Whether you work as a teacher on civil-servant status (verbeamtet) or as an employee (angestellt) decides more than your contract. It also determines how you are insured for pensions and health care and which contributions come off your gross salary. This guide explains the mechanics so you can compare both routes on a sound basis.
In short: Teachers with civil-servant status generally pay no contributions to the statutory pension insurance and are exempt from statutory health insurance because they receive Beihilfe (state health benefit). Employees pay contributions to pension, health, long-term care and unemployment insurance. In 2026 the pension contribution is 18.6 percent in total, split equally between employer and employee (Last updated: October 2026).
The key points
- Teachers with civil-servant status are exempt from statutory pension insurance. Their retirement income is a civil-servant pension (Pension).
- Employees pay pension contributions, split equally between employer and employee.
- Civil servants entitled to Beihilfe are exempt from statutory health insurance. The state benefit covers part of the costs, and many civil servants insure the rest privately.
- Employees are in statutory health insurance as long as their annual pay stays below the insurance threshold of 77,400 euros (2026).
- A net comparison requires income tax. The Federal Ministry of Finance calculator computes it, not this guide.
- The decision depends on health, family and career plans, so check the numbers for your own case.
Do civil-servant teachers pay pension contributions?
As a rule, no. Under section 5 (1) sentence 1 no. 1 of the Sozialgesetzbuch VI (SGB VI, statutory pension insurance), civil servants for life, for a fixed term and on probation are exempt from pension insurance, and so are civil servants on probation in their traineeship (Beamte auf Widerruf im Vorbereitungsdienst). A civil-servant teacher therefore pays no pension contributions and builds up no statutory pension points during that time. Earlier contribution periods from employment remain valid.
A civil-servant pension (Pension) replaces the statutory pension. It is calculated under the Federal Civil Servants Pension Act and is linked to the last salary. Statutory pension and civil-servant pension are two separate systems that are not added together automatically.
| Feature | Civil servant | Employee |
|---|---|---|
| Pension contribution (statutory pension insurance) | No, exempt | Yes, 18.6 percent in total (2026) |
| Who pays the contribution | Not applicable | Employer and employee, half each |
| Retirement provision | Civil-servant pension | Statutory pension, and in most cases the supplementary pension scheme of the Länder |
| Contribution ceiling for pension insurance 2026 | Not applicable | 8,450 euros per month |
How does health insurance work?
Civil servants entitled to Beihilfe are exempt from statutory health insurance under section 6 (1) no. 2 of the Social Code Book V (SGB V). The employer covers part of the medical costs through Beihilfe, and most civil servants insure the rest privately. Voluntary membership in statutory health insurance is also possible. Whether the employer then pays a subsidy depends on state law.
The Beihilfe rate is set by each state. As a rule, civil servants without children receive 50 percent of eligible costs. For trainees (Anwärter) Hesse differs: according to the leaflet of the Regierungspräsidium Kassel, the rate is 70 percent for outpatient and 85 percent for inpatient care. Ask the Beihilfe office of your state for the rate that applies to you.
Employed teachers are in statutory health insurance as long as their regular annual pay stays below the insurance threshold, which is 77,400 euros in 2026. The general contribution rate is 14.6 percent, plus the insurer-specific supplementary contribution. The average supplementary contribution for 2026 is 2.9 percent (Last updated: 3 September 2026). Long-term care insurance has been 3.6 percent since 1 January 2025.
Worked example: social security contributions of an employee
Assumption: gross salary 4,000 euros per month, member with a child, average supplementary contribution of 2.9 percent, status 2026. The employee share is half of each total rate. The calculation covers only social security contributions, income tax comes on top.
| Insurance | Total rate | Employee share | Amount per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health insurance incl. supplementary contribution | 17.5 % | 8.75 % | 350.00 euros |
| Long-term care insurance | 3.6 % | 1.8 % | 72.00 euros |
| Pension insurance | 18.6 % | 9.3 % | 372.00 euros |
| Unemployment insurance | 2.6 % | 1.3 % | 52.00 euros |
| Total | 42.3 % | 21.15 % | 846.00 euros |
This is the intermediate step before net pay. Income tax and, where applicable, the solidarity surcharge follow, and their amount depends on tax class and family status. The supplementary contribution is an average and your insurer may charge a different rate. Civil servants pay no social security contributions for pension and unemployment insurance, but they bear the private part of their health insurance themselves.
