You receive child sickness benefit as compensation for lost wages if you

• are covered by statutory health insurance,
• are entitled to sickness benefit,
• your child has statutory health insurance, is ill and is under 12 years old,
• have no other person in the household who can look after the child,
• have to supervise, look after or care for your child and are therefore unable to work,
• are released from work by your employer and do not receive continued payment of wages (no paid leave of absence).

For parents of children with disabilities who are dependent on help, the age limit of 12 years does not apply.

You can apply for child sickness benefit from your statutory health insurance fund. To do so, you must submit the so-called child sickness certificate (sample 21).

Children's sickness benefit is generally 90 percent of your lost net salary. If you received one-off payments from your employer in the year before the child fell ill (e.g. Christmas bonus), the child sickness benefit is 100 percent of the lost net salary. For self-employed persons whose main occupation is self-employment, children's sickness benefit is paid in the amount of the sickness benefit in the event of your own incapacity to work. Due to the statutory contribution assessment ceiling, the maximum amount of children's sickness benefit is capped.

Children's sick pay is subject to social insurance contributions. This means that your health insurance fund automatically deducts nursing care, pension and unemployment insurance contributions. Health insurance contributions are not due.

You can claim

• 10 working days of child sickness benefit per child per year
• If you are a single parent, your entitlement increases to 20 working days.
• If you have 3 or more children, you can receive up to 25 working days of child sickness benefit per year; single parents can receive up to 50 working days.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of working days on which you can receive child sickness benefit has been increased and is 2021:

• 1 child: maximum 30 working days, single parents maximum 60 working days;
• 2 children: maximum 60 working days, single parents maximum 120 working days;
• 3 or more children: maximum 65 working days, single parents maximum 130 working days.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, you can also apply for child sickness benefit in 2021 if you have to look after your child at home due to

• an official school or daycare center closure due to the pandemic,
• officially ordered or extended company or school vacations,
• suspension of compulsory attendance at school,
• other pandemic-related restrictions on childcare services for your child,
• quarantine of your child (entry ban) or
• an official recommendation that your child should not attend daycare or school.

You must provide your health insurance company with proof of one of the reasons. Your health insurance company can request a certificate from the daycare center or school.

If your employer gives you paid leave from work, this time will count towards your entitlement to child sickness benefit. This means that your entitlement to child sickness benefit is suspended for as long as your employer gives you paid leave. For example, if your employer has continued to pay you your net salary for 5 days, you will still be entitled to child sickness benefit for 5 working days of your maximum entitlement to child sickness benefit of up to 10 working days per year (1 child).

If you have already used up your maximum number of days of child sickness benefit, it may be possible for your partner to transfer the days of child sickness benefit to you. You must also submit an application to your health insurance fund for this. Your employer must also be prepared to give you another period of unpaid leave.

If your child is seriously ill and under 12 years old or disabled and dependent on help, you will receive child sickness benefit for an unlimited period. You must also meet the following requirements:

• You and your child have statutory health insurance,
• You are entitled to sickness benefit,
• Your child must be supervised, looked after or cared for by you due to a fatal illness, which is why you are unable to work,
• your child's illness must have already reached an advanced stage, require palliative medical treatment or you or your partner wish to receive this treatment and the illness must lead to a limited life expectancy of weeks or a few months,
• You are on leave of absence from your employer and do not receive continued payment of salary (no paid leave of absence).

You must submit a certificate of your child's serious, fatal illness to your health insurance fund.