Key facts
- In 2026, working student health insurance costs between €0 and about €280 per month, depending on your age and income.
- With up to 20 hours per week during term time, your job does not add health, nursing care or unemployment contributions. Pension insurance remains compulsory.
- Regularly working more than 20 hours per week generally makes you an employee with compulsory insurance.
Health insurance for working students costs between €0 and about €280 per month in 2026, depending on your age and income. Up to 25, you stay family insured as long as you meet the income limits. After that, in the student health insurance (studentische Krankenversicherung, KVdS), you pay about €148 per month (about €143 with a child, or if under 23). From 30, as a voluntary member, the cost starts at about €270. Your job itself pays no contributions to health, nursing care or unemployment insurance if you work no more than 20 hours per week. Only pension insurance applies.
The essentials in brief
- With up to 20 hours per week during term time, you are exempt from health, nursing care and unemployment insurance as an employee. Pension insurance remains compulsory.
- Up to 25, family insurance costs nothing, as long as your total income is at most €565 per month (mini-job up to €603, employment subject to social insurance up to €667.50).
- From 25 to 29 and with higher income, the KVdS costs about €148 (childless from 23) or €143 (under 23 or with a child), at 2.9% supplementary contribution.
- From 30, you are voluntarily insured. The contribution starts at about €270 to €278 per month and rises with your income.
- Working more than 20 hours per week regularly generally makes you an employee with compulsory insurance.
Do you have to pay for health insurance as a working student?
Yes, you must always be insured. But you do not pay the contributions through your job. The working student privilege is the rule under which students whose studies take up most of their time remain exempt from health, nursing care and unemployment insurance in a job of up to 20 hours per week during term time. Your earnings do not matter for this. You stay insured through family insurance, the KVdS or voluntary insurance, depending on your age and income. The fund adds up several jobs for health and nursing care insurance.
| Situation | Health, nursing care and unemployment insurance |
|---|---|
| Up to 20 hours per week during term time, studies take up most of your time | exempt, regardless of the amount earned |
| Regularly more than 20 hours per week | generally employee, compulsorily insured |
| Extra work only on weekends, evenings or nights, or limited to the semester break | harmless for up to 26 weeks per year |
| Work only during the semester break | not compulsorily insured; a short excess of the hours is generally harmless |
The privilege ends with the month in which you receive the written overall result of your final examination. In a very advanced subject semester it can be presumed that studies no longer take priority. That presumption can be rebutted, for example in cases of illness, child care or caring for a relative. Between a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, the mere intention to continue studying is generally not enough.
What does the contribution cost by age?
Costs depend mainly on your age and on whether family insurance is still possible. The figures in the table apply to 2026 and assume an average supplementary contribution of 2.9%, the figure set by the Federal Ministry of Health. Your fund may differ.
| Age and situation | Insurance | Contribution per month in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 25, total income up to €565 (mini-job up to €603, employment subject to social insurance up to €667.50) | family insurance | €0 |
| Up to 29, family insurance not possible, under 23 or with a child | KVdS | about €143 |
| 23 to 29, childless, family insurance not possible | KVdS | about €148 |
| From 30, up to 20 hours per week, with a child | voluntary statutory insurance | from about €270 |
| From 30, up to 20 hours per week, childless | voluntary statutory insurance | from about €278 |
| From 30, regularly more than 20 hours per week | compulsory insurance as an employee | depends on your pay |
Up to 25: family insurance and the income limit
Up to 25, you are contribution-free through your parents, if you are studying and your total income is at most €565 per month. For exclusively marginal employment, the mini-job limit of €603 applies. As an employee, you can deduct the flat employee allowance of €102.50, so earnings of up to €667.50 are possible. BAföG, parental maintenance and child benefit do not count as income. More on the conditions is in the article on family insurance during studies (in German).
If your income exceeds the limit permanently, family insurance ends and you remain insured as a working student through the KVdS. A brief, unforeseeable excess of the limit is harmless under strict conditions. Which limits apply in your case, your fund will tell you. Report every change in your income to the fund.
From 25 to 29: the contribution in the KVdS
The KVdS applies from 25, and earlier if family insurance ends. In the KVdS, your earnings have no effect on the contribution. The fund calculates with a fixed contribution basis of €855, which is the BAföG requirement for basic needs and housing allowance. A rate of 10.22% applies to this €855. That gives a basic contribution of €87.38 per month, the same everywhere and regardless of whether you receive BAföG. The fund’s supplementary contribution and nursing care insurance are added.
Example: Tom is 22 and works as a working student for fewer than 20 hours per week. He earns €1,100 gross per month. His family insurance ends because of his earnings. He pays €87.38 basic contribution, €24.80 supplementary contribution (2.9% of €855) and €30.78 nursing care, a total of €142.96, or about €143. Sara is 27, childless, and also earns €1,100. For her, nursing care costs €35.91, so the contribution is €148.09, or about €148. Nursing care costs 3.6% of €855 for those under 23 or with a child, and 4.2% for childless people aged 23 or older.
