Overview
- Employers normally continue pay for up to six weeks of illness, after which statutory health insurers start Krankengeld from day 43 when incapacity persists.
- Whether a fresh six‑week wage continuation starts after a brief return hinges on diagnosis: a new illness restarts it, a continuation illness does not; statutory ‘six‑months since end’ or ‘twelve‑months since start’ rules can reset the entitlement even for the same condition.
- Krankengeld is limited to 78 weeks for the same illness within a three‑year block period that is not interrupted by a short return to work.
- For 2026, partial disability pensions reduce Krankengeld by the pension’s net payment when the pension begins after the incapacity; a full disability pension ends Krankengeld, and retroactive awards are reconciled between insurers and the pension fund.
- After work or commute accidents, Verletztengeld from the accident insurer typically replaces income at about 80% after the initial six weeks, with required steps including notifying the employer, seeing a designated accident doctor and an employer accident report if incapacity exceeds three days.