German Sick Pay Calculator 2026
From the seventh week of a sick note your employer stops paying and your statutory health fund takes over. This calculator shows how much Krankengeld you get in 2026, which contributions still come off it and how large the gap to your previous take-home pay becomes.
Net sick pay per month
EUR / month
Example calculation with default valuesView sources
The 90 percent cap on net pay applies to you. That is the normal case in Germany: if you keep 60 to 70 percent of your gross as net, 90 percent of that is below 70 percent of the gross, and the lower limit wins.
Next step:Turn this gross figure into your net payCalculate unemployment benefit for this salary
Your details
Your regular monthly gross before the sick note.
Needed for your net pay, which the 90 percent cap is based on.
Without children the care surcharge applies from age 23, from the second child the rate falls.
Average for 2026: 2.9 percent. Your own rate comes from your health fund.
Only affects the net pay that the 90 percent cap is based on.
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Side by side
Difference-522.55 EUR / month
How the figure adds up
- Reference pay per day
- 120 EUR / day
- 70 percent of the reference pay
- 84 EUR / day
- 90 percent of the net salary
- 71.65 EUR / day
- Gross sick pay per day
- 71.65 EUR / day
- Gross sick pay per month (30 days)
- 2,149.50 EUR / month
- Contribution base of the fund (80 percent of the reference pay)
- 96 EUR / day
- Your share of pension, unemployment and care contributions
- 9.46 EUR / day
- Net sick pay per day
- 62.19 EUR / day
- Previous net salary per month
- 2,388.25 EUR / month
- Monthly gap to your previous net
- 522.55 EUR / month
- Share of your previous net
- 78.12 %
Good to know
Sick pay only starts once the six weeks of continued pay from your employer are over, so from week seven. For the same illness the fund pays for at most 78 weeks within three years.
- The fund reports 80 percent of the reference pay, so your pension keeps growing on that basis. From you it only deducts half of the contributions that fall on the sick pay actually paid out (§170 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 SGB VI, §347 Nr. 5 SGB III, §59 Abs. 2 SGB XI). The health fund carries the rest. Only the childless surcharge is different: §59 Abs. 5 SGB XI knows no such limit, so it is charged on the full contribution base shown above.
- Sick pay is tax free but raises the tax rate on the rest of your annual income through the Progressionsvorbehalt. Anyone who received sick pay must file a tax return and should expect an additional payment.
Non-binding estimate under §47 SGB V and PAP 2026. One-off payments from the last twelve months raise the reference pay and are not included here; the net comparison uses a 9 percent church tax rate and leaves out the Saxony variant of care insurance, which does not apply to the deduction from sick pay anyway. Only your health fund’s decision is binding.
The link carries your inputs, not the result: whoever opens it calculates with the current figures.
How much is German sick pay (Krankengeld)?
German statutory sick pay in 2026 is seventy percent of your contribution-liable gross, capped at ninety percent of your net pay and at 135.63 euro a calendar day, and pension, unemployment and long-term care contributions still come off it.
The formula
Daily reference pay = monthly gross divided by 30, capped at 193.75 euro. Gross sick pay = the lower of 70 percent of the reference pay and 90 percent of the daily net. Your half of the pension, unemployment and long-term care contributions is then deducted, charged on the sick pay itself.
Worked example
Example: 3,600 EUR gross a month gives 120 EUR reference pay a day. Because 90 percent of the net is less here than 70 percent of the gross, 71.65 EUR gross sick pay a day remains, 62.19 EUR after contributions, so 1,865.70 EUR a month. Against 2,388.25 EUR of previous net pay you are short 522.55 EUR a month.
Key figures for 2026
| Amount | 70 percent of the reference pay, capped at 90 percent of net |
|---|---|
| Maximum reference pay 2026 | 193.75 EUR a day (the 69,750 EUR ceiling divided by 360) |
| Maximum sick pay 2026 | 135.63 EUR gross a day |
| Start | from week seven, the employer pays the first six weeks |
| Maximum duration | 78 weeks within three years for the same illness |
| Deductions | 12.4 percent of the sick pay, plus 0.6 percent on 80 percent of the reference pay if childless and 23 or over |
Figures verified:
How German sick pay is calculated
For the first six weeks of a sick note your employer keeps paying your salary (§3 EFZG). Only afterwards does the statutory health fund step in with Krankengeld under §47 SGB V. The clock starts on the first day of incapacity, not at the start of the month.
