according to your savings. If you can bridge six weeks yourself, a late start keeps the premium low. If you have no buffer, you need an early start, depending on the insurer from day 4, 8, 15 or 22. ## At a glance - **Who needs it:** self-employed people, freelancers, employees earning above the contribution ceiling, the privately insured - **Mandatory?:** No - **Employer pay:** six weeks of full salary, then public sick pay - **Public sick pay 2026:** 70% of gross, max. 90% of net, at most €135.63 a day before deductions - **Condition for private cover:** complete inability to work in your occupation, certified by a doctor - **When payments stop:** when you return to work or are found permanently unable to do your job ## The gap after six weeks Once continued pay from your employer ends, the public health fund pays Krankengeld: 70 percent of gross earnings, at most 90 percent of net, and only on income up to the contribution ceiling of €5,812.50 a month. In 2026 that means a maximum of €135.63 a day, from which pension, unemployment and long term care contributions are still deducted. Average earners lose roughly ten to twenty percent of their net pay. High earners can lose a third or more. A private plan starting on day 43 tops up exactly this difference and is relatively inexpensive, because it only pays for longer absences. ## Self-employed in Germany: no opt in, no money If you are self-employed and in public health insurance, you only receive sick pay after filing an election declaration (Wahlerklärung) with your fund. Benefits then start on day 43, and your contribution rate rises from the reduced to the general rate. Without that declaration you get no sick pay, however long you are ill. The first six weeks are on you either way. That is where a private plan with an early start day helps. If you are privately insured, you have no public sick pay at all, and the private daily benefit is your only income replacement. ## What inability to work means in the policy German model terms for private sick pay require complete inability to work: on medical findings you temporarily cannot practise your occupation in any way, you are not practising it, and you have no other paid work. Answering client emails while signed off can cost you the benefit. If it becomes clear you will never be able to return to your job, the sick pay plan ends. From then on only disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung) pays. The two belong together: sick pay for temporary illness, disability cover for the long term. ## What is covered - A fixed daily amount for each calendar day of complete inability to work - Illness and accidents, at work and in private life - Mental health conditions when a doctor certifies inability to work - No fixed maximum duration as long as the inability to work is temporary - A start day of your choice, for the self-employed often from day 4 - Depending on the plan, increases in line with rising income without new health questions - Depending on the plan, payments during a gradual return to work ## What is not covered - Partial inability to work, for example if you keep working half days - Permanent inability to do your job, which needs separate disability cover - Conditions excluded when you signed up - Illness during the waiting period - Days before the agreed start day - Payments above your actual net income ## Who needs it - Self-employed people and freelancers whose income stops on the first day of illness - Anyone in German private health insurance, who receives no public sick pay - Employees earning above the contribution ceiling - People paying a mortgage, loan or rent out of their monthly income ## Who does not need it - Civil servants (Beamte), whose pay continues during illness - Employees on modest incomes whose public sick pay comes close to their net pay and who have savings ## What it costs The premium depends mostly on the start day. Sick pay from day 43 costs a fraction of the same amount from day 4, because most sick notes end after a few days. **What drives the premium:** - Start day of payments - Daily amount - Age when you sign up - Occupation, since manual work leads to more absences - Health status and any surcharges or exclusions - Pricing with or without ageing reserves _We do not show example premiums because occupation, start day and daily amount move the price too much. Your premium is fixed in the quote after the health questions._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Top up for employees:** Daily benefit from day 43, covering the gap between net pay and public sick pay. Inexpensive, because it starts after employer pay ends. - **Cover for the self-employed:** Daily benefit equal to net income from an early day, such as day 15 or 22. Costs more, but money arrives after a short buffer. - **Staggered cover:** A small amount from day 4 or 8 and a larger one from day 43. Covers fixed costs early and full income in a long illness. