Switching health fund in Germany: when the new fund starts
Join a new fund in November and it covers you from 1 February 2027; after a rate rise the 12-month lock-in does not apply.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Your new fund starts on
1 January 2027
The twelve-month lock-in is over by the switch date: ordinary termination.
| You join the new fund in | October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Last month with the old fund | December 2026 |
| New fund from | 1 January 2027 |
| Months at the higher rate | 2 |
| Extra cost meanwhile (your share) | €19 |
Step-by-step calculation
- Lock-in: at least twelve months from the start of membership (section 175(4), sentence 1).
- Notice: to the end of the month after next, counted from the month you declare (sentence 3). The new fund notifies the old one; no separate letter needed (sentence 4).
- Increase: declare by the end of the month the higher rate takes effect, even during the lock-in (sentence 6). The higher rate applies until you leave.
Deadlines under section 175(4) SGB V. Your new fund confirms the date in writing. How we calculate
Since 2021 switching statutory health fund (Krankenkasse) in Germany takes one step: you join the new fund, and it notifies the old one electronically, so no separate termination letter is needed (section 175(2) and (4) of Book V of the Social Code, SGB V). The switch takes effect at the end of the month after next, counted from the month in which you join: choose a new fund in November 2026 and you stay with the old one through December and January, then move on 1 February 2027. You must have been a member for at least 12 months by the switch date. If your fund raises its additional rate (Zusatzbeitrag), the lock-in falls away: you can join a new fund until the end of the month in which the higher rate starts, but you pay it until you leave. Employees tell their employer the new fund; pensioners need do nothing, as the funds inform the pension insurance.
Three cases, worked through
| Case | Join in | Last month old | New fund from | Months higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-standing member, no rise | November 2026 | January 2027 | 1 February 2027 | 0 |
| Member since August 2026, rise in January | December 2026 | February 2027 | 1 March 2027 | 2 |
| Member since August 2026, rise in January | January 2027 | March 2027 | 1 April 2027 | 3 |
| Member since August 2026, no rise | May 2027 | July 2027 | 1 August 2027 | 0 |
What the calculator checks
It first counts the lock-in: twelve months from the first month of membership, which must have run out by the time the old membership ends. Then it applies the notice period, which is the same however early or late in the month you choose: the month you join, two full months after it, then the new fund. If there is a rate rise, it checks whether you chose no later than the month the rise takes effect; if so the lock-in does not apply, and it shows how many months you still pay the higher rate and what that costs on your gross pay.
What a switch saves a year is shown by the calculator with every fund in your state; which fund charges what, by the full list of additional rates.
Exceptions people miss
An optional tariff (Wahltarif) ties you longer: three years for a deductible, one year for a bonus for unused benefits (section 53(8) SGB V). The special right after a rate rise still applies, with one exception: the optional sick-pay tariff that mainly self-employed members take out. If membership ends by law, for example because you move into family cover or abroad, there is no lock-in. And a company fund (BKK) open only to its own staff can only be chosen while you work there.
Your cover continues without a gap: ongoing treatment, an approved aid or sick pay do not stop, the new fund takes over. The old fund’s health card stays valid until the last day of membership.