Health insurance for pensioners in Germany: what comes off the pension
On a €1,600 pension and the average additional rate, €198 a month goes to health and care insurance, or €207 if childless.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Your contribution at BARMER, 2026
€201
a month · additional rate 3.29 %
| Contributory income | €1,600 |
|---|---|
| Health insurance (14.6 % + 3.29 %), your share | €143 |
| of which BARMER additional rate | €26 |
| Long-term care | €58 |
| You pay a month | €201 |
| Pension fund adds | €143 |
| A year (your share) | €2,409 |
Cheapest fund open in North Rhine-Westphalia: BKK firmus (2.18 %). You would pay €107 less a year. Rank 18 of 53.
Chosen today: new fund from 1 January 2027, provided you have been a member for at least twelve months.
Step-by-step calculation
- Income €1,600 → contributory €1,600 (ceiling 2026: €5,813 a month).
- Health: 14.6 % general or reduced rate plus 3.29 % BARMER additional rate, split half and half with the pension fund.
- Care: 3.6 %.
Estimate under Books V and XI of the Social Code. Your fund’s or employer’s calculation is binding. How we calculate
All 53 funds you can join in North Rhine-Westphalia, in euros
| # | Fund | Add. rate | You pay/month | vs today/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BKK firmus · regional | 2.18 % | €192 | −€107 |
| 2 | BKK Public · regional | 2.50 % | €194 | −€76 |
| 2 | TUI BKK | 2.50 % | €194 | −€76 |
| 4 | hkk | 2.59 % | €195 | −€67 |
| 5 | Audi BKK | 2.60 % | €195 | −€66 |
| 6 | Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) | 2.69 % | €196 | −€58 |
| 7 | WMF BKK | 2.85 % | €197 | −€42 |
| 8 | HEK | 2.89 % | €198 | −€38 |
Minus = you pay less a year than at BARMER. Company funds open only to their own staff are left out.
Pensioners in Germany’s compulsory pensioners’ health insurance (Krankenversicherung der Rentner, KVdR) pay half the general rate, 7.3 %, plus half of their fund’s additional rate (Zusatzbeitrag) on the state pension; the pension insurance pays the other half (sections 247 and 249a of Book V of the Social Code). Long-term care insurance, by contrast, they pay alone: 3.6 % of the pension, or 4.2 % if childless. On a €1,600 pension and the average additional rate of 2.9 %, that is €140 health and €58 care insurance, €198 a month in total. A company pension (Betriebsrente) is extra: pensioners pay the full rate on it alone, but €197.75 is exempt for health insurance (€206.50 in 2027). Between the cheapest and dearest open fund, a €1,600 pension differs by €212 a year. When a fund raises its rate, the pension deduction changes only from the second month after.
Deduction from the pension at the average additional rate
| Gross pension | Health | Care with child | Care childless | Deduction with child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €1,000 | €88 | €36 | €42 | €124 |
| €1,400 | €123 | €50 | €59 | €173 |
| €1,800 | €158 | €65 | €76 | €222 |
| €2,200 | €193 | €79 | €92 | €272 |
| €2,800 | €245 | €101 | €118 | €346 |
Who is in compulsory cover as a pensioner
You are in compulsory pensioners’ cover (KVdR) if you were insured in the statutory system, as a member or through your family, for at least nine tenths of the second half of your working life. If you miss that qualifying period you remain a voluntary member and pay on all income, including rent or investment income; the pension insurance then pays a subsidy equal to half the contributions on the pension. The calculator above works out compulsory cover.
Company pensions pay the full rate either way. The fund collects it from the paying body: your former employer, the pension fund or the professional scheme. More on this, with its own calculator: health insurance on a company pension.
What switching achieves in retirement
On a €1,600 pension each tenth of a point of additional rate costs €10 a year, because the pension insurance pays half. At Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), 2.69 %, you pay €196 a month. The ranking in the calculator, filtered by state, shows whether a switch pays. Deadlines are the same as for employees (work out the dates); only the pension deduction follows two months later.