Switching to private health insurance at career start is only an option if your annual earnings are above the compulsory insurance threshold. For 2026 that is €77,400 per year, which is €6,450 per month. Below it, you are compulsorily insured by statute as an employee; above it, you can choose between statutory and private insurance.
The decision often applies for decades. It is therefore worth checking health questions, family planning, the employer contribution and the way back to statutory insurance before you sign.
Key points at a glance
- The compulsory insurance threshold for 2026 is €6,450 per month (€77,400 per year). Below it, statutory insurance is compulsory for employees.
- Private insurers ask health questions. Ongoing treatment and recommended operations often lead to rejection.
- In statutory insurance, spouses and children can be family-insured under conditions. In private insurance, you insure each person separately.
- The return to statutory insurance is possible before age 55 in principle, and usually no longer possible after that.
From when can you take out private insurance as a career starter?
As an employee, you need an annual earnings figure above the compulsory insurance threshold. The 2026 values according to the German Pension Insurance are:
| Figure (2026) | Month | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory insurance threshold | €6,450 | €77,400 |
| Contribution assessment ceiling for health and long-term care insurance | €5,812.50 | €69,750 |
Example: Jonas, 26, starts as an engineer with €5,500 gross per month. Assumption: twelve salaries without special payments. That makes €66,000 per year, which is less than €77,400. Jonas is compulsorily insured by statute. At €6,600 per month, it would be €79,200 per year. He would then be above the threshold and could take out private insurance.
Civil servants and trainees follow different rules. How this works during the preparatory service is explained in the article on the cover for trainees (in German).
Switching to private health insurance or staying in statutory insurance: what counts?
A price comparison alone is not enough. These points decide whether a choice still fits in ten years:
| Criterion | What you should check |
|---|---|
| Health | Private insurers ask about pre-existing conditions and treatment. An anonymous risk enquiry shows in advance how an insurer responds |
| Family | Statutory insurance offers family insurance for spouses, civil partners and children, subject to an income limit (2026: €565 per month). In private insurance, you insure each person separately |
| Contribution development | Private premiums can rise. The insurer reviews them at least once a year and adjusts them when a threshold is exceeded |
| Invoices | As a privately insured patient, you pay medical bills first and then submit them to the insurer |
| Return | The way back to statutory insurance is possible before 55, but subject to conditions. After that it is usually closed |
Does an employer contribution to private insurance exist?
Before you start, ask the personnel department whether your employer contributes to your premium, and if so how much. Get the commitment in writing and include it in your premium comparison.
How does family planning affect the decision?
If you want to start a family, look early at family insurance. Under § 10 SGB V, spouses, civil partners and children of members are family-insured under certain conditions, including total income of at most €565 per month (2026). The conditions are set out in the text of § 10 SGB V.
For children of a privately insured parent, the following applies: if that parent’s gross income is above the compulsory insurance threshold of €6,450 per month, the children are not family-insured. Calculate the costs for partner and children in private insurance before you sign.
What applies to health questions and pre-existing conditions?
The application contains health questions that you must answer truthfully. Before the contract declaration, you must disclose known circumstances that are material to the insurer and about which it has asked in text form (§ 19 VVG). If you breach this duty, the insurer may withdraw or terminate, provided it has informed you of the consequences.
It must assert its rights within one month of becoming aware of the breach. These rights lapse five years after the contract is concluded, or after ten years in cases of intent or fraudulent deception (§ 21 VVG). For pre-existing conditions, make an anonymous risk enquiry beforehand.
What should you look for in the premium and the contract?
Ageing provisions and the statutory surcharge
In substitutive health insurance, the insurer charges a statutory surcharge of 10 percent on the annual gross premium. It starts at the latest in the calendar year after your 21st birthday, ends in the calendar year in which you turn 60, and flows into the ageing provisions (§ 149 VAG).
Premium adjustment and premium refund
The statutory threshold for premium adjustments is 10 percent, although tariff conditions may lower it to 5 percent. A trustee must consent, and you can terminate within two months of the notice (§ 205 para. 4 VVG).
Some tariffs refund part of the premiums if you submit no invoices for one year. As a guide, up to about 50 percent of an annual premium is possible, depending on the insurer’s surplus and without guarantee. The refund reduces the deductible special expenses in the year of payment.
Expectancy as an interim solution
If you are still studying or in a transition phase, you can secure your health status with a private health insurance expectancy (in German). The article on private health insurance after your studies (in German) covers termination and deadlines of an existing student policy.
How do you get from private insurance back to statutory insurance?
Before age 55 this is possible in principle, for example through employment subject to compulsory insurance below the annual earnings threshold. A minijob is not enough. If you would become compulsorily insured after your 55th birthday, you remain exempt under certain conditions, which usually rules out a return. An exception is family insurance through a statutorily insured partner, if your own total income does not exceed €565 per month (2026).
Frequently asked questions
From when can I switch to private insurance as a career starter?
As an employee, once your annual earnings are above the compulsory insurance threshold. For 2026 that is €77,400 per year, or €6,450 per month. Below that, you are compulsorily insured by statute.
Does my employer contribute to private insurance?
Whether and how much your employer contributes to your premium is clarified with the personnel department before you start. Get the answer in writing before you sign, so that you can include it in your comparison.
Is private or statutory insurance better for career starters?
That depends on income, health and life plans. Check health questions, family planning, premium development and the return to statutory insurance. There is no blanket answer.
What happens to my family in private insurance?
In private insurance, you insure partners and children separately. In statutory insurance, family insurance is available under conditions. Children of a privately insured parent are not family-insured above the compulsory insurance threshold.
Can I return to statutory insurance later?
Before 55 in principle yes, through employment subject to compulsory insurance below the annual earnings threshold. From 55 onwards, a return is usually ruled out, and a minijob is not enough.
What you should do now
- Calculate your expected annual earnings and compare them with €77,400.
- Ask the employer about the contribution before you choose a tariff.
- If you have pre-existing conditions, make an anonymous risk enquiry before you sign the application.
- Include partner and children in your costs and check the conditions of family insurance.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the route to advice on the Academycon homepage.
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Related articles
- Health insurance during the traineeship: civil service benefits, PKV or GKV? (in German)
- What happens to your PKV after your studies? (in German)
- Private health insurance expectancy: when it pays off for students (in German)
- University or university of applied sciences: what suits you better? (in German)
- Health insured after studies without a job: options and costs (in German)
- Teacher training: insurance from studies to traineeship (in German)
- Health insurance at career start: from exams to the first employment contract (in German)
- Unemployment benefit after studies: entitlement, registration and health insurance (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
