Private health insurance for employees in Germany: cost, eligibility and employer share

Regular gross salary including a 13th salary and contractually guaranteed bonuses. Irregular one-off payments and expense reimbursements usually do not count.

Your regular pay must clear the threshold for the calendar year and be expected to clear next year's line too. New hires whose salary is above it can choose from day one.

The government raises the threshold most years. A salary that clears this year's line can be caught by next year's increase, so plan with headroom rather than at the edge.

You normally become publicly insured again, unless you apply for an exemption to stay private. From age 55, staying private is effectively permanent either way.

Clearing the threshold at 30 to 40 in good health usually means better cover for less money than public, with the employer paying back half.

Public covers a non-working spouse and children for free; private does not. Single-earner family plans shift the math toward public.

Entry premiums rise with joining age and the reserve-building window shrinks. It can still work; we model it over 20 years before recommending.

Know the routes back, the age-55 line and your Anwartschaft options before you sign, not after.