Health insurance for the self-employed in Germany: minimum to maximum

Without sick pay, self-employed members pay at least €270 and at most €1,192 a month in 2026, health and care insurance together.

Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate

from your last tax assessment ÷ 12

Year
Insure sick pay?

Your contribution at BARMER, 2026

€627

a month · additional rate 3.29 %

Contributory income€3,000
Health insurance (14 % + 3.29 %)€519
of which BARMER additional rate€99
Long-term care€108
You pay a month€627
A year (your share)€7,520

Cheapest fund open in North Rhine-Westphalia: BKK firmus (2.18 %). You would pay €400 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.

  • Without sick pay the reduced 14 % applies; opting in costs 14.6 % and pays sick pay from week seven.
Step-by-step calculation
  1. Income €3,000 → contributory €3,000 (ceiling 2026: €5,813 a month).
  2. Health: 14 % general or reduced rate plus 3.29 % BARMER additional rate, paid in full by you.
  3. 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

#FundAdd. rateYou pay/monthvs today/year
1BKK firmus · regional2.18 %€593−€400
2BKK Public · regional2.50 %€603−€284
2TUI BKK2.50 %€603−€284
4hkk2.59 %€606−€252
5Audi BKK2.60 %€606−€248
6Techniker Krankenkasse (TK)2.69 %€609−€216
7WMF BKK2.85 %€614−€158
8HEK2.89 %€615−€144

Minus = you pay less a year than at BARMER. Company funds open only to their own staff are left out.

Self-employed people in Germany’s statutory system are voluntary members (freiwillig versichert) and pay the whole contribution themselves, since no employer covers half. The base is profit from the latest income tax assessment divided by twelve, but at least €1,318.33 a month (one ninetieth of the reference value per day, section 240(4) SGB V) and at most the contribution ceiling of €5,812.50. The rate is 14 % without sick pay, or 14.6 % if you opt for sick pay from week seven, plus your fund’s full additional rate (Zusatzbeitrag); long-term care adds 3.6 %. At the average additional rate of 2.9 %, a €3,000 profit costs €615 a month without and €633 with sick pay. The minimum is €270, the maximum €1,192; in 2027 they rise to €282 and €1,296. Because you carry the whole additional rate, switching fund saves twice as much as it does for an employee.

Contribution by profit, at the average additional rate

2026, additional rate 2.9 %, care with one child, health and care together
Monthly profitBasewithout sick paywith sick pay
€1,000€1,318.33€270€278
€2,000€2,000.00€410€422
€3,000€3,000.00€615€633
€4,500€4,500.00€923€950
€6,000€5,812.50€1,192€1,226

What counts as income

For voluntary members the fund looks at total economic capacity: profit from self-employment, but also rental and investment income and pensions. It reads these from your income tax assessment and divides by twelve. If you are also employed, you are usually covered compulsorily through the job as long as self-employment is not your main occupation; you then pay on your wages like any employee. More on voluntary membership in general: voluntary membership.

Limits for 2026 and 2027

At the average additional rate, care with one child; 2027 per the cabinet decision on reference values
20262027 (provisional)
Minimum base a month€1,318.33€1,376.67
Contribution ceiling a month€5,812.50€6,375.00
Minimum without sick pay€270€282
Maximum without sick pay€1,192€1,296

The maximum rises faster than wages in 2027 because the 2026 contribution stabilisation act lifts the ceiling by an extra €3,600 a year, once. For care insurance the ceiling stays at €6,075 a month under current law (more on the contribution ceiling).

What members ask

What is the minimum health insurance contribution for the self-employed?

The contribution on €1,318.33 a month, even if your profit is lower: €270 for health and care insurance without sick pay at the average additional rate. In 2027 the minimum base rises with the reference value to €1,376.67, so the minimum becomes €282. Since 2019 the self-employed have had the same minimum base as every voluntary member; there are no special founder rules any more.

Is sick pay worth it for the self-employed?

It costs 0.6 % more of your profit, €18 a month on €3,000. In return the fund pays sick pay (Krankengeld) from week seven of an illness, based on your contributory income (section 44 SGB V). People with savings or private daily sickness cover often skip it; those living from current contracts usually do not.

How is my contribution set before my tax assessment arrives?

Provisionally, from your estimate or the last assessment; without any assessment funds often start at the maximum. Once the tax assessment for the year arrives, the fund settles finally and refunds overpayments or asks for more (section 240(4a) SGB V). So send in the assessment promptly.

How much does a cheaper fund save a self-employed member?

The whole difference in additional rate, not half: on €3,000 profit, BKK firmus (2.18 %) and BKK24 (4.39 %) are €796 a year apart. At the maximum the gap is larger still, because the additional rate grows with income up to the ceiling.

Continue with

Voluntary membership

Contributions on all income, assessed on at least €1,318.33 a month; without an employer you pay it all yourself.

Contribution ceiling

€5,812.50 a month in 2026, provisionally €6,375 in 2027, care insurance only up to €6,075: the cost for higher earners.

Finding the best fund

Same statutory benefits, different prices: on €3,800 gross up to €431 a year between funds open nationwide.

Switching your fund

Work out the dates: new fund from the month after next, after 12 months’ lock-in or at once with the special right.

List of all rates

All 91 funds with a rate, filter by state and type, your cost in euros and every change since recording began.

Laws and official data

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