Short answer
Your health insurance after training depends on what comes next. If you are appointed as a civil servant on probation, you usually remain privately insured with aid. As an employee earning less than the annual earnings limit of 77,400 euros (2026), you are compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance. Without a job, unemployment benefit I, your existing insurance or voluntary membership apply.
| Key fact | Value | Status and source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual earnings limit 2026 | 77,400 € per year (6,450 € per month) | GKV-Spitzenverband, 1.1.2026 |
| Annual earnings limit 2027 | 84,150 € per year, planned, Bundesrat approval pending | Cabinet decision 7.10.2026 |
| General contribution rate | 14.6% plus additional contribution (average 2.9%) | § 241 SGB V, BMG, 2026 |
| Cancelling private insurance when compulsorily insured | Within three months, with retroactive effect | § 205 Para. 2 VVG |
| Opening campaign | Six months from the first appointment as a civil servant, surcharge at most 30% | PKV association, status 9/2022 |
Which options exist: health insurance after training
What matters is what follows the preparatory service. Five paths are possible. You are taken on as a civil servant on probation, work as an employee below or above the annual earnings limit, receive unemployment benefit I, or take a break without benefits.
| Path afterwards | Health insurance | What you should clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Appointment as a civil servant on probation | You remain eligible for aid, and private insurance supplements the aid. The trainee tariff converts to the standard tariff without a new health check. | Ask the insurer about the standard tariff contribution and check the assessment rate with the aid office |
| Employment below the annual earnings limit (2026: 77,400 € per year) | Statutory compulsory insurance. You can cancel existing private insurance within three months, with retroactive effect from the start of the obligation (§ 205 Para. 2 VVG). | Prove compulsory insurance within two months of the insurer’s request, otherwise the cancellation is ineffective |
| Employment above the limit | No compulsory insurance. You can insure yourself voluntarily under statutory or private insurance. | Check the prior insurance period for voluntary entry into the GKV, and compare contributions and benefits |
| Unemployment benefit I | Compulsory membership in the GKV for as long as you receive unemployment benefit I; the employment agency pays the contributions | Ask the employment agency about your entitlement and report to the employment agency in person on the first day of unemployment |
| Break without benefits | Voluntary statutory membership continues, the private contract continues. If compulsory insurance in a training relationship ends, the follow-on insurance applies. | Clarify with your insurer whether the tariff without aid still fits |
What happens to aid and the trainee tariff when the trainee period ends?
The trainee tariff is a low-cost tariff for civil servant trainees. After the trainee period you switch to the standard tariff without a new health check. Your insurer will tell you what the contribution will be there before the preparatory service ends.
Aid is tied to the civil service relationship. If you are taken on as a civil servant on probation, you remain eligible for aid. The assessment rate is usually 50 percent, for children usually 80 percent, but the states have their own law, so the aid office decides. The private residual-cost insurance covers the share that aid does not pay. If the civil service relationship ends without appointment, aid lapses, and a tariff that only insures the residual share is then no longer sufficient. How aid works during the preparatory service is explained in the article Aid during the trainee period: entitlement, assessment rate and application (in German).
What applies to appointment as a civil servant and the opening campaign?
As a civil servant the principle of self-provision applies. You provide for health and long-term care insurance yourself, privately or voluntarily under statutory insurance, and aid supplements it. The preparatory service itself is described in the article Health insurance during the trainee period (in German).
How does the opening campaign work with pre-existing conditions?
The opening campaign of the private health insurers is aimed at civil servants with pre-existing conditions or disabilities, and has applied since 2019 also to civil servants on probation. The application must be made within the first six months after the first appointment as a civil servant, and during a preparatory service at the earliest after its end. The risk surcharge is at most 30 percent of the tariff contribution, there are no exclusions of benefits and no maximum age of admission. The entitlement only applies to tariffs that comply with aid rules, and only to the first company to which you submit a formal application. Clarify with the insurer when the deadline starts for you before you apply. The details are set out in the PKV association leaflet for civil servant trainees.
Can I remain in statutory insurance as a civil servant?
