KNAPPSCHAFT: additional rate, cost and what switching saves
KNAPPSCHAFT charges 4.30 %, 0.90 points above the median of all open funds; on €3,800 gross you pay €428 a month.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Your contribution at KNAPPSCHAFT, 2026
€428
a month · additional rate 4.30 %
| Contributory income | €3,800 |
|---|---|
| Health insurance (14.6 % + 4.30 %), your share | €359 |
| of which KNAPPSCHAFT additional rate | €82 |
| Long-term care | €68 |
| You pay a month | €428 |
| Employer adds | €428 |
| A year (your share) | €5,130 |
Cheapest fund open in North Rhine-Westphalia: BKK firmus (2.18 %). You would pay €483 less a year. Rank 51 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 €3,800 → contributory €3,800 (ceiling 2026: €5,813 a month).
- Health: 14.6 % general or reduced rate plus 4.30 % KNAPPSCHAFT additional rate, split half and half with the employer.
- 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 % | €387 | −€483 |
| 2 | BKK Public · regional | 2.50 % | €393 | −€410 |
| 2 | TUI BKK | 2.50 % | €393 | −€410 |
| 4 | hkk | 2.59 % | €395 | −€390 |
| 5 | Audi BKK | 2.60 % | €395 | −€388 |
| 6 | Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) | 2.69 % | €397 | −€367 |
| 7 | WMF BKK | 2.85 % | €400 | −€331 |
| 8 | HEK | 2.89 % | €401 | −€321 |
Minus = you pay less a year than at KNAPPSCHAFT. Company funds open only to their own staff are left out.
KNAPPSCHAFT is the health fund of the German pension insurance body Knappschaft-Bahn-See, which also runs the Minijob-Zentrale. It forms a type of fund of its own but today anyone in Germany can join it. According to the GKV-Spitzenverband list it charges an additional contribution (Zusatzbeitrag) of 4.30 %; only 2 open funds are dearer, and it is 1.40 points above the official average of 2.9 %. On €3,800 gross with one child, employees pay €428 a month for health and care insurance. At the cheapest open fund, BKK firmus, it would be €483 a year less, and €739 at the contribution ceiling. Pensioners save half of that, because the pension insurance pays half the additional rate. Members often stay for reasons other than price, but it is worth knowing the sum in euros.
A fund with its own history
KNAPPSCHAFT is not an AOK, a substitute fund or a company fund but a type of fund of its own. Its parent body, Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See, also runs the miners’ pension insurance and the Minijob-Zentrale. None of this changes your contribution: the general rate, the contribution ceiling and the care contribution are the same as everywhere, and only the additional rate of 4.30 % is its own. The same rate is charged by IKK - Die Innovationskasse.
What the higher rate means in practice
A rate near the top of the list does not mean KNAPPSCHAFT pays for different care: doctors, hospital, medicines and sick pay are set out in Book V of the Social Code identically for every fund. The higher additional rate reflects the fund’s spending and reserves, not a bigger package. If you are thinking of leaving, answer two questions: how many euros a year does the gap make on my income, and do I use an extra benefit or programme that the new fund would not offer? The calculator above answers the first, only the fund’s statutes the second.
Pensions and the additional rate
| Gross pension | at KNAPPSCHAFT | at BKK firmus | Gap a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| €1,200 | €157 | €144 | €153 |
| €1,600 | €209 | €192 | €204 |
| €2,000 | €261 | €240 | €254 |
For pensioners the pension insurance pays half the additional rate, so the gap is half what the self-employed see and the same as for employees on the same income. A company pension pays the full rate alone, so there the higher additional rate counts twice (contributions for pensioners).
Employees and the self-employed
| Situation | Base | Your share a month |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | €2,500 | €281 |
| Employee | €3,800 | €428 |
| Employee at the ceiling | €5,812.50 | €654 |
| Self-employed, no sick pay | €3,000 | €657 |
| Student | €855 | €155 |
If you want to switch, the deadlines are in the switching calculator; after a rate rise the special termination right applies. Every rate is in the full list.