I am a voluntary member of public health insurance in Germany: should I switch to private?
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Key facts
- As an employee you pay up to €648 a month for public cover in 2026, without children.
- In 2027 that maximum rises by €62.72 a month at today's rates.
- Your employer pays half of a private premium, at most €613.22 a month in 2026.
- Give notice in January, and your private cover starts on 1 April.
Yes, if you are healthy and earn above the income threshold: as an employee joining between 30 and 45 you pay about €250 to €475 a month for private cover in 2026 after your employer's share, less than the public maximum. Self-employed members can switch at any income. Apply first, and give notice only once an insurer has accepted you.
What does it mean to be a voluntary member (freiwillig versichert)?
You are a voluntary member, freiwillig versichert in German, when you are in public health insurance without being required to be. That applies to three groups.[1]
- Employees already above the income threshold. If your salary has been above the income threshold of €77,400 a year (2026) for some time, you are most likely a voluntary member already.[2]
- Employees whose pay rise takes them above it. You become a voluntary member on 1 January after the year your salary crossed the threshold, if it is also above the threshold of the new year.[1][3]
- Employees starting a new job above the threshold. You are free to choose from your first working day.
- Self-employed people and freelancers. You can choose at any income, unless you are insured as an artist or writer through the Künstlersozialkasse.
"Voluntary" does not mean that you may go without cover, because everyone who lives in Germany must have health insurance.[4] It means that you choose between public and private.
Can a voluntary member switch to private health insurance at any time?
Yes, with a notice period of two months that starts at the end of the month in which you give notice. If you give notice in January, you stay in public cover through February and March, and your private cover starts on 1 April.[5] The rule that ties you to a Krankenkasse for twelve months applies when you move to another Krankenkasse, not when you leave for private cover. Your Krankenkasse confirms your notice within two weeks, and the notice takes effect once you show proof of private cover before the notice period ends.
If you have chosen an elective tariff (Wahltarif) with your Krankenkasse, it ties you for a minimum period: one year for a premium refund or cost reimbursement, three years for a deductible or extra sick pay. You can leave only at the end of that period, so we check it with you before you apply.[6]
If you have only just become a voluntary member because your salary crossed the threshold, your Krankenkasse writes to tell you about your options. Within two weeks of that letter you can leave without any notice period, again with proof of private cover.[3]
In what order do you switch without a gap in cover?
Apply for private cover first and give notice only once the insurer has accepted you, so that private cover starts the day after public cover ends. These are the four steps:
- Compare and clarify your health questions. We compare the whole market for you, and an anonymous risk pre-assessment shows how insurers would assess your health before you formally apply.
- Apply and get accepted. The insurer asks about your health, as how the health assessment works explains, and confirms your start date in writing.
- Give notice to your Krankenkasse. Send the insurer's confirmation before the notice period ends, because without it the notice does not take effect.
- Start the day after. Your private cover begins on the day after your public membership ends, so there is no day without cover.
Tell your employer when your private cover starts. From that month your employer pays the employer subsidy with your salary; since 2026 your insurer reports the premium electronically, so you no longer hand in a certificate.[7]
What does a voluntary member pay in public and in private health insurance?
Above the income threshold your salary is also above the contribution ceiling, so as an employee you always pay the maximum public contribution: €648 a month in 2026 without children, long-term care included, and your employer pays about the same again.[8] Self-employed members pay the full contribution themselves, up to €1,261 without children and €1,226 with a child, with a claim to sick pay. For them your Krankenkasse counts all income up to the contribution ceiling of €5,812.50 a month, rent and investment income included.[9][2]
What a voluntary member pays per month, 2026
Per month in 2026, without children, long-term care included. Private: healthy applicants in the same very good tariff; employees after the employer's share, the self-employed paying the full premium.