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Start day | from day 43 | freely chosen, from day 4 for the self-employed, also staggered | It has to match your savings and any employer pay. | | Increases with income | only with new health questions | increase without health questions when income rises | After a diagnosis you could otherwise no longer increase cover. | | Reduction when income falls | cut to your new net income | waived or tightly limited, for example in the start up years | One weak year should not permanently reduce your cover. | | Gradual return to work | no payments once you work a few hours | payments during a medically supervised gradual return | Getting back after serious illness often takes weeks. | | Transition to disability | ends when permanent inability to work is established | several months of continued payments and alignment with disability cover | Otherwise there can be a period with no money from either policy. | | Cancellation by the insurer | statutory right in the first three years | insurer waives it from day one | Your cover should stay after your first long absence. | ## Insurers on the German market Daily sick pay is offered by German private health insurers, either as a standalone plan for people in public insurance or as part of full private cover. The list is a market overview of well-known insurers. - **DKV**: health insurer of ERGO Group - **ERGO**: part of Munich Re, also sold directly online - **Allianz**: agents and brokers - **Barmenia**: part of Barmenia Gothaer group - **Hallesche**: part of ALH group, sold through brokers - **Signal Iduna**: mutual insurer, agents and brokers - **Continentale**: mutual insurer, agents and brokers - **INTER**: Mannheim based insurer, agents and brokers 42 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Krankenversicherer). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Freelance designer breaks her arm** (five weeks without income): A plan starting on day 43 pays nothing for five weeks off. With a start on day 8 or 15, most of the time is covered. - **Slipped disc, three months off** (around €12,000 on €4,000 net a month): Even the basic plan pays from day 43. Only an early start day covers the first six weeks. - **Burnout after a big project** (often several months without income): With complete inability to work certified by a doctor, sick pay also covers mental health. Gaps arise with a late start or excluded past conditions. - **Signed off, but answering emails** (the daily benefit for that period): Working in your job while signed off means you are not completely unable to work. That applies to every plan. - **Gradual return after cancer** (several weeks of a few hours a day): Without a special clause, payments stop with the first hour of work. Some plans keep paying during a gradual return, often at a reduced rate. - **Roofer can never climb again** (lost income until retirement): Once permanent inability to work is established, sick pay ends after a short run off period. Disability insurance covers the years after. ## Myth or truth - „Self-employed people in German public insurance automatically get sick pay." ✘ Wrong. They only have a claim after filing an election declaration with their fund, and then only from day 43. Without it there is no sick pay. - „Private sick pay cannot exceed my net income." ✔ True. Nobody is meant to profit from being ill. You can insure at most your net earnings, and employees only the gap above public sick pay. - „If I can work half days, I get half the daily benefit." ✘ Wrong. The terms do not recognise partial inability to work. Either you cannot do your job at all, or there is no payment, unless a plan expressly covers a gradual return. - „Public sick pay in Germany has an upper limit." ✔ True. It is calculated on income up to the contribution ceiling. In 2026 that is at most €135.63 a day, before social contributions are deducted. - „Sick pay keeps paying until retirement if I become permanently disabled." ✘ Wrong. Sick pay is for temporary illness. Once permanent inability to work is established, it ends after a short run off period. That is what disability insurance is for. ## Common mistakes - Being self-employed in public insurance without filing the election declaration - Setting the daily amount once and never adjusting it as income grows - Choosing a late start day without savings to cover the weeks before - Doing some work while signed off sick - Treating sick pay as if it were disability cover - Leaving earlier sick notes out of the health questions ## FAQ ### How much daily sick pay can I insure? At most your net income from work, converted to a calendar day. Employees only insure the gap above public sick pay, because the two together may not exceed net pay. The insurer checks your income when you claim. ### How long does private sick pay last? Plans usually have no fixed maximum. They pay as long as you are temporarily and completely unable to work. Payments stop when you return to work or a doctor finds you permanently unable to do your job. Public sick pay, by contrast, ends after at most 78 weeks for the same illness within three years. ### Do I get anything if I can work part time? Usually not. The terms require complete inability to work. If you do your job even for a few hours, there is no claim. Some plans pay during a medically supervised gradual return, but only if the policy says so. ### I am self-employed. Public sick pay or a private plan? You can combine both. Many self-employed people opt in to public sick pay from day 43 and add a private plan for the first six weeks. Compare what costs less: the higher public contribution rate or a private plan from day 43. ### Can the insurer cancel after I have been ill? For sick pay plans without an employer contribution, the insurer may cancel in the first three years (section 206 of the German Insurance Contract Act). After that it cannot. Good plans waive this right from the start. ### Is burnout or depression covered? Yes, if a doctor certifies complete inability to work. Mental health conditions often lead to long absences. Check that the plan has no exclusions for them, and disclose past treatment in full when you apply. ### Do I need German to deal with the insurer? Policy documents and sick notes are in German, and some insurers offer English service. As your broker we can explain the terms, handle the application and help with claims. ## 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-sick-pay-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.