Krankengeld in Germany: Income Support During Long-Term Illness
Krankengeld is a financial benefit provided by statutory health insurance funds to compensate part of your income when you are unable to work due to long-term illness.
| Situation | Duration |
|---|---|
| Start of illness | First 6 weeks: Your employer continues paying your salary. |
| From week 7 onwards | The health insurance fund begins paying Krankengeld. |
👉 Continuous electronic medical certificates (eAU) are required with no gaps.
Rate:
70% of your last gross salary,
but not exceeding 90% of your net salary.
Maximum daily amount:
approx. €116 per day (2025)
No taxes are deducted, but pension and long-term care contributions are withheld.
Up to 78 weeks (1.5 years) for the same illness within a 3-year period.
If a completely new diagnosis occurs, the countdown restarts.
Statutory health insurance membership
Continuous medical certificate (eAU)
No continued salary payment after week 6
No income-generating employment during illness
Yes, if they opted for Krankengeld coverage when registering with the statutory insurance.
Higher contribution rate
Payments begin:
after 6 weeks, or
from day 1, depending on the tariff
Your doctor submits the eAU directly to the insurance fund.
For long-term sickness, the insurer may request additional forms.
Payments are made every 14 days or monthly.
Krankengeld counts only partially toward pension credits.
Cannot be combined with Elterngeld or Arbeitslosengeld I.
Part-time reintegration (Hamburger Modell) must be coordinated with physician and insurer.
