Short answer
Health insurance for Referendare changes at the start. If you begin the Referendariat as a civil servant on revocation (Beamter auf Widerruf), you are usually no longer covered by family insurance or the student scheme. Your employer pays about half of your medical costs through Beihilfe. For the rest you choose between voluntary statutory and private cover. With trainee pay of 1,735.21 euros, voluntary statutory cover costs 366.13 euros a month by calculation.
What changes when the Referendariat starts?
With your appointment as a civil servant on revocation your status changes. You receive trainee pay and become entitled to Beihilfe. Student insurance ends with exmatriculation, and family insurance usually fails because of your own income and civil servant status. The guide Krankenversicherung zwischen Examen und Referendariat (in German) covers the gap between exam and start.
Not every Referendariat is a civil service relationship. The notes of the University of Muenster refer to civil servants on revocation in North Rhine-Westphalia. State rules differ, especially for Beihilfe and flat-rate Beihilfe.
| Item | Value | As of | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trainee basic pay for teachers, Bavaria (A 13) | 1,735.21 euros a month | 1 Feb 2025 | official, check current | Annex 10 BayBesG |
| Beihilfe rate for trainees | 50 percent | undated (figures for 2025 and 2026) | university information | University of Muenster, BVO NRW |
| Opening campaign of private insurers | up to 6 months after appointment, surcharge at most 30 percent | undated | university information | University of Muenster |
| Flat-rate Beihilfe (Hamburg model) | Hamburg, Berlin, Lower Saxony | undated | university information | University of Muenster |
| Voluntary health insurance rate without sickness benefit | 14.0 percent plus additional contribution of 2.9 percent | 2026 | official | GKV-Spitzenverband |
| Long-term care insurance | 3.6 percent, 4.2 percent without children from age 23 | 2026 | official | BMG, GKV-Spitzenverband |
What does health insurance for Referendare cost in the statutory scheme?
Civil servants pay the voluntary statutory contribution alone, because there is no employer share. The 2026 calculation with the Bavarian trainee basic pay, without children, without a sickness benefit entitlement and with the average additional contribution runs as follows.
- Health insurance. 1,735.21 times 16.9 percent equals 293.25 euros.
- Long-term care insurance with the surcharge for people without children. 1,735.21 times 4.2 percent equals 72.88 euros.
- Total. 366.13 euros a month. With a child it is 355.72 euros.
The amount applies without flat-rate Beihilfe. Where it exists, your employer covers part of it. Your actual additional contribution depends on your fund.
How does Beihilfe work and when does the opening campaign help?
At a rate of 50 percent Beihilfe reimburses half of the eligible costs. Private insurance only covers the rest. This is why its contribution for trainees can be well below the voluntary statutory contribution. In its example the university names about 100 euros for the trainee tariff at 1,700 euros of pay. That is an undated example, not a tariff offer.
The opening campaign can help if you have pre-existing conditions. It applies when you switch from statutory to private cover for the first time and your appointment was at most six months ago. There is no rejection and no exclusion of benefits, and the risk surcharge is capped at 30 percent. In return you only get the basic tariff. Ask for a risk pre-enquiry first to see whether you need it.
How to proceed
- Check before you start whether your state offers flat-rate Beihilfe.
- Request a risk pre-enquiry from several insurers before you use the opening campaign.
- Recalculate statutory cover with your trainee pay and your fund’s additional contribution.
- Decide within six months of your appointment if you want to use the opening campaign.
Frequently asked questions
Do I stay on my parents’ family insurance as a Referendar?
Usually not. With civil servant status and trainee pay the conditions for family insurance no longer apply.
How high is Beihilfe for trainees?
According to the University of Muenster the rate is 50 percent, and a higher rate applies with at least two children. The rules are set by the states.
What is the opening campaign?
A campaign by private insurers. It applies up to six months after appointment, excludes rejection and exclusion of benefits and caps the risk surcharge at 30 percent.
Does this also apply to the legal Referendariat?
Only in part. Depending on the state, legal trainees are civil servants on revocation or employees, and the maintenance allowance differs. Check this with your state.
Sources
- University of Muenster, information slides on health insurance in the Referendariat. Undated, figures for 2025 and 2026.
- Annex 10 BayBesG, trainee basic pay, valid from 1 Feb 2025. Check the current version.
- GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on 2026 contribution figures, as of 1 Jan 2026.
- Federal Ministry of Health, surcharge for people without children, as of 14 Sep 2026.
Related guides
- Krankenversicherung im Referendariat (in German)
- Beihilfe im Referendariat (in German)
- Referendar in der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung (in German)
- Krankenversicherung zwischen Examen und Referendariat (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
For a first look at your situation, use the online check (in German).
