If you are an employee, you get sick pay (Krankengeld) when you are too sick to work. For the first 6 weeks, your employer pays your full salary. After 6 weeks, your health insurance pays 70% of your salary (up to €128.62 per day).1 After 78 weeks, you get nothing, unless you have job disability insurance.
How sick leave works in Germany
If you are self-employed, you only get Krankengeld if you pay for it.2 By default, freelancers do not pay for it.
Sick leave options for freelancers
If you have a minijob, Familienversicherung or student health insurance, you do not get Krankengeld because you don’t pay for it.3