Yes, as a voluntary member. A new entry generally requires at least 24 months of statutory insurance within the last five years, or twelve months immediately before. Flat-rate aid, a subsidy for statutorily insured people, only exists in some states, for example in Hamburg. There it amounts to 50 percent of the GKV contribution including the additional contribution, without a subsidy towards long-term care insurance, and requires the permanent waiver of individual aid. The application only takes effect for the future. More on this in Trainee teachers in statutory health insurance: when that is possible (in German).
How am I insured as an employee after the trainee period?
If you earn less than the annual earnings limit as an employee, you are compulsorily insured under the GKV. In 2026 it is 6,450 euros per month, i.e. 77,400 euros per year. For 2027, the cabinet decision of 7 October 2026 provides for 84,150 euros per year; the approval of the Bundesrat is still pending. This is a plan and not yet applicable law.
In compulsory insurance the general contribution rate of 14.6 percent applies, plus your insurer’s additional contribution. According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the average additional contribution in 2026 is 2.9 percent. Each insurer sets its own rate, and the range runs from 2.18 to 4.39 percent (status of the insurer list of 16 October 2026).
If you earn more than the limit, you choose between voluntary statutory and private insurance. Before the age of 55, you generally return from private insurance to the GKV through a compulsory insurance obligation, for example through employment below the limit. A minijob is not enough for this. Background on the return is in the article Return to statutory health insurance (in German), and the decision when starting work is covered in Private health insurance when starting work (in German).
What applies in a training relationship and without a follow-on?
Depending on the state, legal trainees are civil servants on probation or in a public-law training relationship, and state law governs their status (§ 5b DRiG). In a training relationship you are compulsorily insured under statutory insurance under § 5 Para. 1 No. 1 SGB V and have no aid entitlement.
This compulsory insurance ends with the preparatory service. If nothing new begins, the insurance continues with your insurer as a mandatory follow-on insurance, unless you withdraw within two weeks of the insurer’s notice, with proof of other cover. If a new cover begins shortly afterwards, a follow-on benefit claim of at most one month can bridge the gap. The process and costs are described in Between the state exam and the trainee period (in German); in the calculation example the contribution in 2026 is 278.17 euros per month.
As a civil servant on probation you do not pay contributions to unemployment insurance. Therefore, clarify early with the employment agency whether you are entitled to unemployment benefit I after the preparatory service. The next steps for each subject are described in Teaching: insurance from studies to the trainee period (in German) and Law: insurance from studies to the trainee period (in German).
When does an anticipatory insurance policy in the PKV make sense?
An anticipatory private insurance policy keeps the way back into private insurance open. You return without a new health check, and the deadline is usually two months after the reason for the return ends. The small anticipatory policy secures your health status, the large one additionally secures the entry age and continues to build up provisions for old age. It can make sense if you first become compulsorily insured as an employee and later want to move into a civil service relationship. When you activate it, it converts to full cover and has fulfilled its purpose. If you remain in the GKV permanently, you no longer need it. How to weigh this up is described in the article on the anticipatory private insurance policy (in German), and the situation after your studies in What happens to your private insurance after your studies (in German).
What is regulated by the state, and what applies nationwide?
Status, appointment and aid are a matter for the states. The compulsory insurance of employees applies nationwide.
| Uniform nationwide | State law |
|---|---|
| Compulsory insurance as an employee and the annual earnings limit (2026: 77,400 € per year) | Status during the preparatory service and appointment by the employer |
| Cancellation of private insurance when statutory compulsory insurance applies (§ 205 Para. 2 VVG) | Aid: assessment rate and procedure at the aid office of your state |
| Opening campaign of the private health insurers | Flat-rate aid for statutorily insured people, only in some states, for example Hamburg |
Which deadlines apply from the end of the preparatory service?
| Point in time | What to do |
|---|---|
| Several months before the end | Ask your employer about the appointment process, and ask your insurer about the standard tariff contribution and the anticipatory policy |
| Last day of the preparatory service | Trainee status ends. In a training relationship the compulsory insurance ends, and the follow-on insurance starts the next day, unless something else applies |
| First day of unemployment | Report to the employment agency in person |
| Start of compulsory insurance as an employee | Cancel private insurance within three months with retroactive effect, prove cover within two months of the insurer’s request |
| After the first appointment as a civil servant | If you have pre-existing conditions, apply under the opening campaign within six months |
| After the reason for a return ends with an anticipatory policy | Usually two months to return to full cover |
What to do now
- Find out early whether and when your employer will appoint you, and ask about your status afterwards.
