Short answer
Between your state exam and the trainee period, you usually stay insured, so a health insurance gap rarely arises. Compulsory student insurance runs until the end of the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration. After that, your membership continues as follow-on insurance, unless family or compulsory insurance applies. In the example, this costs at least 278.17 euros per month in 2026.
| Key fact | Value | Status and source |
|---|---|---|
| End of student insurance | At the end of the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration, not with the last exam | § 190 Para. 9 SGB V |
| Follow-on insurance | Voluntary continuation with your existing insurer; withdrawal within two weeks of the insurer’s notice, with proof of other cover | § 188 Para. 4 SGB V |
| Minimum assessment for voluntary members | 1,318.33 € per month (2026) | GKV-Spitzenverband, status 1.1.2026 |
| Family insurance, income limit | 565 € per month (2026), minijob 603 € | § 10 SGB V, status 1.1.2026 |
| Follow-on benefit claim | At most one month | § 19 Para. 2 SGB V |
When does student insurance end after the state exam?
Compulsory insurance for students ends at the end of the semester for which you were last enrolled or re-registered, provided you are de-registered by then (§ 190 Para. 9 SGB V). The date of your last exam and the day you are notified of the result are irrelevant. If you enrol again within one month after the end of the semester, the membership does not end.
Example: you sit your last exam in July and are de-registered with effect from 30 September. Your compulsory insurance runs until 30 September. Your trainee period starts on 1 January. From 1 October until you start work, another form of cover must therefore apply. Your insurer will give you the date your membership ends, and your university will give you the date of de-registration. A second limit is age: with the semester in which you turn 30, compulsory insurance also ends, although the type of training or personal circumstances can extend this. The insurer examines reasons for an extension on a case-by-case basis.
What is the follow-on benefit claim?
After membership ends, you have a follow-on benefit claim of at most one month (§ 19 Para. 2 SGB V), as long as you are not in employment and no family insurance or follow-on insurance takes precedence. Example: you are de-registered on 30 September, and a new job starts on 21 October. From 1 to 20 October you are insured with your existing insurer, without your own contributions.
If there is at most one month between the end of the semester and the start of work, this claim can bridge the gap. In that case, follow-on insurance does not apply if you prove other cover afterwards. Therefore, tell your insurer early when your service starts. The claim is not a long-term solution.
Who is insured during the waiting period?
Which cover applies depends on your situation. The table shows the routes in the order in which they usually come into question.
| Your situation | Cover | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Family insurance possible through parents or partner | Family insurance | Contribution-free, income at most 565 € per month (2026) |
| You receive unemployment benefit I or basic income support | Compulsory insurance | The employment agency or the job centre pays the contributions. Those who were most recently privately insured remain in private insurance and receive a subsidy on application. |
| You work above the minijob limit of 603 € per month | Usually compulsory insurance as an employee | Contributions shared with the employer |
| You were privately insured during your studies | Private contract continues | According to tariff; clarify with your insurer |
| None of these situations applies | Compulsory follow-on insurance | Full contribution, at least based on 1,318.33 € |
Your health insurer will clarify which cover applies to you. The calculator on the end of student insurance (in German) helps you place the date.
Timeline: how the health insurance gap is covered until you start
| Point in time | What applies | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Last exam passed | Compulsory student insurance continues until the end of the semester | Ask about the de-registration date and clarify the end of membership with your insurer |
| End of the semester | Membership ends; follow-on insurance starts the next day, unless family or compulsory insurance applies | Inform your insurer about the start of your service |
| Notice from the insurer | Two weeks to withdraw | Prove other cover, or stay in membership and prove your income |
| Appointment notice | Status is fixed: civil servant on probation or training relationship | Clarify insurance from the start of service, and ask the aid office if aid applies |
| Start of service | Family insurance ends, the new cover begins | Send proof of the new cover to your insurer so that the withdrawal takes effect |
What happens if I do nothing, and what does follow-on insurance cost?
Then the compulsory follow-on insurance applies. It is your existing membership as voluntary insurance (§ 188 Para. 4 SGB V) and begins the day after you leave. Exceptions apply if the conditions of family insurance are met, or if a follow-on benefit claim exists and you then prove other cover.
You pay the contribution yourself, at least based on 1,318.33 euros per month, even without income of your own. Without proof of your income, the insurer calculates with the contribution assessment ceiling of 5,812.50 euros, meaning the maximum contribution. Proof submitted within twelve months leads to a recalculation, and your insurer will tell you from when it applies. As long as your total income remains below 1,318.33 euros, the contribution does not change. Not every insurer can be chosen in every federal state.
