TK student health insurance costs 141.16 euros a month in 2026 if you are under 23 or have a child. From age 23 without a child it is 146.29 euros. This includes 110.38 euros for health insurance with the TK additional contribution of 2.69 percent, and 30.78 euros or 35.91 euros for long-term care insurance. The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) is a substitute health insurer and can be chosen by students across Germany.
The key points at a glance
- The health insurance contribution at the TK is 110.38 euros a month from 1 January 2026, including the additional contribution.
- The TK additional contribution in 2026 is 2.69 percent, which is below the average additional contribution rate of 2.9 percent.
- For long-term care insurance you pay 30.78 euros (under 23 or with a child) or 35.91 euros (childless from age 23). This is the same at all insurers.
- The statutory benefits are largely the same at all health insurers. Each insurer sets its own additional statutory benefits and service.
- If you are family insured through your parents or your partner, you pay no contribution, provided the conditions are met.
What does TK student health insurance cost?
The contribution consists of the basic contribution of student health insurance, the insurer-specific additional contribution, and the long-term care contribution. The basic contribution is 10.22 percent of a contribution basis of 855 euros, which is 87.38 euros and the same for all insurers. The TK additional contribution of 2.69 percent comes to exactly 23.00 euros on 855 euros. Together these make the 110.38 euros that the TK gives on its page on the contribution rate for students (page status: 17 February 2026).
| Item | Rate | Amount per month |
|---|---|---|
| Basic contribution health insurance | 10.22 percent of 855 euros | 87.38 euros |
| TK additional contribution | 2.69 percent of 855 euros | 23.00 euros |
| Health insurance total | 12.91 percent | 110.38 euros |
| Long-term care insurance under 23 or with a child | 3.6 percent of 855 euros | 30.78 euros |
| Long-term care insurance, childless from age 23 | 4.2 percent of 855 euros | 35.91 euros |
| Total under 23 or with a child | 141.16 euros | |
| Total, childless from age 23 | 146.29 euros |
The contribution changes if the TK adjusts its additional contribution or the legislator changes the contribution basis. The figure in the table applies to 2026. For how the totals look at other insurers, see the overview additional contributions of all health insurers (in German). For other large insurers, see AOK for students (in German) and Barmer and DAK for students (in German).
Does the TK additional contribution also apply to students?
Yes. The additional contribution is a rate that each insurer sets for all its members. For students it is calculated on the 855 euros basis, while for employees it is calculated on their salary. That is why it comes to much less in euros for you than for someone in work.
For context: the average additional contribution rate that the Federal Ministry of Health has announced for 2026 is 2.9 percent. On 855 euros that would be about 24.80 euros. The TK rate is 0.21 percentage points below this. On 855 euros that is about 1.80 euros a month, or about 22 euros a year. The additional contributions of all 91 insurers, as listed by the GKV-Spitzenverband, are in the GKV-Spitzenverband list.
How do students join the TK?
The TK is a substitute health insurer. When you start studying, you can choose freely among the AOKs, the substitute health insurers, the Knappschaft and the company and guild health insurers at your place of residence or study. The TK is open nationwide, so no region matters. You make the choice no later than two weeks after compulsory insurance begins.
Before enrolment, the university requires a digital confirmation from a statutory health insurer (section 199a(2) SGB V). Once you have joined, the TK handles this notification to the university. Which details the TK needs for joining and through which channels it works is shown on tk.de. The general process for proof and notification is described in the article health insurance at enrolment: proof (in German).
What benefits does the TK provide for students?
The statutory health insurance benefits are largely the same at all insurers. They include outpatient treatment by doctors, hospital care, medicines and preventive care. This applies to the TK just as it does to every other insurer. Differences arise in benefits that an insurer additionally provides under its articles of association, and in its service.
Which voluntary benefits the TK offers is set out in its articles of association and on tk.de. These can change during the year. So open the benefit overview of the TK and of the insurers you are comparing, and check the points that matter to you, for example subsidies for preventive care or vaccinations. Academycon does not rate the insurers’ benefits and does not recommend any particular insurer.
Can I use the TK through family insurance?
Yes, if a parent or your spouse is a member of the TK and the conditions are met. Family insurance is contribution-free under section 10 SGB V (legal text). It covers children, spouses and registered partners of members. Children are family insured until their 25th birthday if they are studying and their total income is no more than 565 euros a month. For a mini-job the limit is 603 euros. Family insurance takes precedence over compulsory student insurance.
You are co-insured through a member. If that member is insured with the TK, you are co-insured there too. Anyone who has been exempted from compulsory insurance is excluded from family insurance. If the conditions lapse, for example because you reach the age limit or exceed the income limit, compulsory student insurance may apply, and you choose the insurer for it yourself. The rules in detail are described in health insurance for students (in German).
How do I switch to the TK?
You tell the TK that you wish to join. The TK notifies your previous insurer and the university of the switch, so you do not need to terminate yourself. Precondition: your twelve-month commitment to the previous insurer has expired, or a special right of termination applies because of a higher additional contribution. Membership with the previous insurer ends at the end of the second calendar month after notice.
The route back to another insurer follows the same rules: even with the TK, you are bound for at least twelve months after your choice. All deadlines with examples are in the article switching health insurer as a student (in German).
Frequently asked questions
What does TK student health insurance cost?
In 2026 health insurance costs 110.38 euros a month including the additional contribution. Long-term care insurance adds 30.78 euros (under 23 or with a child) or 35.91 euros (childless from age 23). Together that is 141.16 euros or 146.29 euros a month.
How do I register as a student with the TK?
You tell the TK that you wish to join. The insurer reports your membership to the university digitally. The details and channels for joining are on tk.de.
Does the TK additional contribution also apply to students?
Yes. The additional contribution of 2.69 percent is calculated for students on 855 euros and comes to 23.00 euros a month.
Can I use the TK through family insurance?
Yes, as soon as a parent or your spouse is insured with the TK and the family insurance conditions are met. Your income may not exceed 565 euros a month, or 603 euros for a mini-job.
How do I switch to the TK?
Tell the TK that you wish to join as soon as the twelve-month commitment has expired or a special right of termination applies. The TK notifies the previous insurer and the university.
So what do you do now?
- Check whether you can be family insured. Then you pay no contribution of your own.
- Read the current contribution page and the statutory-option benefits of the TK on tk.de.
- Set the statutory-option benefits and additional contribution of one or two other insurers next to them.
- Tell the chosen insurer that you want to join, no later than two weeks after compulsory insurance begins.
- Keep the insurer’s confirmation for enrolment safe.
If you want to talk through your choice, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage.
Related articles
- Additional contributions 2026 of all health insurers and what students pay (in German)
- Switching health insurer as a student: deadlines and process (in German)
- Statutory health insurance during study: experience, costs, limits (in German)
- Health insurance for students: compulsory, options and special cases (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