The basis is the Regelentgelt: your contribution-liable gross pay converted to one calendar day. For a monthly salary the fund divides by 30. You receive 70 percent of it, but never more than 90 percent of your daily net salary.
That second limit is often overlooked even though it decides most cases. Someone who keeps around 2,050 euro net out of 3,000 euro gross reaches 70 euro a day under the gross rule but only around 62 euro under the net rule. The smaller figure is paid.
At the top the contribution ceiling caps everything. In 2026 it is 69,750 euro a year, which divided by 360 days gives 193.75 euro of reference pay a day and therefore at most 135.63 euro gross sick pay a day. Earning more does not raise it.
Your shares of pension, unemployment and long-term care insurance still come off the gross sick pay, together 12.4 percent. You pay no health insurance contribution. The total contribution is worked out on 80 percent of the reference pay, but you only bear half of the part that falls on the sick pay you receive. Everything above that is paid by the fund. One exception: the childless surcharge of 0.6 percent for people aged 23 and over is borne by the member alone under §59 Abs. 5 SGB XI, and it runs on the full 80 percent of the reference pay, not only on the amount paid out.
For tax purposes sick pay is a wage replacement benefit: free of tax, but subject to the Progressionsvorbehalt. It raises the rate applied to the rest of your annual income and obliges you to file a tax return.
Frequently asked questions
- How much sick pay will I get?
- Seventy percent of your contribution-liable gross per calendar day, but at most ninety percent of your net and at most 135.63 euro a day. In practice the net limit usually decides, because German net pay is rarely above 78 percent of the gross.
- When does the health fund start paying?
- From the seventh week of incapacity. Your employer pays your full salary for the first six weeks. The entitlement legally exists from day one of the sick note but is dormant while continued pay runs.
- How long does sick pay last?
- For the same illness at most 78 weeks within three years, counted from the first day of incapacity. The six weeks of continued pay count towards it, so around 72 weeks of payment by the fund remain.
- Which deductions come off sick pay?
- Your shares of pension (9.3 percent), unemployment (1.3 percent) and long-term care insurance (1.8 percent). No health insurance contribution is due. These shares are charged on the sick pay you receive, so 12.4 percent in total. Childless members aged 23 and over also pay the 0.6 percent surcharge, but that one runs on 80 percent of the reference pay. At 3,000 euro gross in class I that is 61.63 euro times 12.4 percent plus 80.00 euro times 0.6 percent, or 8.12 euro a day.
- Do I have to pay tax on sick pay?
- The sick pay itself stays tax free but falls under the Progressionsvorbehalt. Your other income is then taxed at a higher rate and you are obliged to file a tax return. An additional payment is the rule rather than the exception.
- Can my employer top up the sick pay?
- Yes. Many collective agreements and some individual contracts provide a top-up, often up to your previous net pay. Check your collective agreement or ask HR, because this calculator does not know about such top-ups.
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As of (tax year 2026) · last verified:
Sources:
- § 47 SGB V (Höhe des Krankengeldes, 70 Prozent brutto, 90 Prozent netto, Höchstregelentgelt)
- § 48 SGB V (Höchstdauer 78 Wochen in drei Jahren)
- § 166 SGB VI (Beitragsbemessung aus 80 Prozent des Regelentgelts)
- § 170 Abs. 1 Nr. 2 SGB VI (Beitragstragung je zur Hälfte, soweit die Beiträge auf das Krankengeld entfallen)
- § 347 Nr. 5 SGB III (Arbeitslosenversicherung, Tragung je zur Hälfte, soweit auf die Leistung entfallend)
- § 57 und § 59 SGB XI (Pflegeversicherung, Bemessung und Kinderlosenzuschlag)
- vdek: Höchstkrankengeld 2026 = 135,63 Euro kalendertäglich
Scope of review: formulas and reference values were checked against the sources listed above, by the Nomado24 editorial team. What is verified is the calculation logic, not your personal situation. Not tax or legal advice.