Sickness Daily Allowance Insurance in Germany

The Sickness Daily Allowance Insurance is offered by private insurance companies. It pays an agreed upon amount in case you as the insured person can’t work for anything between 6 and 72 weeks due to a disease or an accident.The total sum per month is broken down into equal sums per day, giving this insurance its name.

If you are still unable to work after 72 weeks, the Occupational Disability Insurance kicks in (if you have one).

To determine the premium, the insurance company mainly focuses on 5 factors: The amount needed, when coverage should start (e. g. it could start after 4 days, after 2 weeks or after months), your age when applying, your job and your health status. Since payout phase is limited to a max of 72 weeks, a Sickness Daily Allowance Insurance is usually cheaper (and easier to get) than an Occuptional Disability Insurance.

The Sickness Daily Allowance Insurance is only sold via private insurance companies, and just like the Occupational Disability Insurance, it doesn’t have to be granted. When applying, you will have to answer health related questions.

Since the process can be complicated for non-experts and the risk of handing out too little (or too much) personal information is high, we strongly recommend asking a licenced insurance advisor to handle your application.

If one (or more) insurance companies didn’t accept you as a client, you can go for a Basic Ability Insurance instead. Those insurances cover your basic abilities such as being able to see, hear, move, talk, write etc. They do not cover diseases as such, but do cover a loss of a basic ability as a result of a disease. Since coverage is limited in comparison to an Occupational Disability Insurance, a Basic Ability Insurance is usually cheaper and easier to get.
It might even be possible to get a Sickness Daily Allowance Insurance via your employer. Please contact us for further details.

Absolutely. You can apply for a Sickness Daily Allowance Insurance in Germany as soon as you have a legal address in Germany (= Anmeldung) and Germany is your main location of living (= Hauptwohnsitz). With most insurance companies, coverage is worldwide, meaning you’re also covered if e.g. you have an accident abroad that leads to a mid-long absence from work.

Of course. A Sickness Daily Allowance Insurance can be canceled for any reason and at any time. Cancellation period is usually between 1 and 3 months, though differences may occur. Once the contract is canceled, you would have to go through the application process again if you wanted coverage at any time in the future.