KKH student health insurance costs 119.70 € a month in 2026 for statutory health cover. With care insurance you pay 150.48 € (under 23 or with a child) or 155.61 € (23 or older, no children). The additional contribution is 3.78 %. Student cover ends with the semester of your 30th birthday, after which the voluntary minimum without children is 289.77 € a month.
At a glance: the facts about KKH
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Additional contribution 2026 | 3.78 % |
| Open to | nationwide, substitute fund (Ersatzkasse) |
| Student insurance under 23 (health and care) | 150.48 € per month |
| Student insurance from 23, no children (health and care) | 155.61 € per month |
| Voluntary minimum from 30, no children | 289.77 € per month |
| Voluntary minimum from 30, with a child | 281.86 € per month |
| Source and date | Additional contribution from the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list (statutory health insurance association), amounts calculated by us, as of 24 October 2026. The fund’s student page shows the same totals for 2026 (metadata date 14 September 2026). |
These amounts apply to compulsory statutory student insurance. The additional contribution is set by each fund and can change. The rate that KKH itself states is the binding one.
What does KKH cost for students?
KKH offers no separate student tariff. It provides statutory student health insurance (KVdS, Krankenversicherung der Studierenden) under one fixed formula. The assessment basis of 855 € a month applies whether or not you receive BAföG (German student financial aid). KKH’s student page shows the same totals of 150.48 € and 155.61 €. The contribution works out as follows:
- Assessment basis: 855.00 € a month.
- Base contribution: 10.22 % of 855.00 € gives 87.38 €.
- Additional contribution of KKH: 3.78 % of 855.00 € gives 32.32 €.
- Health insurance: 87.38 € plus 32.32 € gives 119.70 €.
- Care insurance: 30.78 € (3.6 %) under 23 or with a child, 35.91 € (4.2 %) from 23 without children.
- Total: 150.48 € under 23 or with a child, 155.61 € from 23 without children.
How the additional contribution of KKH compares with all other funds is shown in the table of the guide Zusatzbeiträge 2026 aller Krankenkassen (in German). One percentage point of additional contribution equals 8.55 € a month for students.
What applies at KKH from 25 and from 30?
Family insurance ends at 25
Until your 25th birthday you can be covered as a student through a parent who is a member of a statutory fund. This holds as long as your total income in 2026 does not exceed 565 € a month, or 603 € with a mini job (section 10 SGB V, Social Code Book V). The age limit can only be extended by periods of statutory or voluntary service, not by study time. From your 23rd birthday a care insurance surcharge for people without children applies, which adds 5.13 € a month. The glossary entry Familienversicherung im Studium (in German) covers this in more detail.
Student insurance ends at 30
Compulsory student insurance ends when the semester in which you turn 30 ends (section 5(1) no. 9 SGB V). There has been no maximum number of subject semesters since 2020, so the age limit decides. An extension is possible if the type of training or personal reasons justify going beyond it. The fund checks this case by case. The guides Krankenversicherung als Student über 30 and Studieren mit 30 (both in German) give details.
Once student insurance ends, you normally stay with KKH as a voluntary member unless you prove other cover. A minimum assessment basis then applies. This is how the 2026 minimum contribution works out:
- Minimum assessment basis: reference amount of 3,955.00 € divided by 3 gives 1,318.33 € a month.
- Health insurance: reduced rate of 14.0 % plus additional contribution of 3.78 % gives 17.78 %, which is 234.40 €.
- Care insurance: 47.46 € (3.6 %) with a child, 55.37 € (4.2 %) without children.
- Total: 281.86 € with a child, 289.77 € without children.
The minimum applies to low income. With higher income the contribution follows that income, up to the contribution ceiling of 5,812.50 € a month.
What applies to working students and mini jobs at KKH?
A working student job or mini job usually changes nothing about your cover while your studies remain the main activity. Weekly hours and earnings decide.
| Situation | Effect on health insurance |
|---|---|
| Working student up to 20 hours a week | The job triggers no health or care insurance contributions and student insurance continues. Pension insurance remains compulsory. |
| Employment regularly above 20 hours | The working student privilege lapses and compulsory insurance as an employee may arise. It takes priority over student insurance. |
| Mini job up to 603 € a month | Student insurance continues. Under family insurance, mini jobbers have a limit of 603 € instead of 565 €. |
The details are described in the guide Werkstudent: 20-Stunden-Regel, Rentenversicherung und Semesterferien (in German).
