Applying for sickness benefit for self-employed persons in statutory health insurance

Service Description

If you are self-employed and insured with a statutory health insurance fund, you are not entitled to sickness benefit. This means that if you are unable to work for a longer period of time for health reasons, you will not receive any money from your health insurance fund.

If you would like to have such additional cover and be entitled to sickness benefit, you must inform your health insurance fund of this in writing. This written notification is also called a "declaration of choice".

If you submit a declaration of choice to your health insurance fund, you will pay a slightly higher contribution to statutory health insurance, which also includes the entitlement to sickness benefit. You are entitled to statutory sickness benefit from the 43rd day of incapacity for work.

The amount of sickness benefit is generally 70 percent of your income from work over the past 12 months. This refers to the income on which your health insurance fund has based the assessment of your insurance contribution.

If you have opted for an optional declaration and wish to receive sickness benefit from your health insurance fund in a specific case, you must note the following:

  • Entitlement to sickness benefit only arises from the 7th week of incapacity for work in each case.
  • If you are ill, you must submit a sick note to your health insurance fund within 1 week in order to receive sickness benefit.

During the period in which you receive sickness benefit, you may still have to pay contributions to your long-term care insurance, health insurance and social insurance:

  • If you receive sickness benefit, you do not have to pay health insurance contributions for the earnings replacement benefit. However, if you are compulsorily insured for pension, unemployment or long-term care insurance, you must continue to pay these contributions during your sick leave.

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6PLus)

Competent Authority

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