- Ask your insurer before the end of the preparatory service about the standard tariff contribution and the conditions of an anticipatory policy.
- If you have pre-existing conditions, note the six-month deadline of the opening campaign and clarify in advance when it starts for you.
- If you take up employment, compare your annual salary with the annual earnings limit and, if you are compulsorily insured, cancel the private insurance on time.
- If you are unemployed, report to the employment agency in person on the first day and clarify your cover.
Frequently asked questions
How am I insured after the trainee period?
It depends on what follows. On appointment as a civil servant on probation you usually remain privately insured with aid. As an employee earning less than 77,400 euros per year (2026), you are compulsorily insured under statutory insurance. Without a job, unemployment benefit I, your existing insurance or voluntary membership come into consideration.
Do I have to switch to private insurance after the trainee period if I become a civil servant?
No. As a civil servant you are not in compulsory statutory insurance, but you can voluntarily join statutory insurance if the prior insurance period is met. Flat-rate aid as a subsidy exists only in some states, for example Hamburg, and requires the permanent waiver of individual aid.
What happens to my trainee tariff after the trainee period?
Your trainee tariff converts to the standard tariff, and a new health check is not required for this. Your insurer will tell you the new contribution. If you are not appointed as a civil servant, aid lapses. Then clarify before the end of the service whether the tariff still fits or whether an anticipatory policy makes sense.
Can I stay in statutory insurance after the trainee period?
If you are voluntarily in statutory insurance, the membership continues. As an employee below the annual earnings limit you become compulsorily insured, and the general contribution rate of 14.6 percent plus the additional contribution applies. From private insurance, you generally return to the GKV before the age of 55 through a compulsory insurance obligation, for example through employment below this limit. A minijob is not enough for this.
What applies if I am not appointed after the trainee period?
Aid is tied to the civil service relationship and lapses with the end of the preparatory service. Depending on the path, compulsory insurance as an employee, unemployment benefit I or a break with your existing insurance follows. From a training relationship in legal training, the follow-on insurance applies if nothing else begins.
When is an anticipatory policy in the PKV worthwhile?
It secures your way back into private insurance without a new health check. It can make sense if you first become compulsorily insured as an employee and later want to move into a civil service relationship. It costs an ongoing contribution, and whether it is worthwhile depends on your health, budget and plans.
Related reading
- Health insurance during the trainee period: aid, PKV or GKV? (in German)
- Between the state exam and the trainee period: who is insured? (in German)
- Aid during the trainee period: entitlement, assessment rate and application (in German)
- Trainee teachers in statutory health insurance: when that is possible (in German)
- Starting work after your studies (in German)
- Studying over 30: opportunities, financing and everyday life (in German)
- Glossary: health insurance during studies (in German)
Sources and review
- § 205 Para. 2 VVG, gesetze-im-internet.de, § 5 Para. 1 No. 1 SGB V, gesetze-im-internet.de, § 241 SGB V, gesetze-im-internet.de, § 5b DRiG, gesetze-im-internet.de
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on calculation parameters for contribution law, status 1.1.2026, gkv-spitzenverband.de, and insurer list, status 16.10.2026, gkv-spitzenverband.de
- Social insurance calculation parameters 2027, cabinet decision 7.10.2026, bmas.de
- Federal Ministry of Health, contributions to the GKV, status 3.9.2026, bundesgesundheitsministerium.de
- Verband der Privaten Krankenversicherung, leaflet on the opening campaign for civil servants, status September 2022, pkv.de
Information, not individual advice.
Editorial team: Academycon · Status: October 2026
Status: 20 October 2026
If you want to plan your transition after the trainee period, start with the Academycon online check (in German).
Status: October 2026. This guide does not replace individual advice. Information, not individual advice.
