Health Insurance for Employees (2024)

Health insurance is mandatory for employees in Germany. Before the first day of work, the employee should choose a statutory health insurance fund and apply for membership. The employer will ask for the health insurance membership before the first day of work. The health insurance starts on the day the employment relationship begins.

Every employee earning less than 5775.00 Euros per month must be insured with a statutory health insurance fund. The statutory health insurance system in Germany is unusual: There is not one, but about 100 statutory health insurance funds. These statutory health insurance funds are corporations under public law that are not allowed to make a profit, and provide their services following legal requirements.

Nevertheless, they compete with each other for members. There are, therefore, differences in their contributions and benefits. The work of statutory health insurance providers is strictly regulated. Most benefits are mandated by law. And: After 12 months, one can switch to any other statutory health insurance fund within the system.

If you enter Germany before the day you start work, you must take out guest insurance for the period between the date of entry and the start of work. This is not expensive and saves trouble when entering the country. Usually, EU citizens do not need this guest insurance.

Employees with a salary above 5775.00 Euros per month can take out private insurance. For employees with a temporary stay and a salary above 5775.00 Euros, there are special, slightly cheaper private health insurance for expats.

Which health insurance company to choose?
The level of benefits offered by public health insurance funds in Germany is regulated by law and corresponds to a high standard. There are however differences in their contributions and benefits. For those in a hurry, here are the two health insurance companies most frequently chosen on this portal.

Techniker Krankenkasse is the largest German health insurance company. They have offices all over Germany and offer good English service. hkk – Handelskrankenkasse is the Germany-wide health insurance company with the best price-perfomance ratio. Here you can apply online for membership with these health insurance companies:

• Techniker Krankenkasse
• hkk – Handelskrankenkasse

But don't forget: There are also many other statutory health insurance funds that you can choose.
In this section, we offer a comprehensive comparison of statutory health insurance funds.
Here you will find a list of all statutory health insurance funds. Employees can quickly find suitable health insurance for themselves and their families in Germany and apply for membership immediately.

How high is the contribution?
Statutory health insurance in Germany is a solidarity-based system. Employers and employees share the contributions. Spouses and children without their own income are insured free of charge. Contributions to statutory health insurance are calculated according to income. Those who earn more pay more, and those who earn less pay less.

Depending on the health insurance company, contributions are usually between about 15 and 17 percent. The employer pays half of this. Therefore, the amount actually paid by the employee is 7.5 to 8.5 percent of the salary. Contributions are calculated as a percentage of gross salary

• Here you can find a list of the contribution rates for employees.
• Here find a list of health insurance funds with the best price-performance ratio
• Here you can calculate the amount of your contributions.

How exactly does one join a health insurance fund?
In Germany, when you start working, you become obligated to have insurance, and every statutory health insurance fund must accept you. You must select a health insurance fund and apply. You can access the forms for each health insurance fund in Germany below. The health insurance funds are listed according to their contribution rates with the cheapest health insurance companies at the top.