A private health insurance expectancy secures you, for a part of the premium, later access to private health insurance. The small expectancy protects your health status, while the large one also secures your entry age and continues to build up provisions for old age. Providers quote about 5 to 10 percent and 25 to 45 percent of the tariff premium respectively. For students, it is worthwhile if a switch to private insurance is foreseeable, but for now you remain statutorily insured, for example because of a traineeship or a first job below the compulsory insurance threshold. It is not a substitute for health cover.
Key points at a glance
- The small expectancy protects your health status without building up old-age provisions. The large expectancy protects your health status and entry age and continues to build up provisions.
- According to providers, the small expectancy costs about 5 to 10 percent and the large one about 25 to 45 percent of the tariff premium.
- Reactivation is usually required within two months after the reason for the exemption has ended.
- With an expectancy, you can later return to private insurance without a new health check. It does not give you cover during the waiting period.
What is private health insurance expectancy?
You pay a reduced premium and in return keep open a right: you can later switch to full cover without the insurer checking your health again. Some call it dormant insurance. This has nothing to do with suspended benefits in the event of arrears in contributions.
There are separate expectancy tariffs for students and civil service trainees. Which insurers offer them and on what conditions is set out in the tariff documents.
Small or large expectancy: what is the difference?
| Feature | Small expectancy | Large expectancy |
|---|---|---|
| Health status | Secured | Secured |
| Entry age | Not secured. The later premium depends on the age at reactivation | Secured |
| Old-age provisions | No build-up | Continue to be built up |
| Costs according to providers | About 5 to 10 percent of the tariff premium | About 25 to 45 percent of the tariff premium |
What does a private health insurance expectancy cost?
The costs depend on the tariff premium. Example: Suppose the full cover costs €300 per month. Then the providers’ figures would come to €15 to €30 for the small expectancy and €75 to €135 for the large one. This is a calculation based on the assumed €300, not a price quoted for any tariff. Ask each insurer for the concrete premium for your data before you decide.
When does a private health insurance expectancy pay off for students?
| Situation | Role of the expectancy |
|---|---|
| Studying in statutory insurance, with a later switch to private insurance planned | Secures your health status in case of later diagnoses, if the tariff provides for it |
| Legal traineeship with compulsory statutory insurance | Keeps the route back to private insurance open without a new health check |
| Employment after the preparatory service below the annual earnings limit (2026: €77,400 per year) | You are compulsorily insured by statute, and the expectancy allows a later return to private insurance, usually within two months |
| Stay abroad or gap year | Does not replace health cover. Outside the EU you usually need insurance in the country of study or private travel health insurance |
How cover works during a legal traineeship is explained in the article on health insurance during the traineeship (in German). For future lawyers, the guide for aspiring lawyers (in German) summarises the situation.
What risks and limits does it have?
- Costs without benefits: You pay during the waiting period but cannot submit invoices.
- Deadline: Reactivation is usually required within two months after the reason has ended. Note the date.
- Small expectancy: The later premium depends on your age at reactivation. If the waiting period is long, this can become expensive.
- Conditions: The tariff sets the term, extension and reactivation. Have these confirmed in writing before you sign.
Are there alternatives to an expectancy?
If you are appointed as a civil servant and have pre-existing conditions, you can use the opening campaign of private health insurers. It applies to civil servants on probation, on fixed term and for life, and since 2019 also to those on probation for revocation. The application must be made within the first six months after the first appointment as a civil servant, the risk surcharge is at most 30 percent, and there are no exclusions of benefits. The details are set out in the information sheet of the PKV association.
How an existing private contract continues after your studies is described in the article on private health insurance after your studies (in German).
Frequently asked questions
What does a private health insurance expectancy cost?
The small expectancy costs noticeably less than the large one, according to provider figures. The insurer only tells you the exact premium on request, because it depends on the tariff and your data. In the example with a €300 full premium, the small expectancy would cost about €15 to €30 and the large one €75 to €135.
How long can I keep a private health insurance expectancy?
The conditions of the tariff govern this. Ask the insurer about the term, extension and reactivation period. The key point is the deadline, usually two months after the reason has ended, for returning.
Is the expectancy a dormant insurance?
Colloquially, it is often described that way. It is a separate form of cover with a reduced premium that gives you no benefits during the waiting period. Suspended benefits in the event of arrears are something different and relate to the emergency tariff.
Do I need an expectancy during the traineeship?
Not necessarily. It is an option if you are compulsorily insured by statute during the preparatory service and want to return to private insurance later without a new health check. As a civil servant on probation, you generally arrange your own provision, privately or voluntarily through statutory insurance.
Does the expectancy protect me abroad?
No. An expectancy secures your later access to private insurance, not treatment in the event of illness. For stays abroad you need suitable travel health insurance that covers the duration and scope of the trip.
What you should do now
- Clarify whether and when you want to switch to private insurance, for example after the traineeship.
- Ask insurers that offer student expectancy tariffs about premium, term and reactivation deadline.
- Decide between the small and large expectancy based on the waiting period and your age at entry.
- Note the reactivation deadline in your calendar.
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 traineeship: civil service benefits, PKV or GKV? (in German)
- Health insurance during the legal traineeship: guide for lawyers (in German)
- What happens to your PKV after your studies? (in German)
- Starting your career after graduation: how to get off to a good start (in German)
- Health insured after studies without a job: options and costs (in German)
- Disability insurance during teacher training (in German)
- Teacher training: insurance from studies to traineeship (in German)
- Law: insurance from studies to traineeship (in German)
- Private health insurance expectancy, glossary entry (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
