Many parents want to protect their children during their studies, and many students wonder whether their parents’ disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung, BU) covers them. The short answer: a parent’s disability insurance protects the parents, not the child. There are, however, ways to insure the child directly. This guide shows which options exist and what you should pay attention to.
Short answer: A disability insurance policy protects the person in whose name the contract runs. A parent’s contract therefore generally does not cover the child. Possible options are the child’s own disability insurance or a child disability insurance (Kinder-BU), in which the parents hold the contract and the child is the insured person. Which route fits depends on the terms. Last updated: October 2026.
The most important points
- Disability insurance is tied to the person. The insured person is the one the contract runs for.
- A parent’s contract protects the parents. For the child, it only has an indirect effect, for example through maintenance (Unterhalt).
- The options are the child’s own disability insurance or a child disability insurance, in which the parents are the policyholders.
- With a child disability insurance, the rules on the transfer to the child and on training activities decide the outcome.
- Maintenance does not replace disability insurance. Parents only have to pay as far as their means allow.
Why does the parents’ disability insurance not protect the child?
A disability insurance policy is tied to the insured person. It pays a pension if that person can no longer practise the occupation last exercised (§ 172 para. 2 VVG). The benefit is therefore paid to the parents, not to the child. The parents’ policy does not help the child directly.
It can, however, play an indirect role. Relatives in the direct line are obliged to provide maintenance to one another (§ 1601 BGB). Under § 1603 para. 1 BGB, a person who could only pay maintenance by endangering his or her own appropriate maintenance is not obliged to pay (Leistungsfähigkeit). If the parents’ income falls away, the maintenance situation can therefore change. A parent’s disability pension can stabilise the situation in this case. It is not, however, insurance for the child.
Which ways are there to insure the child?
There are essentially three options, which differ in effort, control and transfer.
| Option | Policyholder | Advantage | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child’s own disability insurance | The child | The cover belongs to the child, even if the parents separate | Own health check and own premium |
| Child disability insurance | The parents, the insured person is the child | Early start, the parents keep control | Transfer to the child and occupation rules differ between providers |
| Parents’ own disability insurance | The parents | Protects the income that carries the maintenance | No direct benefit for the child |
Which solution suits you depends on how early you want to sign, who pays the premium and how you want the transfer into your own contract to be arranged. An overview of the start of studies can be found in Kind beginnt zu studieren: Checkliste für Eltern (in German).
How does child disability insurance work?
With child disability insurance, the parents take out the contract and the child is the insured person. Many providers provide that the contract later passes to the child or is converted into the child’s own contract, for example when the child comes of age or starts training. Whether this is possible, and on which terms, is set out only in the policy terms.
- Clarify who is the policyholder and who pays the premiums.
- Check who becomes the contracting party in the event of a separation or the death of a parent, and who receives the benefit.
- Read when and how the contract can pass to the child, and whether a new health check is then required.
- Note which activity of the child the tariff treats as decisive once it studies or begins training.
What happens if the parents already have disability insurance?
An existing disability insurance of the parents protects the parents. If the child wants its own benefit, it has to insure itself. The parents’ policy therefore does not replace child disability insurance. Conversely, a child disability insurance does not relieve the parents, because their income remains unaffected by it.
If you choose the route through child disability insurance, match the contract against your own life plan. A transfer that only takes effect with a particular training can leave gaps for a child whose path into work involves detours. Clarifying the rules early prevents most surprises.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get disability insurance through my parents?
Not in the strict sense. The parents’ disability insurance pays the parents. For you as a child, only a contract that lists you as the insured person counts, either one you take out yourself or a child disability insurance. The question should therefore not be whether your parents have cover, but which contract runs in your name.
Is child disability insurance worthwhile if I will soon earn my own money?
That depends on whether the transfer to you is clearly regulated. Child disability insurance can secure your start early, but it must be continued in your name. Check deadlines and conditions. When an early contract makes sense for you is also explained in Disability Insurance at 25: Why Signing After Your Exams Costs More.
Do I have to agree to the application myself as the insured person?
Which declarations you must make yourself as the insured person is set out in the terms. Especially for health details, it is sensible to go through the application together with your parents. Under § 19 VVG, all questions from the insurer must be answered completely and truthfully, regardless of who fills in the application.
What does child disability insurance cost?
The premium depends on the age at the start of the contract, the tariff and your state of health. A comparison only makes sense if all offers are calculated with the same assumptions. We deliberately do not state a figure here, because without current tariff data it would not be reliable. It is also important to know whether the contract becomes premium-free once the benefit is paid, and who continues to pay the premium after a separation.
What changes if my parents separate?
Then it becomes important who is the policyholder and who pays the premiums. Unless the terms provide otherwise, the contract usually remains with the parent who took it out. You should know these rules before you sign, not only when a dispute arises.
So what should you do now?
- Find out whether you can be protected through your parents’ contract at all. As a rule, you cannot.
- Decide whether your own disability insurance or a child disability insurance suits you, and ask specifically about the transfer.
- Make sure that the policyholder, the premium payer and the beneficiaries are clearly named.
- Have the application checked in full before you sign it. The checklist for this is in Disability Insurance Checklist for Students: What to Check First.
Related reading
- Disability Insurance for Students: Costs and Start
- Disability Insurance Checklist for Students: What to Check First
- Disability Insurance at 25: Why Signing After Your Exams Costs More
- Kind beginnt zu studieren: Checklist for Parents (in German)
Sources:
- § 172 VVG, Insurer’s benefits in case of occupational disability (last updated October 2026)
- § 1601 BGB, Persons obliged to provide maintenance (last updated October 2026)
- § 1603 BGB, Ability to pay maintenance (last updated October 2026)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
