Health insurance during parental leave: you should know that
Health insurance during parental leave can vary depending on marital status and the type of insurance. We explain what you should definitely pay attention to.
The health insurance contributions during parental leave depend on your type of insurance and whether you are married or not. You can often get family insurance free of charge from your partner. However , privately insured and voluntarily insured persons who are not married must pay for their health insurance themselves during their parental leave.
Katharina Brunert from Project Parents gives the most important tips and information about health insurance during parental leave.
Health insurance during parental leave for those who are compulsorily insured
If you are compulsorily insured in the statutory health insurance and have no income during parental leave, you do not pay any contributions. If you earn something during your parental leave, for example because you work part-time, you will of course also pay into the health insurance with your employer.
Health insurance for unmarried voluntarily insured persons
Basically, as a civil servant, self-employed and high earner, you can choose whether you want to be voluntarily insured by statutory or private health insurance. One is classified as a high earner from an annual income limit (JAEG) of more than 64,350 euros (2021).
As a rule, if you are voluntarily insured by law and are not married, you have to pay the minimum contribution. In 2021, that is around 160 euros per month plus the additional contribution from your health insurance company. So a total of around 200 euros per month. The prerequisite is that you earn less than 1,096.67 euros per month (2021), which should usually be the case during parental leave. The 1,096.67 euros are always used as the minimum income for the calculation – even if you have less income.
Here you can find an example of the overview of the Techniker Krankenkasse.
Unfortunately, you spend almost all of your child benefit of 219 euros per month (2021) on your health insurance. With 12 months of parental leave, you quickly add up to around 2,400 euros, which you have to pay for your health insurance. If you are voluntarily insured by law and unmarried, consult your health insurance company in good time to avoid nasty surprises.
Health insurance for married voluntarily insured persons
If you are voluntarily legally insured and married, the whole thing looks different. If you have a partner who is legally insured, you are entitled to family insurance . This means that you do not pay anything for your health insurance during parental leave. If your partner is not legally insured, their income may count when calculating your health insurance contribution. In this case, speak to your health insurance company to check whether and which part of the income is taken into account.
Health insurance for privately insured persons
If you are privately insured, you usually have to pay for the entire health insurance yourself during parental leave – including the employer’s contribution.
In any case, it makes sense to inquire with your own health insurance company at an early stage so that you know what health insurance costs will be incurred during parental leave and can plan for them accordingly.