All German residents need health insurance, even when unemployed. This guide explains how health insurance works when you have no income.
If you lost your job
With public health insurance
Your public health insurance becomes cheaper. The coverage stays the same.
- If you get unemployment benefits
You get free health insurance. The Agentur für Arbeit pays for it.3 - If you don’t get unemployment benefits
You pay around around €230 per month.1 You can get free health insurance from your spouse or your parents.6
In some cases, your health insurance is free for 1 month after you lose your job (nachgehender Leistungsanspruch).8 This happens automatically; you don’t need to apply for it.
With private health insurance
Your private health insurance becomes more expensive, because you employer stops paying half of it. The coverage stays the same.
- If you get unemployment benefits
You must switch to public health insurance, then you get insured for free.2 The Agentur für Arbeit pays it.3 In some cases, you can keep your private health insurance.4 If you are over 55 years old, you must usually keep your private health insurance.5 - If you don’t get unemployment benefits
You keep your private health insurance.1 The Agentur für Arbeit pays €210 per month.7 Your employer does not pay half of it. For example, if your private health insurance costs €500 per month, your employer paid €250, and you paid €250. If you lose your job, you pay €500 alone without help.
Who gets unemployment benefits
After you find a job
When you start a new job, you must switch to public health insurance. If you make more than €73,800 per year, you can choose private health insurance instead.
Health insurance for employees
If you just moved to Germany
- If you move from another EU country
Your health insurance from your home country usually covers you until you start making money. You can get free health insurance from your parents or your spouse. Otherwise, you can get public or private health insurance. - If you move from a non-EU country
You can use your expat health insurance until you start working or studying. You usually need public or private for your resident permit application. You can get free health insurance from your parents or your spouse.
Health insurance for a residence permit application
Sources and footnotes
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krankenkassen.de (February 2025), Feather ⤴
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krankenkassen.de (February 2025), Seamus Wolf (April 2025) ⤴
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krankenkassen.de (February 2025), aok.de, aok.de, Arbeitsagentur ⤴
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Techniker Krankenkasse (June 2025) ⤴
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Feather Insurance (June 2025) ⤴