The 2026 calculation example assumes a childless person from age 23 without entitlement to sickness benefit, i.e. the reduced rate of 14.0 percent, and the average additional contribution of 2.9 percent. Long-term care insurance costs 3.6 percent, or 4.2 percent for childless people from age 23.
- Assessment basis: 1,318.33 € (one third of the reference amount of 3,955 €).
- Health insurance: 1,318.33 € times 14.0 percent equals 184.57 €.
- Additional contribution: 1,318.33 € times 2.9 percent equals 38.23 €, health insurance in total 222.80 €.
- Long-term care insurance: 1,318.33 € times 4.2 percent equals 55.37 €.
- Total: 278.17 € per month. With a child, long-term care insurance falls to 47.46 €, and the total becomes 270.26 €.
- If you wait four months for the start of service, that is 4 times 278.17 € equals 1,112.68 €.
The additional contribution of your insurer changes the figure. The 91 insurers in the GKV-Spitzenverband’s insurer list charge between 2.18 and 4.39 percent in 2026 (status 16 October 2026):
| Additional contribution | Health insurance | Long-term care insurance (childless, from 23) | Total per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.18% | 213.31 € | 55.37 € | 268.68 € |
| 2.9% (average) | 222.80 € | 55.37 € | 278.17 € |
| 4.39% | 242.44 € | 55.37 € | 297.81 € |
If the waiting period extends into 2027, the values change. According to the draft ordinance on the reference amount of 4,130 euros, the minimum assessment would be 1,376.67 euros; with an additional contribution of 2.9 percent and long-term care insurance of 4.2 percent, that would be 232.66 € plus 57.82 € equals 290.48 €. This has not yet been decided.
How long am I still family-insured?
Family insurance only exists if your total income is at most 565 euros per month (2026); for a minijob the limit is 603 euros. For 2027 the draft ordinance gives 590 euros, and the minijob limit would then be 633 euros. Age limits are 18 years without further conditions, 23 years without gainful employment, and 25 years in school or vocational training or while studying (§ 10 SGB V).
After completing your studies, family insurance in practice lasts until the end of the semester, and at most until age 25. If you are older or no longer in training, family insurance through your parents usually no longer applies. If one parent is privately insured and earns above the compulsory insurance threshold of 6,450 euros per month (2026), family insurance through the parents may be excluded. Ask your health insurer.
Family insurance through a spouse or registered partner is possible without an age limit if the partner is statutorily insured and your income does not exceed the limit. Family insurance ends when you start work, because your own cover then takes precedence. As a civil servant you are exempt from insurance, and in a training relationship a compulsory insurance obligation of your own arises; both take precedence. You can check this with the limit calculator for family insurance (in German).
What applies if I was privately insured during my studies?
If you were exempted at the start of your studies, you stay in private insurance. The contract continues beyond the end of your studies, and this does not lead to compulsory insurance. Check with your insurer whether your student tariff still fits until you start work, and how the switch to the trainee tariff works if you are appointed as a civil servant on probation. The next steps for a private contract after your studies are described in What happens to your private insurance after your studies (in German).
Is an anticipatory policy in the PKV worthwhile before the trainee period?
That depends on your health, budget and plans. 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. Both cost an ongoing contribution. For civil servants with pre-existing conditions there is also the opening campaign of the private health insurers, which limits risk surcharges and provides for no exclusions of benefits. The trade-off is set out in the article on the anticipatory private insurance policy (in German).
What applies to a job or unemployment benefit I?
A job during the waiting period, once earnings are above the minijob limit, generally leads to compulsory insurance as an employee. The student employment privilege ends with the month in which you receive the written overall result of your final exam. Unemployment benefit I requires twelve months of contribution periods in unemployment insurance within the last 30 months. A subject-related job during your studies may count; a minijob and an exempt student job do not count for this. If you are unemployed, register in person no later than the first day of unemployment; if the end of your studies is known, job-seeker registration must be made three months in advance.
What if the start of service is postponed?
If the start is postponed, the period in which you must provide your own cover is extended. The follow-on insurance continues, and the contribution remains due until other cover begins. Tell your insurer the new date and ask for confirmation of when your membership runs until.
What changes with the start of service, in teaching and in legal training?
