Health Insurance for Students Over 30 in Germany

Health insurance as a student over 30 continues as voluntary statutory insurance after the end of the student compulsory insurance (studentische Pflichtversicherung, KVdS). The KVdS ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30. From then on, in 2026, depending on your fund, you pay between about €269 and €298 per month for health and nursing care insurance if you are childless and your income stays below €1,318.33. In the KVdS, the same cover costs about €148 per month with the average supplementary contribution.

You can avoid this jump only in certain cases. These are a justified application for an extension, family insurance through a spouse or civil partner, or a job that makes you a compulsorily insured employee.

The essentials in brief

• The KVdS ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30. The former limit of 14 subject semesters has not applied since 2020.
• Without a further ground, you stay insured as a voluntary member. You can terminate within two weeks of the fund’s notice, but only with proof of other cover (§ 188 SGB V).
• Your voluntary contribution consists of 14.0% plus your fund’s supplementary contribution on your total income, but at least on €1,318.33 per month, plus nursing care insurance.
• An extension beyond 30 requires a justified application each semester.
• Family insurance through a spouse or civil partner has no age limit, but the income limit applies.

What applies to the KVdS age limit of 30?

The student compulsory insurance (KVdS) is the statutory compulsory insurance for students enrolled at state or state-recognised universities. Its age limit is set out in § 190 SGB V (in German). Membership ends at the end of the semester in which you complete your 30th year of life. If you turn 30 in the middle of the summer semester, you therefore remain in the KVdS until the end of that semester. The end of the semester varies from university to university.

Older guides still name the 14th subject semester as a second limit. Since 2020, only age decides. For details, see the Verbraucherzentrale overview (in German). In a second degree, too, the limit remains age 30, and an extension is possible only for reasons that prevent you from finishing.

What happens to your health insurance when the KVdS ends?

Mandatory follow-on insurance is the voluntary continuation of your membership after the end of compulsory or family insurance. It begins the day after you leave and applies automatically, unless you terminate within two weeks of your fund’s notice. The deadline runs from that notice, not from the end of the semester. Termination takes effect only if you prove that you are covered for illness in another way (§ 188 para. 4 SGB V (in German)).

Follow-on insurance does not apply if the conditions of family insurance are met, and in that case you do not have to register yourself. If you want another solution, you must act within the two-week deadline. These options are open to you:

How do you extend the KVdS beyond 30?

Beyond your 30th birthday, compulsory insurance continues if the type of training or family or personal circumstances justify the overrun. The law gives the second education pathway (Zweiter Bildungsweg) as an example. Funds assess all other cases individually. Reasons can include illness, caring for a relative, a voluntary service, or the birth of a child.

You submit the application to your health insurance fund, and you must do so for each semester with a justification. Without an approved extension, your membership continues as voluntary insurance. The guide on extending student health insurance explains which evidence is useful and how to structure the application.

What does voluntary health insurance cost students over 30?

The minimum contribution in 2026 is between €268.68 and €297.81 per month for health and nursing care insurance, if you are childless, at least 23 years old, and your income stays below €1,318.33. Which figure applies depends on your fund’s supplementary contribution and on a minimum assessment base.

How is the contribution calculated?

For voluntary members without entitlement to sick pay, the reduced contribution rate of 14.0% applies, plus your fund’s supplementary contribution. The supplementary contribution ranges from 2.18% to 4.39% in 2026, according to the GKV-Spitzenverband fund list (in German), status 16 October 2026. Not every fund is open to every insured person. An overview of the funds is in the article on supplementary contributions 2026 (in German).

The fund applies both rates to your total income, but at least to €1,318.33 per month. This amount is one third of the reference value of €3,955 (§ 240 SGB V (in German)). The contribution assessment ceiling of €5,812.50 caps the contribution from above. Nursing care insurance comes on top: 3.6%, or 4.2% for childless people aged 23 or older. On the minimum assessment, that is €47.46 or €55.37. As a voluntary member, you pay these yourself.

With a child, the nursing care contribution drops to €47.46, so the total falls by €7.91. In the KVdS, by contrast, you pay 10.22% plus your supplementary contribution on a flat €855. With the average supplementary contribution and nursing care for childless people, that is about €148 per month. The difference from voluntary insurance is therefore about €130 per month.

