Law student insurance usually means that you are compulsorily insured at a state university until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. In 2026, that costs a base contribution of €87.38 per month plus your fund’s additional contribution plus long-term care insurance. After that, three milestones follow: the end of your enrolment after the final examination, your status during the legal traineeship, and your first employment contract.
Key points in brief
- Compulsory student insurance depends on your enrolment. Preparing for the exam without enrolment does not carry it.
- The legal traineeship (Rechtsreferendariat) lasts two years. Whether you are a civil servant on probation or in a training relationship is governed by state law.
- In a training relationship, statutory health insurance is compulsory without entitlement to state aid (Beihilfe), and contributions are deducted from your salary.
- An exemption in favour of private health insurance during your studies is irrevocable. If you are considering it, think about the transition to the traineeship from the start.
- After the second state examination, your career path decides whether you work as an employee, in the civil service or self-employed.
Which insurance phases does the legal career path have?
The path runs from your studies through the first state examination and the legal traineeship to the second examination and career entry. For insurance, your enrolment and your age matter most.
| Phase | Status | Health insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Studies | Enrolled | Compulsory student insurance until the end of the semester in which you turn 30; alternatively family cover up to age 25 |
| Exam preparation | Enrolled or de-registered | Compulsory insurance continues with enrolment; without enrolment it ends with the semester of your last re-enrolment |
| Period after the first examination | Depends on your situation | Family cover, follow-on insurance, or compulsory insurance with unemployment benefit I |
| Legal traineeship (two years) | Civil servant on probation or training relationship, depending on the state | State aid plus own insurance, or statutory compulsory insurance |
| Career entry | Employee, civil service or self-employed | See the section on career entry |
How are you insured as a law student?
If you are enrolled at a state or state-recognised university, you are compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance, unless a prior insurance applies. The contribution is €87.38 base contribution (10.22 percent of €855) plus your fund’s additional contribution plus long-term care insurance. As an example with an additional contribution of 2.9 percent: €87.38 plus €24.80 plus €35.91 long-term care insurance for childless students from age 23, together about €148 per month.
Alternatively, you are covered as a family member through a parent until your 25th birthday, as long as your total income in 2026 is no more than €565 per month. If you work in a law firm as a part-time job, your earnings count towards this income. For jobs, the working student rule applies: employment of no more than 20 hours per week remains exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance, while pension insurance remains compulsory. All options are compared in the guide Health insurance for students (in German). The Consumer Advice Centre also summarises the rules.
Do you need private health insurance as a law student?
You do not need it, because as an enrolled student you are generally compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance. However, at the start of your studies you can apply for an exemption and insure yourself privately. The application must reach your health insurer within three months of the start of compulsory insurance. The exemption is irrevocable and normally applies for the entire degree. Free family cover ends, and a return to statutory insurance is possible only in narrow cases, for example through employment that is subject to compulsory insurance.
The decision also affects the traineeship. In a training relationship, statutory compulsory insurance applies under § 5 para. 1 no. 1 SGB V. If you are privately insured, clarify with your health insurer and your insurer before you take up your post how the switch will work. Answer the health questions in a private insurance application completely and truthfully.
How does law student insurance work during exam preparation?
Compulsory student insurance depends on your enrolment, not on exam preparation. As long as you are enrolled or have re-enrolled, you remain insured. Membership ends only at the close of the semester for which you were last enrolled, if you have been de-registered by then.
If you have a part-time job alongside exam preparation, observe the working student rule. Up to 26 weeks per year with more than 20 hours is harmless, if the extra work falls in the evenings, at weekends or during semester breaks and is limited in time. The working student privilege ends with the month in which the final examination result is communicated in writing. From the 26th subject semester, it is presumed that studies are no longer the main focus, but this presumption can be rebutted.
What applies between the first examination and the traineeship?
Your student insurance does not end with your final examination, but with the semester of your last enrolment or re-enrolment. After that, depending on your situation, family cover, follow-on insurance as voluntary membership, or compulsory insurance with unemployment benefit I may apply. After membership ends, benefit claims continue for at most one month. The details on exactly this gap are explained in the guide Health insurance during the legal traineeship (in German).
How does insurance work during the legal traineeship?