Which extra benefits does KKH list for young members?
KKH lists several offers for students and young members on its pages. We reproduce them here without judgement. The details come from the fund and can change.
- Sports medicine check-up: the fund subsidises one examination every two calendar years with up to 200 euros. Source: KKH, sports medicine check-up (German), accessed 25 October 2026. The student page carries a metadata date of 14 September 2026.
- KKH bonus programme: the fund describes advantages for taking part in exercise and nutrition offers. The page we accessed names no euro amount. Source: KKH, bonus programme (German), accessed 25 October 2026. The page gives no update date.
- Travel protection: according to the fund, it covers 100 percent of the costs of malaria prophylaxis, and it names STIKO-advised travel vaccinations without a euro amount. Source: KKH, travel vaccination (German), accessed 25 October 2026. The page gives no update date.
- Skin cancer screening: the fund subsidises skin cancer prevention from the age of 18, without a euro amount. Source: KKH, skin cancer early detection (German), accessed 25 October 2026. The page gives no update date.
- Digital prevention courses: the page names courses by the partners Gymondo and 7Mind, available at any time, without a euro figure. Source: KKH, digital prevention courses (German), accessed 25 October 2026. The page gives no update date.
Which offers suit you depends on your situation. The current conditions are set out in the statutes of KKH and on its website.
How do you switch to KKH?
You register with KKH, which takes over the cancellation with your previous fund. The deadlines are set by section 175 SGB V:
- Right to choose: as a student you can freely choose your health fund. You must make the choice within the statutory deadline after your compulsory insurance begins.
- Application: submit the application to KKH. Your registration replaces the notice to your previous fund.
- Notice period: membership ends at the close of the second calendar month after notice is given. Notice given in January takes effect on 1 April.
- Commitment: as a rule you are bound to the new fund for twelve months.
- Special right of termination: if a fund raises its additional contribution, you can give notice until the end of the month from which the higher rate applies. The twelve-month commitment then does not matter.
The guide Krankenkasse wechseln als Student: Fristen, Ablauf und Sonderkündigungsrecht (in German) covers this in full.
Frequently asked questions
Does KKH offer a student tariff?
No. KKH provides statutory student health insurance. The contribution follows the statutory formula and, with the 2026 additional contribution of 3.78 %, amounts to 119.70 € a month for health insurance.
What is the additional contribution of KKH in 2026?
According to the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list it is 3.78 %. Applied to the assessment basis of 855 €, this is 32.32 € a month. The average additional contribution is 2.9 %.
Until when am I covered by family insurance at KKH?
As a student until your 25th birthday, if your total income in 2026 does not exceed 565 € a month, or 603 € with a mini job. After that, student insurance usually follows.
What does KKH cost at 30?
After student insurance ends, the voluntary minimum for 2026 is 289.77 € a month without children and 281.86 € with a child, in each case including care insurance. Higher income increases the contribution.
Can I stay with KKH as a working student?
Yes, as long as you work up to 20 hours a week. If you regularly work more, compulsory insurance as an employee may arise.
When can I leave KKH again?
In principle after twelve months of commitment. If the additional contribution rises, the special right of termination applies earlier.
Sources
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fund list (additional contribution of KKH, as of 24 October 2026)
- KKH, benefits for students (German, accessed 25 October 2026, metadata date 14 September 2026, no update date on the page)
- KKH, bonus programme (German, accessed 25 October 2026, no update date)
- Section 175 SGB V, exercise of the right to choose, section 5 SGB V, compulsory insurance, section 10 SGB V, family insurance
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on 2026 reference figures
If you want to classify your own situation, you can use the Academycon online check.
Related reading
- Krankenkassen für Studierende: alle Kassen im Überblick (in German)
- Zusatzbeiträge 2026 aller Krankenkassen und was Studierende zahlen (in German)
- Barmer für Studierende: Beitrag, Aufnahme und Fakten (in German)
- DAK für Studierende: Beitrag, Aufnahme und Fakten (in German)
- Studieren mit 30: Chancen, Finanzierung und Alltag (in German)
- Werkstudent: 20-Stunden-Regel, Rentenversicherung und Semesterferien (in German)
- Familienversicherung im Studium (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