Which income counts toward the contribution?

The fund measures your contribution by your total economic ability to pay. Income typically includes earnings, the grant portion of BAföG (not the loan portion), and scholarships. Child benefit and housing benefit do not count. For other payments, such as maintenance from your parents, ask your fund directly.

As long as all your income together stays below €1,318.33, your contribution does not change. Above that, it rises up to the contribution assessment ceiling. Example: with €1,500 in income and a supplementary contribution of 2.9% in 2026, you pay €253.50 in health insurance plus €63.00 in nursing care, €316.50 per month in total.

What happens if you do not provide proof of income?

If you do not give the fund proof of your income, it will generally calculate with the contribution assessment ceiling, which is the maximum contribution. In 2026, at a supplementary contribution of 2.9%, that would be €982.31 for health insurance plus €244.13 for nursing care, €1,226.44 per month in total. If you submit the proof later, the fund sets the contribution again. Provide your income details early, and ask which documents your fund accepts.

Does BAföG help with the contributions?

If you begin your studies between the ages of 30 and 45, you are generally funded independently of your parents. Parental and spousal income then does not count. The BAföG office will check whether the age limits fit your case. The article on independent BAföG (in German) explains the requirements.

If you receive BAföG and pay your own health and nursing care contributions from age 30, you receive supplements of €185 and €48, totalling €233 per month. Under 30, the supplements are €102 and €35. In the example above with a minimum contribution of €278.17, this leaves a gap of about €45. The government draft of the BAföG reform provides for higher supplements of €223 and €56 from 1 April 2027. It has not yet been passed.

Can you be family insured as a student over 30?

Yes, through a spouse or civil partner, if that person is a member of a statutory health insurance fund. There is no age limit for spouses and civil partners. The ages 18, 23 and 25 apply only to children. Registered civil partners are treated like spouses, while unmarried partners are not.

Your total income must not exceed €565 per month in 2026. For a mini-job, the limit is €603. BAföG, child benefit and housing benefit do not count as income in family insurance. You also must not be self-employed as your main occupation. The requirements and limits are described in the article on family insurance through a spouse (in German).

Important: voluntary membership and family insurance are mutually exclusive. If you want to be family insured, you must end your voluntary membership and inform the fund. Through your parents, that is generally no longer possible, because family insurance during studies ends at 25, and only periods of service can extend it. The conditions for students are described in the article on family insurance during studies (in German).

How does a job affect your insurance?

A job can leave your contribution unchanged, increase it, or make you compulsorily insured. Working hours and earnings are decisive.

• Mini-job up to €603: earnings count as income. If your total income stays below €1,318.33, your contribution remains the same.
• Working student with up to 20 hours per week during term time: as an employee, you remain exempt from health, nursing care and unemployment insurance, even if you earn more than €603. Pension insurance remains compulsory. This does not replace health insurance. You remain voluntarily insured, and the fund generally counts your pay as income.
• Regularly more than 20 hours per week: you are generally treated as an employee and are compulsorily insured. If you earn between €603.01 and €2,000 per month, you are in the transitional zone with reduced employee contributions. As a compulsorily insured person, you are no longer voluntarily insured.

The calculation for mini-jobs and part-time jobs is set out in the guide on students over 30 with a mini-job or part-time job.

When is private health insurance an option after 30?

Private health insurance is also possible after your 30th birthday, but it is a long-term decision. Student tariffs are aimed at young first-time insured people and may no longer be available to you later. The application includes health questions that you must answer truthfully. You can terminate the statutory fund only if you prove the new cover. If you were exempted from compulsory insurance at the start of your studies, you usually remain privately insured for the entire course of study. Details are in the article on exemption from compulsory insurance (in German).

Weigh the risks fairly. Private contributions can rise, and the route back to statutory insurance is limited. Before age 55, it is generally possible through employment subject to compulsory insurance below the annual earnings threshold. A mini-job is not enough for this. From age 55, the return is generally excluded. The options beyond 30 are described in the article on private health insurance for students over 30 (in German).

What does this look like in practice? Three examples

The three examples are fictional. They use the average supplementary contribution of 2.9%.

