Getting sick happens. What's reassuring about working in Germany is that the financial protection when it does is among the strongest anywhere. Most expats are surprised by how long it extends — and some are caught off guard when the rules change at the six-week mark.
Here's how the whole system works, from day one through to long-term illness.
Sick Pay Germany 2026: Key Facts at a Glance
| Detail | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Employer sick pay (Entgeltfortzahlung) | 100% of salary for 6 weeks |
| Krankengeld rate | 70% of gross, max 90% of net |
| Krankengeld max daily rate | €135.63/day (~€4,069/month gross) |
| Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (health) | €5,812.50/month (€69,750/year) |
| Krankengeld duration | Up to 78 weeks per illness in 3 years |
| Sick note required | By day 3 (electronic, eAU) |
| Kinderkrankengeld (per child) | 15 days/parent (30 for single parents) |
| Kinderkrankengeld rate | 90% of net earnings |
| First 4 weeks of employment | No employer sick pay (insurer pays instead) |
| Self-employed GKV opt-in rate | 14.6% (vs 14.0% without Krankengeld) |
The First Six Weeks: Employer Pays Full Salary
When you're too ill to work, your employer is legally required to keep paying your full salary for up to six consecutive weeks. This is called Entgeltfortzahlung — continued wage payment — and it applies from your first day of illness.
No waiting period. No deductible. You receive your normal gross salary as if you'd shown up.
The six-week clock runs per illness. If you recover, return to work, and then fall ill with the same condition again, the clock may continue from where it left off rather than resetting — unless you've been back at work for at least six months in between, or twelve months have passed since the first sick day for that illness. If you develop a completely different illness, a new six-week period starts independently.
Employer sick pay in Germany is among the most generous in the world. In the US, you'd typically exhaust PTO days and move to unpaid leave. Here, six full weeks of full salary is the legal minimum.
The Four-Week Exception
There's one important exception: during your first four weeks of employment with a new employer, you don't have a right to Entgeltfortzahlung. If you fall ill during this initial period, your health insurer pays Krankengeld from day one instead — so you're not left without income, but you'll receive the reduced Krankengeld rate rather than your full salary.
This catches some expats off guard, especially those starting a new job in Germany for the first time. It's another reason to make sure your health insurance is properly set up before your start date.
After Six Weeks: Krankengeld Kicks In
Once the employer's six-week obligation ends, your public health insurer (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV) takes over and begins paying Krankengeld — statutory sick pay.
Krankengeld is calculated as the lower of two figures:
- 70% of your regular gross salary (Regelentgelt), or
- 90% of your most recent net salary
Whichever is lower becomes your Krankengeld amount. In practice, the 90%-of-net figure is usually the binding one for most employees.
The Maximum Cap
There's also an absolute ceiling. Since Krankengeld is calculated based on income up to the Beitragsbemessungsgrenze (contribution assessment ceiling) — which is €5,812.50/month (€69,750/year) in 2026 — the maximum daily rate works out to €135.63 per day, or roughly €4,069 per month gross.
But that's not what lands in your account. Social insurance contributions for pension, unemployment, and long-term care insurance are still deducted from Krankengeld. After these deductions, you'll receive roughly 10–12% less than the gross Krankengeld figure.
If your salary is above the Beitragsbemessungsgrenze, the cap applies to you — your Krankengeld won't reflect income above that ceiling. If your salary is above the Versicherungspflichtgrenze (€77,400/year in 2026) and you're on private insurance, different rules apply entirely (see the PKV section below).
How Long Can You Receive Krankengeld?
Krankengeld can be paid for up to 78 weeks within a rolling three-year period for the same illness. The first six weeks are covered by your employer's Entgeltfortzahlung, leaving up to 72 weeks of Krankengeld from your insurer.
Once the 78 weeks are exhausted for a specific condition, you can only restart the clock if you've worked again for at least six months and contributed to your health insurance during that time.
What Happens After 78 Weeks?
If you're still too ill to work after Krankengeld runs out, the next step is typically an application for Erwerbsminderungsrente — a reduced earning capacity pension through the Deutsche Rentenversicherung. This is a pension benefit, not sick pay, and it requires a medical assessment.
Between the end of Krankengeld and the start of Erwerbsminderungsrente, there can be a gap. Your health insurer will usually notify you well before Krankengeld expires and advise you to apply for the pension early. If you're approaching this point, don't wait — the pension application process takes months.
If you don't qualify for Erwerbsminderungsrente (for example, if you haven't contributed to the pension system for at least five years), you may need to apply for Bürgergeld (social assistance) as a temporary bridge.
The Sick Note: Electronic Since 2023
Since January 2023, Germany uses an electronic sick note system called eAU (elektronische Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung). Your doctor sends the certificate directly to your health insurer, and your employer retrieves it electronically from the insurer.
You don't need to bring a paper copy anywhere. That said, you're still required to:
- Inform your employer on the first day you're unable to work — by phone, email, or whatever your company's standard process is. Don't wait to see how you feel on day two.
- See a doctor by the third calendar day at the latest. Many employment contracts or collective agreements require a certificate from day one — check your contract.
Your employer can see that you're ill and the expected duration, but they cannot see the diagnosis. That information stays between you and your doctor.
Keep a personal copy of your sick note for your records. While the electronic system handles employer and insurer notification automatically, having your own record is useful if any disputes arise about dates or durations.
Kinderkrankengeld: When Your Child Is Sick
If your child under 12 is ill and you need to stay home to care for them, you're entitled to Kinderkrankengeld — paid child sick days through your health insurer. This is separate from your own Krankengeld entitlement.
