When illness stops you working in Germany, income support may change over time: eligible employees may first receive continued pay from their employer, some people with statutory health insurance may then receive Krankengeld, and a private BU policy may be relevant if its own claim conditions are met. These stages are not one automatic benefit sequence; your employment and insurance contracts matter.
1. Continued pay from an employer
An employee who meets the legal conditions generally has a right to continued remuneration for up to six weeks for an incapacity caused by illness. The Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz sets the rules, including conditions for a repeated period of the same illness. This is not an employer benefit for someone who is self-employed, and individual employment situations should be checked.
2. Statutory Krankengeld
A person with statutory health insurance and an entitlement to Krankengeld may receive it when the employer's continued-pay period ends. For the same illness, the total entitlement is generally limited to 78 weeks in a three-year period, counted from the first day of incapacity; the employer's continued-pay period counts toward that limit. It is not 78 additional weeks after the first six weeks.
Privately insured people do not receive statutory Krankengeld on the same basis. A private Krankentagegeld policy may provide a daily amount after its agreed waiting period, but the benefit, amount and end conditions depend on that contract.
3. If the inability to work continues
The end of continued pay or Krankengeld does not automatically start a BU pension or a statutory Erwerbsminderungsrente. A statutory pension has its own medical and contribution requirements. A private BU insurer separately checks the insured occupation, policy definition, medical evidence and other contract conditions.
These benefits cover different questions
Continued pay and Krankengeld relate to temporary incapacity for work under employment and health-insurance rules. Krankentagegeld is governed by a private policy. BU is assessed against the insured occupation and BU policy, while the statutory reduced-earning-capacity pension assesses work capacity and insurance history under public law. One decision does not guarantee another benefit.
Where to read about BU in more detail
For an explanation of German BU clauses, tariff comparisons and preparation for health questions, read the BU insurance guide for Indian IT professionals. For an individual needs assessment, visit the NEOdirect BU product page.
Official sources: gesund.bund.de: Sickness benefit; Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz §3; SGB V §48, duration of Krankengeld.