If you are working and a close family member is in acute need of care, you can be absent from work for up to 10 working days to organize care for the family member. Your employer's consent is not required. The entitlement also applies to small companies with few employees. If you share the care in an acute situation with other family members, you are jointly entitled to a total of 10 working days off work.

The short-term leave of absence from work should enable you, for example, to

• find out about care services,
• organize a care service or caregiver for the family member,
• deal with the authorities and submit applications.

If your employer does not pay you a salary for this period of acute care, you are entitled to a care support allowance. This amounts to 90 percent of your lost net pay, but no more than 70 percent of the contribution assessment ceiling for health insurance. You apply for the care support allowance from the care insurance fund of your family member in need of care. The fund will also pay you subsidies for health and long-term care insurance on application.

Only employees who are subject to social insurance contributions can receive the care support allowance. If you are self-employed, a civil servant or receive unemployment benefit II or III, you are not entitled to care support allowance. If you work as an entrepreneur in agriculture, you are entitled to farm assistance for up to 10 days instead of care support allowance. You can find out more from your health insurance fund.

According to the law, an acute care situation exists if it arises unexpectedly, for example due to an accident or a stroke, or if an existing need for care suddenly worsens. In addition, a doctor must confirm that your family member in need of care is likely to be awarded care levels 1 to 5.

In addition to the time off in an acute case, you can take a maximum of 6 months' full or partial leave from work to care for a close family member in need of care at home. This leave of absence is called care leave. If you are no longer covered by your employer or family insurance during the care leave and therefore take out voluntary insurance, you can receive subsidies for health and care insurance. You apply for this from the care insurance fund of the family member in need of care. The subsidy amounts to a maximum of the minimum contributions that you have to pay for voluntary health insurance and long-term care insurance. For more information, please contact your family member's long-term care insurance fund.