What does civil-servant status mean over the long term?
Civil-servant status is more than a monthly figure. What matters is what happens in old age, in case of incapacity for service and in case of illness. The pension follows the last salary and different rules than the statutory pension. Anyone who was in statutory pension insurance before keeps those entitlements.
Civil-servant status offers planning security. Civil servants pay no pension contributions and receive a pension in return, and Beihilfe reduces the cost of private health cover. Pay follows fixed grades, so the path of your salary is foreseeable early on.
Three points deserve a close look:
- Appointment as a civil servant requires a medical examination by a public health officer, so your health plays a role.
- Incapacity for service is governed by civil-service law, while occupational disability insurance is a private contract. Both should be considered together, which is why our guide to disability insurance in teacher training (in German) is relevant.
- Periods as a civil servant do not create statutory pension points, so the choice of status also affects retirement provision.
What happens when you switch between civil-servant and employee status?
Anyone who moves from civil-servant status to employment starts paying pension contributions again. Whether periods as a civil servant can later be credited to statutory pension insurance depends on the individual case and on whether a pension entitlement arises. The SGB VI regulates this, and the question should be clarified before the switch.
In health insurance, Beihilfe ends with the switch. The private part must then cover the full cost, or you return to statutory insurance where the insurance threshold permits. Calculate this transition in advance.
How do you calculate the comparison properly?
- Determine the gross salary. Employed teachers are grouped under the collective agreement for the Länder (TV-L, Tarifvertrag der Länder), civil servants under the pay table of their state.
- For employees, deduct the social security contributions as above. For civil servants, include the private health insurance premium and the share not covered by Beihilfe.
- Calculate income tax and, where applicable, the solidarity surcharge with the calculator of the Federal Ministry of Finance. The result is your net pay.
- Add the retirement provision: pension points for employees, pension entitlement for civil servants. Without this step the comparison is incomplete.
Frequently asked questions
Can a civil-servant teacher be voluntarily insured in statutory health insurance?
In principle yes. Voluntary membership in statutory health insurance is also possible for people entitled to Beihilfe. Whether and how much the employer contributes is set by state law. Before deciding, compare the premiums with and without a subsidy.
Does a civil-servant pension count like a statutory pension?
No. The civil-servant pension follows the Federal Civil Servants Pension Act and is linked to the last salary, while the statutory pension follows the SGB VI and your contribution periods. Together they give the full picture, but they cannot be treated as equivalent.
Is it the same in every German state?
No. Pay, Beihilfe rates and pension rules are state law, and the grading of teachers also differs. Compare with the rules of the state in which you want to be appointed. Our overview of trainee pay by state (in German) shows how the traineeship affects pay.
Do employed teachers need to provide for retirement themselves?
Statutory pension reflects earlier income only in part, so additional provision makes sense. Employees of the Länder are usually also covered by the supplementary pension scheme run by VBL. Ask your employer to confirm in writing how this applies to you.
What to do next
- Place the pay table of your state next to the social security contributions and calculate your net pay with the calculator of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
- Ask the Beihilfe office of your state for the rate that applies to your family status.
- Have your health insurer or an adviser state the premiums with and without Beihilfe in writing before you decide.
- Ask the personnel office about the supplementary pension scheme and pension periods before planning a switch.
- If you are unsure, get personal advice. Academycon offers personal consultations on these questions.
Related guides
- Teacher training: insurance from university to traineeship (in German)
- Health insurance during the traineeship: GKV, PKV and Beihilfe (in German)
- Disability insurance in teacher training (in German)
- Trainee pay by state (in German)
- Health insurance after the traineeship (in German)
Sources: section 5 SGB VI, exemptions (accessed October 2026); section 6 SGB V, exemptions (accessed October 2026); Contributions to statutory health insurance, Federal Ministry of Health (last updated 3 September 2026); Calculation values 2026, GKV-Spitzenverband (January 2026); Calculation values for pension insurance, Deutsche Rentenversicherung (October 2026).
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