The preparatory service lasts two years (§ 5b DRiG). An extension is possible in individual cases for compelling reasons, but not because of inadequate performance. The details are governed by state law, because federal law prescribes neither civil service nor training status.
Depending on the state, you are a civil servant on probation or in a public-law training relationship. As a civil servant on probation, you are eligible for state aid and insure yourself privately or through voluntary statutory insurance. In a training relationship, you are compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance, have no entitlement to state aid, and contributions are deducted from your salary. Saxony gives trainees a choice. Requirements include, among others, an age under 42 and medical fitness, as set out in the state information sheet. Which status applies to you is stated in your appointment notice. The appointing authority of your state can also advise you. The amount of the training allowance is set by state law.
State aid, private insurance and the trainee tariff are covered in the guide Health insurance during the traineeship (in German). If you are comparing the teacher-training path, you will find it under Teacher training: insurance from studies to traineeship (in German).
Is an expectancy cover worth it before the traineeship?
An expectancy cover (Anwartschaft) in private health insurance keeps your later access to private cover open without paying the full tariff yet. The small expectancy cover secures your health status but builds no ageing provisions, while the large one also secures your entry age and costs more. Reactivation usually takes place within two months after the reason for the gap has ended. It can make sense if you later want to be privately insured as a lawyer or join the civil service and want to avoid a health check. The guide Expectancy cover in private health insurance (in German) shows whether the numbers work out.
What changes at career entry?
After the second state examination, your career path determines your insurance. Three routes are typical.
- Employee at a law firm or company: if your salary is below the annual earnings threshold of €77,400 (2026 figure), statutory compulsory insurance applies.
- Civil service with appointment as a civil servant on probation: you usually insure yourself privately with state aid. The PKV opening campaign (Öffnungsaktion) applies to civil servants on probation, for a fixed term, for life and, since 2019, also to civil servants on probation for revocation. The application must be made within the first six months after first appointment as a civil servant, and no earlier than after any preparatory service.
- Self-employment as a lawyer: student insurance and family cover do not apply to full-time self-employment. You insure yourself voluntarily under statutory or private insurance, and the minimum contribution assessment base in voluntary statutory insurance is €1,318.33 per month in 2026.
With an expectancy cover, you can return to private insurance later without a new health check, and the deadline is usually two months. Decision criteria for career entry are in the guide Private health insurance at career entry (in German).
Frequently asked questions
How am I insured as a law student?
At a state university, you are compulsorily insured until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. Alternatively, you can be covered as a family member through a parent until age 25, if your income is no more than €565 per month. An exemption in favour of private insurance is possible only shortly after compulsory insurance begins.
What applies between the examination and the traineeship?
Student insurance runs until the end of the semester of your last enrolment or re-enrolment. After that, family cover, follow-on insurance or compulsory insurance with unemployment benefit I may apply. A month of continued benefit claims helps only briefly, so plan the transition in good time.
Do I need private health insurance as a law student?
No, it is not necessary, because enrolled students are generally compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance. Anyone who opts out is bound irrevocably for the entire degree, loses free family cover and can return to statutory insurance only in narrow cases. Contributions may rise later. Weigh this up with the traineeship in mind.
Is an expectancy cover worth it before the traineeship?
That depends on your health, career plans and budget. An expectancy cover costs money on an ongoing basis and keeps access to private insurance open, while the large version also secures your entry age. If you are later appointed as a civil servant, you can also use the opening campaign.
How does my insurance change when I start work as a lawyer?
As an employed lawyer earning less than €77,400 a year, you are compulsorily insured under statutory insurance. As a self-employed lawyer, you insure yourself voluntarily under statutory or private insurance, because student and family cover do not apply to full-time self-employment.
What to do now
- Note the three-month deadline for a possible exemption at the start of your studies, and decide deliberately.
- Keep your enrolment in place until the examination if you need student insurance.
- Ask the appointing authority of your state about your traineeship status in good time, and read the appointment notice carefully.
- Plan the transition before career entry: employment, civil service or self-employment.
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 legal traineeship: a guide for lawyers (in German)
- Health insurance during the traineeship: state aid, private or statutory? (in German)
- Expectancy cover in private insurance: when it pays off for students (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
