Sickness benefit is intended to compensate the insured person * the loss of earnings. The duration and amount of sick pay are prescribed by law.
In the event of illness, you as an employee will continue to be paid your salary in accordance with the provisions of labour law (continued payment of remuneration in the event of illness, generally for six weeks). After this period, legally insured persons may be entitled to sickness benefit if they are unable to work for a longer period of time or if they are treated as an inpatient in a hospital or in a preventive care or rehabilitation facility.
Sickness benefit amounts to 70 percent of gross pay (insofar as it is subject to the calculation of contributions) up to a maximum of 90 percent of net pay. The entitlement to sickness benefit exists for a maximum of 78 weeks within each 3-year period of incapacity for work due to the same illness.
If another illness occurs during the incapacity for work, the benefit period will not be extended. After the three years, you can only receive sickness benefit again for the same illness if, in the meantime, you have been fit for work and gainfully employed for at least six months or have been available to the employment service.
Caution.The insurance relationship existing when the entitlement to sickness benefit arises determines who is entitled to sickness benefit and to what extent.
To make up the difference between sickness benefit and net pay, private health insurance companies offer daily allowance insurance.
As soon as you receive a pension due to full reduction in earning capacity or disability, a full pension due to old age, a pension or an early retirement pension or comparable benefits, the entitlement to sickness benefit ends from the start of these benefits.
*) In order to remain comprehensible, we have restricted ourselves to the generalised designations of persons; they always refer to each sex - editor's note.
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Statutory health insurance (Krankenkasse)
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