The 2026 salary threshold for private health insurance
Employees must earn above €77,400 gross/year to opt into private. Self-employed people and civil servants are not subject to this rule.
JAEG threshold history
The Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze is updated each January. You must meet the threshold for the current year to opt out. The chart below shows how the bar has moved since 2010.
| Year | JAEG (annual) | Monthly | Δ vs. prev. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | €77.400 | €6.450 | +€3.600 (4.9%) |
| 2025 | €73.800 | €6.150 | +€4.500 (6.5%) |
| 2024 | €69.300 | €5.775 | +€2.700 (4.1%) |
| 2023 | €66.600 | €5.550 | +€2.250 (3.5%) |
| 2022 | €64.350 | €5.363 | unchanged |
| 2021 | €64.350 | €5.363 | +€1.800 (2.9%) |
| 2020 | €62.550 | €5.213 | +€1.800 (3.0%) |
Source: § 6 SGB V, official Sozialversicherungs-Rechengrößen-Verordnung published annually by the Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales.
How the JAEG threshold works
2026 threshold: €77,400 / year (€6,450 / month)
Updated annually. The Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze (JAEG) is the official German term.
Regular salary above the threshold
You can switch from 1 January of the following year, provided your salary is also above the next year's threshold. New hires above the threshold can choose private health insurance from their first day.
Counts toward the threshold
Base salary, contractually guaranteed bonuses, regular contractual overtime, benefits in kind.
Doesn't count toward the threshold
One-off bonuses, expense reimbursements, discretionary payments.
Common questions
Related guides
Two more pages that come up most often when people are at this stage.
Three eligibility routes
The threshold is one of three routes — see the others.
Learn moreFor employees
What private really costs you after the employer pays half.
Learn moreHow to switch
Step-by-step from public to private once you qualify.
Learn moreWhat it costs
Average premiums and what drives them.
Learn moreWhat's covered
Treatments, dental, and limits explained.
Learn moreFor families
Covering a partner and children privately.
Learn moreEU Blue Card holders
Why a Blue Card doesn't decide your insurance, and the €77,400 line that does.
Learn moreThe threshold, explained
The income rules that decide who can go private.