| Public: you pay | Private: you pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Employee, joining at 30 | €648 | €250 to €300 |
| Employee, joining at 40 | €648 | €325 to €375 |
| Employee, joining at 45 | €648 | €425 to €475 |
| Self-employed, joining at 30 | up to €1,261 | €500 to €600 |
| Self-employed, joining at 40 | up to €1,261 | €650 to €750 |
| Self-employed, joining at 45 | up to €1,261 | €850 to €950 |
Employee, joining at 30
- Public: you pay
- €648
- Private: you pay
- €250 to €300
Employee, joining at 40
- Public: you pay
- €648
- Private: you pay
- €325 to €375
Employee, joining at 45
- Public: you pay
- €648
- Private: you pay
- €425 to €475
Self-employed, joining at 30
- Public: you pay
- up to €1,261
- Private: you pay
- €500 to €600
Self-employed, joining at 40
- Public: you pay
- up to €1,261
- Private: you pay
- €650 to €750
Self-employed, joining at 45
- Public: you pay
- up to €1,261
- Private: you pay
- €850 to €950
Source: SGB V and the Sozialversicherungs-Rechengrößenverordnung 2026 for the public column; private premiums: TheGoodBroker, 2026 figures.
A private premium depends on your entry age, your health and the cover you choose, not on your income, so a pay rise does not raise it. Self-employed members pay the same premium in full, because no employer pays a share, and a deductible can lower it. Every premium in the table includes compulsory long-term care insurance and the statutory 10% surcharge, which builds savings for old age. What private cover costs at each entry age and level of cover is set out in private health insurance cost in Germany, and what health insurance costs in Germany compares six households.
Where you land within these ranges depends on your health and the cover you choose. In a free call we check that for you before you apply.
What changes for voluntary members in 2027?
In 2027 the contribution ceiling rises to €6,375 a month, so the maximum public contribution rises with it, while a private premium does not depend on your income.[10] What changes in German health insurance in 2027 sets out the other changes. The income threshold rises to €84,150 a year. If your salary in 2027 is not above that figure, the rules for you change on 1 January, and we go through your case with you in a free call before then.
What should families weigh before leaving public cover?
In public cover, your children and a spouse without income are insured at no extra cost through family insurance.[11] In private cover each family member has their own premium, and your employer pays half of it for your children and for such a spouse too, up to the legal maximum.[7] From 2028, public insurance charges a surcharge for a spouse insured this way, with exceptions such as a child under 12 in the household.[12]
Whether private or public cover costs your household less depends on who earns what and how many children you have. What private health insurance costs for children and a family shows the private side, and we calculate both for your household before you decide.
Can you go back to public health insurance later?
Yes, if you become compulsorily insured again, for example through a job with a salary below the income threshold, or if you qualify for family insurance through a spouse in public cover.[1][11] From 55 a different rule applies: if you become compulsorily insured at 55 or older and were not publicly insured in the five years before, you stay in private cover.[1] Private cover is built for that stage: savings for old age hold down your premium, the statutory 10% surcharge ends after the year you turn 60, and a premium-relief tariff can lower the premium in retirement, as what private health insurance costs in retirement shows. Can I switch back from private to public health insurance? explains every route, and we go through it with you before you switch.
How do you find out what you would pay?
Our public vs private health insurance calculator sets your public contribution against private premiums after your employer's share, and for the self-employed at your income. Private health insurance for employees and health insurance for freelancers show what changes for each group.
For your own figure, book a free 30-minute call on Zoom, in English. We check the whole market for you, and the call, the comparison and everything after it cost you nothing.
Sources. [1] § 6 SGB V (Sozialgesetzbuch V, the Social Code on health insurance); [2] Sozialversicherungs-Rechengrößenverordnung 2026 (the annual regulation that sets the social insurance thresholds); [3] § 188 Abs. 4 SGB V; [4] § 193 Abs. 3 VVG (Versicherungsvertragsgesetz, the Insurance Contract Act); [5] § 175 Abs. 4 SGB V; [6] § 53 Abs. 8 SGB V; [7] § 257 SGB V and § 61 Abs. 2 SGB XI (Sozialgesetzbuch XI, the Social Code on long-term care); [8] average additional contribution rate for 2026 of 2.9%, announced by the Federal Ministry of Health; [9] § 240 SGB V; [10] Sozialversicherungs-Rechengrößenverordnung 2027, draft of the Federal Ministry of Labour of 21 September 2026; [11] § 10 SGB V; [12] § 242b SGB V, in force from 1 January 2028. Private premiums: our comparison data, 2026. Legal position as at October 2026.
