Sick pay calculator (Krankengeldrechner)

Calculate how much Krankengeld you can receive in Germany

Sickness Benefit (Krankengeld)

Enter your latest monthly income to find out your sickness benefit

If you are not sure, use the Salary Calculator

e.g. Christmas bonus, in the last twelve months (gross amount)

Information about Krankengeld - a quick glance

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Maximum Gross Salary per month 4.827,50 € 70%
Maximum Net Salary per month 3.386,40 € 90%
How long can I receive Krankengeld? from 6 weeks up to 78 weeks
Health Insurance Yes -
Pension Insurance Yes -
Unemployment Insurance Yes -
Care Insurance Yes -

Frequently Asked Questions about Krankengeldrechner

Written by Adithya Srinivasan

Krankengeldrechner (Sickness Benefit Calculator) allows you to estimate how much Krankengeld you can receive when you fall sick. Currently, most Krankengeldrechner's available are only in German. I built this version in English to make it easier to understand and estimate how much Krankengeld you can receive.

What is Krankengeld?
When you are sick for longer than six weeks for the same illness, you can claim sick pay (Krankengeld). Bundesministerium für Gesundheit has a dedicated page for Krankengeld.
What values should I enter into this calculator?
Here is a short guide:
  • Gross Salary should be your latest monthly Gross salary (Brutto)
  • Net Salary should be your latest monthly Net salary (Netto)
  • One-time payments (Einmalzahlungen) should be any additional bonuses, or payments that you received in the last 12 months.
How much Krankengeld can I receive?
There are limits to how much Krankengeld one can receive:
  • Maximum of 70% of your gross salary
  • but not more than 90% of your net salary
  • and a maximum of 4.827,50€ (Gross) or 3.386,40€ (Net) per month
Is Krankengeld paid daily or monthly?
Krankengeld is calculated on a per day basis and paid out based on number of calendar days you were eligible for. If your salary for the past 3 months has changed a lot, an average is considered and is calculated as the base salary per day.
Who pays for Krankengeld?
Under statutory health insurance, your health insurance provider is responsible for this. For the first 6 weeks of the same illness, your employer is responsible to pay your salary. After this period, you enter into sick pay and is covered by health insurance provider.

From Bundesministerium für Gesundheit:
In the event of incapacity for work, insured persons generally continue to receive their pay from the employer for six weeks. Thereafter, the health insurance fund pays 70 percent of regular gross pay up to the income threshold (EUR 4,827.50 per month; as of 2022), but no more than 90 percent of the last net pay.
How long can I receive Krankengeld for?
Krankengeld is limited to 78 weeks within a 3 year period. This means that the first 6 weeks are covered by your employer, and the remaining 72 weeks by your health insurance.
How do I apply for Krankengeld?
If you submitted your sick notes on time, and they were for the same illness, your sick notes will have sufficient information for your health insurance to pay your Krankengeld. Sick notes will have the Erstbescheinigung (first sick note) and Folgebescheinigung (following sick notes) checked with the same ICD codes. If you are unsure, you can always reach out to your health insurance provider.

Look at the detailed guide on Sick leave in Germany
What are the social contributions in Krankengeld for?
When you are receiving sick pay, your social contributions are for:
  • 9,3% for Pension Insurance (Rentenversicherung)
  • 1,2% for Unemployment Insurance (Arbeitslosenversicherung)
  • 1,525% for Care Insurance (Pflegeversicherung)
  • ~0,4% surcharge for Care Insurance for people above 22 and have no children

There is no contribution to health insurance from your side.
What is the benefit of one-time payments?
For one-time payments or bonuses, they are added on top of your maximum thresholds. This increases the total amount of Krankengeld that you can receive.
What is the surcharge for childless people?
If you are above 22 years old and have no children, there is an additional ~0,4% surcharge for care insurance
What is a sick note?
Krankschreibung, Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung or AU-Bescheinigung provides confirmation that you are sick. Only a Doctor may issue a sick note, usually on the first day of sickness; or within 3 days of sickness retroactively in certain cases.
What is present in a sick note?
  • Your insurance provider's name (Krankenkasse bzw. Kostenträger)
  • Your full name, address, and date of birth (Name, Vorname des Versicherten; geb. am)
  • Cost unit identifier (Kostenträgerkennung)
  • Your insurance number (Versicherten-Nr.)
  • Your Doctor's number- Whether illness, or injury is a result of work (Arbeitsunfall, Berufskrankheit)
Who pays my salary on sick leave?
Your employer will pay 100% of your salary for up to six weeks of sick leave (Entgeldfortzahlung). After that, your health insurance covers part of your salary (Krankengeld) - approximately 70% of your gross salary, or 90% of your net salary.
Is this tool accurate?
This tool is only a guidance for you. Please reach out to your health insurance provider for accurate information.