Statutory health insurance: costs, contribution rates and special cases

In 2026, the costs of statutory health insurance come from three independent components:

• General contribution rate: 14.6 percent (reduced rate without entitlement to Krankengeld (i)KrankengeldStatutory sick pay from the statutory health insurance fund. It starts when the employer stops paying wages, usually from the seventh week of illness.: 14.0 percent).
• Fund-specific Zusatzbeitrag: 2.9 percent on average in 2026.
• Long-term care insurance: 3.6 percent for insured people with a child, 4.2 percent for people without children.

So with entitlement to Krankengeld (i), the contribution to health insurance is around 17.5 percent. The assessment is governed by § 223 SGB V, the contribution rate by § 243 SGB V. Only income up to the Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (i) is subject to contributions, not your entire income.

For employees, the employee and the employer each pay half of the health insurance contribution. The same applies to the Zusatzbeitrag (i).

A sample calculation at €4,000 gross shows this:

• General contribution rate of 14.6 percent: €584, so €292 for each side.
• Zusatzbeitrag (i) of 2.9 percent: €116, so €58 each.
• Long-term care insurance comes on top.

If you are privately insured, your employer pays you a contribution under § 257 SGB V. It is capped at half of the calculated maximum contribution and is at most €508.59 per month, expected to be €557.81 in 2027.

If you are self-employed and want to calculate your contribution to statutory health insurance, you pay it alone as a voluntary member. All types of income count together. With a low income, the minimum assessment basis of €1,318.33 per month applies, and the contribution does not fall below it.

Pensioners pay on their statutory pension under the rules of the Krankenversicherung der Rentner (i)KVdR · Krankenversicherung der RentnerStatutory health insurance for pensioners. Whether you qualify depends on how long you were in statutory insurance during your working life.. The pension insurance pays half of the contribution, including the Zusatzbeitrag (i). On company pensions, they pay the full contribution themselves, without an employer contribution.

Families have a structural advantage. If you have no income of your own above €565 per month (2027: €590), you are insured free of charge, while in private health insurance every person pays their own premium.

In 2026, the general maximum contribution is €1,226.44 per month. You reach it as soon as your income exceeds the Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (i).

• General: €1,226.44.
• Self-employed without children: €1,261.32.
• Self-employed with a child: €1,226.44.

Income above the limit does not raise the contribution any further. How this value is calculated and how it has developed is shown in detail on the page on the maximum contribution to statutory health insurance.

We have supported over 5,000 applications with health questions. The question of the right time for a switch to private health insurance is regularly at the center. The answer depends on income, family status, state of health and life planning.

If you pay the maximum contribution today, are healthy and do not want to insure a family with you in the long term, you will often find a cheaper offer or one with stronger benefits in private health insurance. Before any switch, we recommend that you set statutory costs against the private premium over twenty years. Today's difference says little. The burden over the whole insurance period says everything.

Yes. Contributions for basic cover are deductible as special expenses. For the self-employed, who pay the full contribution without an employer contribution, this is a noticeable tax advantage. How this works for privately insured people is explained in the article on how to deduct private health insurance from your taxes.

The main difference lies in the Zusatzbeitrag (i). In 2026 the range is from around 2.18 to 4.39 percent. Beyond that, funds differ in bonus programs and voluntary extra benefits, not in the basic care prescribed by law.

The difference lies in long-term care insurance. People without children pay 4.2 percent, insured people with a child 3.6 percent. This surcharge stabilizes long-term care insurance and has applied since contributions were differentiated by number of children in 2023.

Up to the Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (i) of €5,812.50 per month, which is €69,750 per year. Income above it is free of contributions and does not raise the contribution.