An insurance check for starting your career brings order to questions that arise at the same time as your first full-time job. Health insurance, liability, contents cover and the protection of your earning capacity change with your salary and living situation. This order shows what to clarify first and where you can take your time.
Short answer: The order is: clarify health insurance, check liability, add contents cover, then weigh up disability insurance. As an employee, you are compulsorily insured in statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) as long as your income stays below the compulsory insurance threshold (Versicherungspflichtgrenze). In 2026 this threshold was €77,400 per year, or €6,450 per month (as of January 2026). Above it, you have a choice. Last updated: October 2026.
The Most Important Points in Brief
- Your employment contract changes your status in health insurance. Clarify this before your first salary.
- Your parents’ liability insurance often ends with the start of work or with moving out. Check the policy and decide whether you need your own.
- Disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung, BU) is a judgement call between health, premium and need for cover, not a compulsory item.
- Your employer may offer occupational pension provision (betriebliche Altersvorsorge, bAV). Check whether you want to use it and what it costs.
- Every insurance policy needs a check of its conditions before you sign.
Health insurance: the first decision
With the start of work, family insurance often ends, because your own income exceeds the limit, or because your time as a student is over. Whether you stay in statutory health insurance depends on your income. The following limits are officially set for 2026 and serve as calculation variables. They show up to what amount contributions are calculated and from what level a choice exists.
| Limit | Amount 2026 | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory insurance threshold (Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze) | €77,400 per year, €6,450 per month | Below this, employees are compulsorily insured in statutory health insurance. Above it, there is a choice. |
| Contribution assessment ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) for health and long-term care insurance | €69,750 per year, €5,812.50 per month | Health and long-term care contributions are calculated up to this amount. |
| Contribution assessment ceiling for pension insurance | €101,400 per year, €8,450 per month | Applies to pension insurance and unemployment insurance. |
The figures come from the 2026 calculation variables (as of January 2026, GKV-Spitzenverband). For 2027, draft figures exist that may still change. If you earn above the compulsory insurance threshold, you need to make a deliberate decision. Switching to private health insurance is possible, but it is tied to a health check, tariff conditions and long-term contribution developments. Returning to statutory insurance is subject to conditions, so this decision deserves a separate comparison.
Liability and contents: becoming independent
With your first flat or your first full-time job, liability insurance becomes more important. Many career starters are covered by their parents’ family liability insurance until then. Whether this cover continues after you start work is set out in your parents’ policy. If it does not, your own liability insurance makes sense. An overview of living situations is in Liability insurance in a shared flat or your own flat.
For contents insurance, reassess the value of your belongings as soon as you have your own flat. This applies in particular if you own high-value devices, furniture or bicycles. Report the living space and value to the insurer and check whether the policy still fits. The Verbraucherzentrale notes for moves that cover in the old flat usually ends at the latest two months after the move begins (as of August 2026).
Disability insurance: a judgement call, not a standard package
Disability insurance pays a pension if you can no longer practise your occupation for health reasons. The premium depends on age, occupation and state of health. Health questions are asked during the application, and pre-existing conditions can lead to exclusions or surcharges. There is therefore no standard path for career starters. Comparing is especially worthwhile for the conditions on occupational disability and on the option to increase cover later (Nachversicherung).
| Option | Intended for | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Disability insurance (BU) | Securing the occupation you trained for or practise | Health questions, rules on occupational disability, and how the premium develops with age |
| Statutory reduced earning capacity pension (Erwerbsminderungsrente) | Basic protection through the statutory pension insurance | Narrow conditions; full reduction in earning capacity applies if you can work less than three hours a day |
| Ability-based disability insurance (Grundfähigkeitsversicherung) | Securing individual physical and mental abilities | Benefit conditions differ strongly between providers |
The selection of these options is not a recommendation for a particular provider or tariff. The article Disability Insurance for Students: Costs and Start explains this in more detail, including the transition from studies to work.
Pension provision through your employer
With an employment contract, you may be able to use occupational pension provision (betriebliche Altersvorsorge, bAV), if your employer offers it. Part of your salary is converted and paid into a pension scheme. Income tax and social security contributions affect the amount, so it is worth looking at the net effect. We deliberately leave out our own calculation of income tax here. For net examples, use the calculator of the Federal Ministry of Finance (bmf-steuerrechner.de). Information on disability insurance through your employer is in Disability insurance through your employer (bAV) at career start.
Pitfalls at the start of your career
The biggest risk during the transition lies in the gaps in between. If your studies, your student status or your family insurance ends before your first employment contract begins, a gap can arise. Plan the transition early and ask your health insurer how it treats membership in that period. Probation can also matter: a job change in the first months can affect health insurance and contribution accounting, so a quick look at your payslip is worthwhile.
Your payslip shows which contributions are deducted. Check the first payslip to see whether the health insurer and contribution rates match your documents, because errors often show up there first. Keep payslips together with your contracts so that you can respond quickly to any queries.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to take care of health insurance immediately when I start work?
Yes, you should. With the employment contract, your employer usually registers you with a health insurer. Still check whether you remain in statutory insurance or whether the income threshold opens a choice. When you register, you choose the health insurer you want to join.
Does my parents’ liability insurance still cover me after I start work?
That depends on the policy. Often the cover ends with the completion of training or with moving out. Have the conditions confirmed in writing before you rely on them.
Is disability insurance worth it if I already earn money?
That is a personal judgement call. An early policy can make the health check easier than later, but it ties up a monthly budget. Compare conditions, premiums and exclusions, and ask yourself how much income would need to be secured in an emergency.
Do I have to tell my employer about my insurance policies?
Usually not about private policies. The health insurer and the pension insurance do receive notifications about the employment relationship. Provide your details completely so that no gaps arise.
How to proceed now
- Before your first salary, clarify whether you remain in statutory health insurance. Compare your expected annual income with the compulsory insurance threshold.
- Read your parents’ liability policy and decide whether you need a policy of your own.
- Reassess the value of your belongings as soon as you have your own flat.
- Find out whether your employer offers occupational pension provision and compare the conditions.
- Compare disability insurance offers by their conditions, not only by premium, before you decide.
Related reading
- Insurance check for starting university: what you need and what you don’t
- Career start after studies: how to get off to a good start (in German)
- Health insurance at career start: from exams to your first contract (in German)
- Disability insurance after studies: classification as an academic
- Guaranteed increase option: raising your disability pension after career start
Sources: GKV-Spitzenverband, fact sheet on calculation variables for contribution law (as of 1 January 2026, in German) | Federal Ministry of Health, contributions to statutory health insurance (as of September 2026, in German) | § 6 SGB V, exemption from compulsory insurance (gesetze-im-internet.de, in German, accessed October 2026) | Verbraucherzentrale, moving within Germany (as of 15 August 2026, in German).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