The KVdS ends with the semester in which you turn 30 (§ 190 SGB V (in German)). Beyond 30, it continues only with a justified application for each semester, for example because of illness, care or a voluntary service.
From 30: voluntary insurance or compulsory insurance as an employee
After the KVdS ends, your membership with the fund continues as voluntary insurance, unless you withdraw within two weeks of the fund’s notice and prove other cover. An alternative is family insurance through a spouse or civil partner, which has no age limit, provided your partner is statutorily insured and your income stays within the limit.
As a voluntary member, you pay the reduced rate of 14.0% plus your supplementary contribution on your total income, but at least on €1,318.33 and at most on €5,812.50 per month. Nursing care insurance comes on top. The fund generally calculates it this way. If your income stays below the minimum base, the contribution does not change.
| Income per month | Childless | With a child |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €1,318.33 (minimum base) | €278.17 | €270.26 |
| €1,500 | €316.50 | €307.50 |
Example: Jan is 31, childless, and earns €1,000 gross as a working student. He has no other income. The fund calculates with the minimum base of €1,318.33. At 16.9% (14.0% plus 2.9% supplementary contribution), that is €222.80 for health insurance, plus €55.37 for nursing care (4.2%), a total of €278.17. With a child, Jan pays 3.6% nursing care, which is €47.46, and a total of €270.26. At an income of €1,500, it is €253.50 plus €63.00, or €316.50.
Whether your employer contributes to voluntary insurance is something to clarify directly with your employer and your fund. Details on contributions over 30 with a part-time job and on contributions during studies by age are in separate guides.
Which contributions apply to a working student job?
Pension insurance applies to a working student job at all times. The total contribution is 18.6%, split equally between you and your employer, so your share is 9.30%. In the transitional zone between €603.01 and €2,000, you pay reduced contributions, but the full pay is reported, so your pension entitlements do not fall. Above €2,000, both sides pay 9.30%. The German Pension Insurance describes this on its page for students (in German).
If income tax was withheld from your working student pay, a tax return can be worthwhile. How this works for mini-jobs, working student jobs and similar work is explained in the guide on part-time jobs and taxes.
What happens if you work more than 20 hours per week?
Anyone who works regularly more than 20 hours per week is generally treated as an employee and is compulsorily insured. Your studies then generally no longer take priority. If your pay falls in the transitional zone, you pay reduced employee contributions, and the employer bears the rest. Students over 30 are no longer voluntarily insured in this case.
There is an exception for temporary additional work. If you work more than 20 hours only on weekends, in the evenings or at night, or temporarily during the semester break, this remains harmless for up to 26 weeks per year. Your employer monitors this limit, so agree additional hours with your employer in advance. Students who want to arrange their cover privately will find what applies in the guide on private health insurance for working students. An overview of mini-jobs and midi-jobs is in the guide on health insurance with a part-time job (in German).
Frequently asked questions
How much does health insurance cost as a working student?
It depends on your age. Up to 25, family insurance costs nothing as long as your income is within the limit. In the KVdS, in 2026, you pay about €143 (under 23 or with a child) or €148 (childless from 23). From 30, voluntary insurance starts at about €270 to €278. All figures assume a 2.9% supplementary contribution.
Do I have to be insured as a working student?
Yes. Insurance is compulsory. With up to 20 hours per week, though, your job does not add contributions to health, nursing care or unemployment insurance. Depending on your age and income, you are family insured, pay the KVdS contribution, or are voluntarily insured.
Does family insurance continue as a working student?
Yes, as long as you are under 25, are studying and your total income is at most €565 per month. For a mini-job, the limit is €603, and as an employee you can reach €667.50 after the employee allowance. If you permanently earn more, you move into the KVdS.
What happens if I work more than 20 hours per week?
Regularly working more than 20 hours per week generally makes you an employee with compulsory insurance. Temporary additional work on weekends, in the evenings, at night or in the semester break is harmless for up to 26 weeks per year. Working only in the semester break is harmless if you exceed the hours by up to two weeks.
Does my employer pay part of my health insurance?
Up to 20 hours per week, there is no compulsory health or nursing care contribution from your job, so no employer contributions are paid for it. Pension insurance is different: you and your employer pay it in equal shares. Whether a contribution is paid towards voluntary insurance is something to clarify with your employer.
What to do now
- Count your weekly working hours during term time, and check whether you stay within 20 hours.
- Work out your total income and compare it with €565, €603 or €667.50 if you are under 25.
- Ask your fund whether family insurance still applies, and report any change in your income.
- Plan for the change at 30, when the KVdS ends and the voluntary contribution begins.
- If you need a suitable job, the guide on finding a student job (in German) offers tips.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the way to advice on the Academycon homepage (in German).
Related guides
- Work, taxes and contributions for students
- Private Health Insurance for Working Students in Germany
- Part-Time Jobs and Taxes for Students in Germany
- Students over 30 with a mini-job: health insurance costs
- German original (in German)
Information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative. Last reviewed: 21 October 2026.