From the first day of service, different rules apply, and they depend on your status. The preparatory service is a matter for the states: status, aid and insurance are governed by state law, and your appointment notice shows what applies to you.
| Route | Status | Health insurance from the start of service |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching | Usually civil servant on probation with aid | You do not pay compulsory contributions to statutory health, long-term care or unemployment insurance, but you must provide for health and long-term care cover yourself (privately or voluntarily under statutory insurance). Aid covers part of the costs. |
| Legal training | Depending on the state, civil servant on probation or public-law training relationship under state law | As a civil servant, the same as for teaching. In a training relationship, compulsory statutory insurance under § 5 Para. 1 No. 1 SGB V, contributions deducted from salary, no aid. |
| Legal training in Saxony | Choice between both forms | Requirements under the information sheet of the Saxon justice department include, among others, an age below 42 years and medical fitness. |
The overview of all routes is given in Health insurance during the trainee period (in German), aid in Aid during the trainee period (in German), and the statutory option in Trainee teachers in statutory health insurance (in German). For lawyers there is Health insurance during legal training (in German), and the paths by 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).
What to do now
- Ask your university for the de-registration date and your insurer for the date your membership ends.
- Check whether family insurance is possible: income at most 565 € per month (2026), age limit 25.
- Note the two-week deadline from the insurer’s notice. You can withdraw from the follow-on insurance within this period, but this only takes effect with proof of other cover.
- Submit proof of your income so that the insurer does not apply the contribution assessment ceiling of 5,812.50 €.
- Check your appointment notice for your status, and ask your aid office whether aid applies.
- If you want to register as a job-seeker, do so three months before the end of your studies, and register as unemployed in person on the first day of unemployment.
- Tell your insurer the start of service, and check that your cover begins on the first day of service.
Frequently asked questions
Am I insured between my state exam and the trainee period?
Usually yes. Compulsory student insurance runs until the end of the semester of your last enrolment or re-registration. Afterwards your membership continues as compulsory follow-on insurance, unless family insurance, compulsory insurance or another cover applies. Unemployment benefit I, a job or an existing private policy can also secure your cover.
How long am I still covered by family insurance after the state exam?
Only if your total income is at most 565 euros per month (2026) and you are within the age limits; for students at most until age 25. If you are not in employment and not in training, the age limit is 23. Family insurance ends when you start service as a civil servant on probation.
Do I have to insure myself voluntarily if the trainee period starts later?
Usually this happens automatically. If you do not withdraw in time with proof of other cover, your membership continues as follow-on insurance and you pay the contribution yourself. If another cover begins shortly after the end of the semester, the follow-on benefit claim of at most one month can bridge the gap.
What does voluntary statutory insurance cost during the waiting period?
In the example with the minimum assessment of 1,318.33 euros and an additional contribution of 2.9 percent, the total in 2026 is 278.17 euros per month, of which 222.80 euros is health insurance and 55.37 euros is long-term care insurance. Your insurer sets the contribution according to your income.
Am I entitled to unemployment benefit I during the waiting period?
Only with sufficient prior insurance of twelve months within the last 30 months. A minijob or an exempt student job does not count. Register in person as unemployed no later than the first day of unemployment.
What applies if I was privately insured during my studies?
Your private contract continues. Check with your insurer whether your student tariff still fits until you start work.
Is an anticipatory policy in the PKV worthwhile before the trainee period?
An anticipatory policy costs an ongoing contribution and keeps the way back into private insurance open without a new health check, with the large variant also keeping today’s entry age. Whether it is worthwhile depends on your health, budget and plans. For pre-existing conditions, the opening campaign for civil servants is an alternative, with limited risk surcharges.
Related reading
- Health insurance during the trainee period: aid, PKV or GKV? (in German)
- Health insurance after the trainee period: statutory, private and anticipatory cover (in German)
- Trainee teachers in statutory health insurance: when that is possible (in German)
- Health insurance during legal training: guide for lawyers (in German)
- Studying over 30: opportunities, financing and everyday life (in German)
- Glossary: health insurance during studies (in German)
Sources and review
- § 188 Para. 4 SGB V (compulsory follow-on insurance), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 190 Para. 9 SGB V (end of membership of students) and § 19 Para. 2 SGB V (follow-on benefit claim), gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 10 SGB V (family insurance), gesetze-im-internet.de, and § 243 SGB V (reduced rate), gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed 20.10.2026
- 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, Bundesrat approval pending), bmas.de
- Minijob Central, minijob limit 2027, magazin.minijob-zentrale.de
Information, not individual advice.
Editorial team: Academycon · Status: October 2026
Status: 20 October 2026
If you want to check your cover until you start work, start with the Academycon online check (in German).
Status: October 2026. This guide does not replace individual advice. Information, not individual advice.
