Long-term care contributions: what you pay by number of children
On €3,800 gross, childless members aged 23 or over pay €91.20 a month, parents of one child €68.40, with five children under 25 €30.40.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Your care contribution by number of children
Your care contribution a month
€59
| Employer pays | €68 |
| Childless 23+ would pay | €91 |
| Difference a year | €388 |
Outside Saxony; 2026.
The contribution rate for statutory long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) has been 3.6 % of contributory income since 1 January 2025 (section 55 of Book XI of the Social Code with the 2025 rate ordinance) and is unchanged in 2026. Employees and employers split it equally; only in Saxony do employees carry 0.5 points more. Members aged 23 or over who have no children pay a surcharge of 0.6 points on their own. Parents of several children under 25 pay less: 0.25 points off for each child from the second to the fifth. On €3,800 gross that puts an employee’s share between €30.40 and €91.20 a month; childless members pay €274 a year more than parents of one child. Pensioners pay the whole contribution themselves. Unlike health insurance there is no additional rate: care insurance costs the same at every fund, so your choice of fund makes no difference to it.
One rate for every fund, but not for every person
There is no price competition in care insurance. The rate of 3.6 % applies at every care fund (section 1 PBAV 2025); it only varies with your personal situation. Three things decide it: whether you have children, how many of them are under 25, and whether you work in Saxony. The table shows an employee’s share on €3,800 gross outside Saxony:
| Situation | Your rate | You pay a month | Employer |
|---|---|---|---|
| childless, 23 or over | 2.4 % | €91.20 | €68.40 |
| childless, under 23 | 1.8 % | €68.40 | €68.40 |
| one child (or all children over 25) | 1.8 % | €68.40 | €68.40 |
| two children under 25 | 1.55 % | €58.90 | €68.40 |
| three children under 25 | 1.3 % | €49.40 | €68.40 |
| four children under 25 | 1.05 % | €39.90 | €68.40 |
| five or more under 25 | 0.8 % | €30.40 | €68.40 |
The employer pays the same on every row, because under section 58 SGB XI surcharge and discounts only affect your share. Between the most and the least expensive row lie €730 a year at this pay.
The childless surcharge: who pays it and who does not
The 0.6 points surcharge applies from the month after your 23rd birthday if you have never been a parent. Adoptive, step and foster parents count as parents if the child had not passed certain ages when it joined the family (section 55(3) and (4) SGB XI). A single child is enough for good, even if the child grew up long ago. People born before 1940, those doing military or civilian service and recipients of basic income support are also exempt. On €3,800 gross the surcharge comes to €274 a year; at the care ceiling of €5,812.50 a childless employee pays €139.50 a month.
Discounts for parents of several children
Since July 2023 care insurance rewards larger families (section 55(3), sentence 4 SGB XI). From the second child, the parent’s share falls by 0.25 points per child, for at most four children, so up to 1.00 points less. Only children under 25 count; each discount lapses at the end of the month in which that child turns 25. Parents of five children under 25 pay €456 a year less on €3,800 gross than parents of one. The discounts apply to both parents if both are insured, and to parents who are not yet 23 themselves.
Saxony: more for employees, less for employers
Saxony is the only state that gave up no public holiday in 1995. In return section 58(3) SGB XI shifts one percentage point: employees carry 0.5 points more and employers 0.5 points less. On €3,800 gross, employees with a child pay €87.40 there instead of €68.40, childless employees €110.20. The place of work decides: live in Thuringia and work in Leipzig and the Saxon rule applies; live in Dresden and work in Berlin and it does not. Which funds are open in Saxony, and what they cost, is in the fund list with its state overview.
Pensioners, self-employed, students
Without an employer you pay the whole rate yourself: pensioners on their state and company pensions (section 59 SGB XI), self-employed voluntary members on their income, at least on €1,318.33 a month, students on the fixed BAföG need rate of €855. Surcharge and discounts apply to them in the same way. A pensioner with a €1,600 pension and a child pays €57.60 a month; details under health contributions for pensioners.
The care ceiling in 2027
For 2027 the health insurance ceiling rises to €6,375 a month, the care ceiling under current law only to €6,075. If you earn more, the most a childless employee pays in 2027 is €145.80 a month in care contributions; the draft Care Reorganisation Act would change this (contribution ceiling). Only what is in force is calculated here.