Student over 30 with no income

Example: Jonas, 31, master’s degree, no income, childless. His KVdS ended with the semester of his 30th birthday, and the fund continues his membership as a voluntary member. If he submits his income details, they are assessed at €1,318.33: €222.80 for health insurance plus €55.37 for nursing care, a total of €278.17 per month. If the details are missing, the fund generally first applies the contribution assessment ceiling of €1,226.44.

Student over 30 with a mini-job

Example: Mira, 33, second degree, mini-job at €520 per month and no other income. Because €520 is below €1,318.33, the mini-job does not change her contribution, and she continues to pay €278.17 per month. If she later moves into a job with regularly more than 20 hours per week, she becomes an employee with compulsory insurance and is no longer voluntarily insured.

Student over 30 with a child

Example: Selin, 32, master’s degree, one child, working student job with 18 hours per week and €1,500 gross per month. The fund generally counts the pay as income. Health insurance costs 16.9% of €1,500, which is €253.50. With a child, she pays 3.6% for nursing care, which is €54.00. Together, that is €307.50 per month. Without a child, it would be €316.50. Her child can be family insured free of contribution through her, if the conditions are met. Health insurance contributions are not graded by the number of dependants. More on money and insurance with a child is in the article on studying with a child (in German).

Which typical mistakes should you avoid?

• Leaving the fund’s notice unopened. The two weeks for termination run from the notice. After that, voluntary insurance continues.
• Leaving the fund without proving new cover. Termination takes effect only with proof of other cover.
• Not stating your income. Without proof, the fund generally applies the contribution assessment ceiling.
• Not checking the contribution notice. Check the contribution rate, your fund’s supplementary contribution, the nursing care rate and the assessment base, which must be at least €1,318.33.
• Raising the extension too late. Clarify with your fund well before your KVdS ends whether a ground for extension applies.
• Losing sight of the supplementary contribution. If your fund raises its supplementary contribution, you can terminate by the end of the month for which the increase applies. This takes effect only with proof of new cover. The procedure is explained in the article on changing health insurance as a student (in German).

Frequently asked questions

What does health insurance cost for students over 30?

In 2026, you pay at least between €268.68 and €297.81 per month in voluntary statutory insurance for health and nursing care, if you are childless, at least 23 years old, and your income stays below €1,318.33. Which value applies to you depends on your fund’s supplementary contribution. With a child, the nursing care contribution falls by €7.91.

Am I still in student health insurance at 31?

Usually not. The KVdS ends at the end of the semester in which you turn 30. It continues only with a justified application, for example because of the second education pathway. The number of subject semesters no longer matters. The earlier limit of 14 subject semesters has not applied since 2020.

What is the minimum contribution for voluntary statutory insurance?

The fund calculates with income of at least €1,318.33 per month. On this, you pay 14.0% plus your supplementary contribution, plus 3.6% or 4.2% for nursing care. At a 2.9% supplementary contribution, that is €278.17 for a childless person. You pay more only if your income is above €1,318.33.

Can I be family insured as a student over 30?

Yes, through your spouse or civil partner, if that person is a member of a statutory health insurance fund and your total income is at most €565 per month, or €603 for a mini-job. There is no age limit for partners. Through your parents, family insurance during studies generally ends at 25. Your voluntary membership must end for the switch.

Do I need to register myself with the fund when the KVdS ends?

Usually not. Follow-on insurance applies automatically if you do not terminate within two weeks of the fund’s notice and prove other cover. You must act if you want to extend your insurance, switch to family insurance or leave the fund, and you must send your income details.

What to do now

1. Find out in which semester you turn 30, and when that semester ends at your university.
2. Check whether a ground for extension applies, gather the evidence, and file the application before the semester ends.
3. Clarify whether family insurance through your partner is possible if your income stays below €565.
4. Give your fund your income details and check the contribution notice.
5. Take your time with a decision about private insurance, because it has long-term effects.

If you want to discuss your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage (in German). An overview of the whole topic is in the guide on health insurance for students (in German).

Related guides

• Health insurance for students in Germany
• Extending Student Health Insurance Beyond Age 30
• Health Insurance for PhD Students in Germany
• Health insurance for students in the EU: EHIC and more
• German original (in German)

Information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative. Last reviewed: 21 October 2026.