Additional contribution 2027: every German health fund in euros

What the additional contribution is and how it works

Statutory health insurance in Germany has two parts. The general rate of 14.6 % is set by law and the same at every fund (section 241 of Book V of the Social Code, SGB V); members without a right to sick pay pay the reduced rate of 14 %. The second part, the additional contribution, is set by each fund in its statutes, as high as its spending requires after the allocations from the central health fund (section 242 SGB V). It is the only part of your contribution you decide by choosing a fund.

It is charged on the same income as the general rate: gross pay up to the contribution ceiling, the pension, profit, or a fixed amount for students. For employees the employer pays half. At the official average of 2.9 % and €3,800 gross you pay €333 health insurance a month, of which €55 is additional contribution; long-term care adds €68, the same at every fund.

Why a daily fund list tells you more than any average

The official average additional rate is a reference figure: the Federal Health Ministry derives it from the estimate of how much the funds will be short after their allocations, and uses it for basic income support recipients, midijobs and, from 2027, the minijob flat rate. What you pay, though, is your own fund’s rate, and most funds are above that figure: 57 of the 71 funds open to the public charge more than 2.9 %, and the unweighted mean is 3.4 %.

So this site does not work with an average but with the list the GKV-Spitzenverband must keep up to date day by day under section 242(5) SGB V (as of 15 October 2026, 92 entries). It gives each fund’s rate and the states where it is open. From that come three things an average cannot give you: a ranking of exactly the funds you may join where you live or work, the cost in euros for your income at each of them, and a history recording every change with its date. Comparison portals often show only nationwide funds or ask for contact details at the end; here the result is on screen before you type anything.

One detail matters at the turn of the year: the official list shows a new rate only from the day it applies. A rise on 1 January 2027 appears on 1 January, even if the fund decided it and told you in December. Until then the calculator uses today’s rates for 2027 with the new thresholds; switch the year to 2027 above to see the effect of the thresholds alone.

2027: what is settled and what is still open

The framework is settled. The contribution stabilisation act of 24 July 2026 lifts the 2027 contribution ceiling by an extra €3,600 a year, once; after the cabinet decision of 7 October 2026 it is €6,375 a month instead of €5,812.50. The compulsory insurance threshold rises to €84,150 a year. For long-term care, section 55(2) of Book XI still refers to the earnings threshold without that extra amount, so under current law the care ceiling in 2027 is €6,075. The draft Care Reorganisation Act would align the two ceilings and raise the childless surcharge; neither is law and neither is included here.

The funds’ rates are still open. The estimating group at the Federal Office for Social Security expects fund spending of 378.1 billion euros in 2027 against allocations of 318.3 billion; the gap of 59.8 billion, divided by all members’ contributory income, gives an arithmetic 2.9 %. Each fund, however, works from its own spending and reserves. The small calculator shows what a rise means for you:

What a rate increase costs you

Gross pay a month

€

Increase

points

Extra a year, your share

€68

Extra a month	€6
Employer pays on top	€6
Contributory (2027 ceiling)	€3,800
Points	0.30

Compare every fund for your income →

Employees, pensioners, self-employed, students

Employees

Employers and employees split the general rate and the additional rate equally. Childless members aged 23 and over pay 0.6 % extra for care on their own, and employees in Saxony pay 0.5 % more care contribution. Between €603.01 and €2,000 gross your share is reduced in the transition zone; the calculator applies the formula of section 20 SGB IV.

Pensioners

Compulsory members pay half the rate and half the additional rate on the state pension and care insurance in full: €198 a month on a €1,600 pension at the average rate. A new additional rate is deducted only from the second month after. Details and company pensions: health insurance for pensioners.

Self-employed

Self-employed voluntary members pay everything themselves, at least on €1,318.33 a month: €615 on €3,000 profit without sick pay. For them switching fund counts twice over (contributions for the self-employed).

Students

Students pay a fixed contribution on the BAföG need rate of €855: €143 a month at the average rate (student health insurance). Under 25 with little income, many stay covered through their parents (family insurance).

Switching: deadlines and the special termination right

Switching means applying to the new fund, nothing more; it informs the old one. It takes effect at the end of the month after next: choose in November 2026, new fund from 1 February 2027. You must stay twelve months with a fund unless it raises its rate. Then you may choose until the end of the month the rise applies from, but pay the higher rate until you leave: with a January rise and a choice in January, until the end of March. The switching calculator gives your date, and the page on the special termination right the details.

Switching is free, ongoing treatment continues and the new fund may not refuse anyone. Employees tell their employer the new fund; pensioners do nothing.

What the rate does not show

Around the price there are differences no single number captures: extra check-ups or travel vaccinations as statutory extras, bonus schemes under section 65a SGB V, optional tariffs with a deductible or a bonus, how easy the fund is to reach. The statutory benefits catalogue, by contrast, is the same at every fund. If you rely on a particular benefit, check it in the fund’s statutes before switching; between 2.69 % (Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)), 3.29 % (BARMER) and 3.20 % (DAK-Gesundheit) price alone rarely decides more than a few euros a month.

Five tips before you switch

1. Think in euros, not percent: a tenth of a point costs €18 a year on €3,000 gross and €30 on €5,000.
2. Filter by your state: regional company funds and your AOK are often cheaper than nationwide funds, but not open everywhere.
3. Do not wait until January after an announced rise: choosing in December means paying the higher rate one month less.
4. Check optional tariffs: a deductible ties you for three years, a bonus for unused benefits for one.
5. Tell the fund about your children: otherwise the childless surcharge keeps running, and from the second child under 25 the care contribution falls.