For 2024 through 2026, each parent with statutory health insurance (GKV) gets 15 working days per child per year. Single parents get 30 days per child. If you have multiple children, the cap is 35 days per parent (70 for single parents) regardless of the number of children.
Kinderkrankengeld pays 90% of your net earnings — a higher replacement rate than regular Krankengeld. Your employer doesn't pay for these days; the health insurer covers them directly.
To claim it, you need a doctor's certificate confirming your child is sick and requires supervision, and no other household member is available to provide care.
Private Insurance: No Automatic Sick Pay
If you're insured privately (PKV), you do not automatically receive Krankengeld. Private health insurance policies in Germany don't include it by default.
Instead, private insurers offer a separate product called Krankentagegeld — a daily sick pay allowance that kicks in after a waiting period you choose when you take out the policy. Common waiting periods are 22 days (to align with the end of employer Entgeltfortzahlung at 42 days) or 43 days.
The monthly premium depends on your age, the daily benefit amount you select, and the waiting period. The shorter the waiting period and the higher the daily amount, the more you'll pay.
If you're on PKV and haven't separately taken out Krankentagegeld, check your policy now. The income gap after six weeks of employer sick pay can be significant — especially for expats who moved to Germany recently and may not have savings to bridge the gap.
Self-Employed and Freelancers
If you're self-employed and insured through the GKV — either because you were previously employed and stayed in the system, or because you joined voluntarily — you have a choice about Krankengeld coverage.
The standard GKV contribution rate of 14.6% (plus your insurer's supplementary rate) includes Krankengeld entitlement. But many self-employed members opt for the reduced rate of 14.0% (plus supplementary), which does not include Krankengeld. The difference of 0.6% is the price of sick pay coverage.
If you're on the reduced rate, you won't receive any Krankengeld if you fall ill — the gap between your employer (which doesn't exist, since you're self-employed) and zero income is entirely on you. If you're freelancing in Germany, this is one of the first things to sort out.
Self-employed GKV members who do opt in receive Krankengeld from the 43rd day of illness onward (after a 42-day waiting period), not from week seven like employees. The amount is based on your declared income.
For a deeper look at health insurance structures, see our healthcare guide.
Your Obligations While on Sick Leave
Being on sick leave in Germany comes with responsibilities:
You must do everything reasonable to recover. This doesn't mean you're confined to bed — you can go grocery shopping, take walks, and generally live your life. But if your doctor recommends rest and your employer spots you running a marathon, that's a problem.
You must attend any follow-up appointments and obtain new sick notes before the current one expires. Gaps in documentation can delay or interrupt your Krankengeld payments.
Your health insurer's medical service (Medizinischer Dienst) may request an assessment, especially for longer absences. This is a standard review to confirm ongoing inability to work — not an accusation. Cooperate fully; declining the assessment can lead to your Krankengeld being suspended.
You cannot be terminated solely because you're on sick leave, but extended illness can become a factor in termination decisions under certain circumstances (krankheitsbedingte Kündigung). German labour law has strong protections here, but they're not absolute.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much sick pay do you get in Germany in 2026? For the first six weeks, your employer pays 100% of your salary. After that, your public health insurer pays Krankengeld at 70% of your gross salary (capped at 90% of net). The maximum is €135.63/day or about €4,069/month gross. After social insurance deductions, you'll receive roughly €3,500–€3,600/month net at the maximum.
How long does sick pay last in Germany? Up to 78 weeks per illness within a rolling three-year period. The first six weeks come from your employer at full salary, and the remaining 72 weeks come from your health insurer as Krankengeld. After 78 weeks, you may be eligible for Erwerbsminderungsrente (disability pension).
Do I get sick pay as an expat in Germany? Yes, if you're employed and insured through the public health system (GKV). The rules apply equally to German nationals and expats. If you're on private insurance (PKV), you'll need a separate Krankentagegeld policy for coverage beyond the six-week employer period.
What happens if I get sick in my first month at a new job? During your first four weeks of employment, you don't receive employer sick pay (Entgeltfortzahlung). Instead, your health insurer pays Krankengeld directly. This means you'll receive the reduced rate (70% gross / 90% net) rather than your full salary.
How many sick days can I take for a sick child? Each parent gets 15 working days per child per year (30 for single parents), capped at 35 days total for multiple children (70 for single parents). Kinderkrankengeld pays 90% of net earnings and applies for children under 12. These days are separate from your own sick leave.
Do I need to tell my employer what illness I have? No. Your employer sees the sick note duration but not the diagnosis. That information is confidential between you and your doctor. You only need to inform your employer that you're unable to work and for how long.
Germany's sick pay system is one of the most employee-friendly in the world. Six weeks of full salary followed by up to 72 weeks of Krankengeld means a serious illness doesn't automatically become a financial crisis — which is a meaningful difference from what most expats are used to in their home countries.
If you're working through the practicalities of relocating to Germany — insurance, contracts, healthcare, taxes — that's exactly what we help with at Move2Europe.
Book a free consultation and let's make sure you're properly set up from the start.
Official sources:
- Bundesgesundheitsministerium — Krankengeld — Sick pay rules, calculation, and duration
- Bundesgesundheitsministerium — Kinderkrankengeld — Child sick day entitlements and rules
- Bundesregierung — Beitragsbemessungsgrenzen 2026 — Social insurance ceilings for 2026
- Techniker Krankenkasse — Sick Pay Guide — Practical overview for insured members