Sickness benefit calculator 2026

How much sickness benefit (Krankengeld) will you get once the six weeks of continued pay are over? Enter your gross and net pay – the calculator instantly shows your amount per day and per month.

Roughly how much sickness benefit (Krankengeld) will you get from day 43? The amount is set by law and is the same at every statutory health insurance fund – you don't need to choose your fund.

Gross salary per month (€) Net salary per month (€)

Your regular monthly pay according to your payslip, without one-off payments.

One-off payments in the last 12 months (€, optional)e.g. Christmas and holiday bonus, gross Children and age (for the long-term care insurance contribution)If you have children (of any age), you pay no surcharge for the childless. From the 2nd child on, the contribution goes down further – but only for children under 25 years of age. Example: 3 children aged 28, 22 and 19 → “2 children aged under 25”.

Enter your gross and net salary to see the result here.

No sickness benefit for, among others, mini-jobbers, family-insured persons and people receiving a full old-age pension. Privately insured persons may receive a daily sickness allowance (Krankentagegeld) under their contract.

Non-binding estimate using the 2026 values, not legal advice. The decision of your health insurance fund is what counts. Your entries stay in your browser – nothing is stored or sent.

How your sickness benefit is calculated

70 % of gross pay: the basis is your regular gross salary from your last payslip divided by 30, plus a share of one-off payments from the last 12 months (Christmas and holiday bonus).
At most 90 % of net pay – and never more than your net pay. For most employees, this limit applies.
Maximum in 2026: €135.63 per day before deductions, because salary only counts up to €5,812.50 a month.
Deductions: contributions to pension (9.3 %), unemployment (1.3 %) and long-term care insurance (1.8 %; childless from 23: 2.4 %; less from the 2nd child under 25). No health insurance contribution is due on it.
Per calendar day: it is paid for every day, weekends included; a full month counts as 30 days (§ 47 SGB V).

Examples

no children, aged 23 or older, no one-off payments, 30 days

Gross/month Net/month	Benefit/month	less than net
€2,500 €1,700	€1,331.10	−€368.90
€3,500 €2,300	€1,800.90	−€499.10
€5,000 €3,050	€2,388.00	−€662.00
€7,000 €4,100	€3,210.30	−€889.70

How long is sickness benefit paid?

For the same illness at most 78 weeks within three years – the six weeks of continued pay are included, so sickness benefit is paid for up to 72 weeks (§ 48 SGB V).

Important: no gap in your sick notes

Have a follow-up certificate issued by the next working day after the previously certified end at the latest (Saturdays do not count as working days). Otherwise you may lose your entitlement to sickness benefit (§ 46 SGB V).

Do I have to pay tax on sickness benefit?

Sickness benefit is tax-free, but it raises the tax rate on your other income (progression clause, § 32b EStG). If you receive more than €410 a year, you must file a tax return – expect a possible back payment.

When does your continued pay end?

The free Krankheitstage app counts your 42 days of continued pay – separately for each illness – and shows how many days are left until the BEM threshold.

To the app