Sick leave by country / Germany
Sick leave and sick pay in Germany
Who pays when someone is ill, how much, for how long, and what the certificate rules are — in plain English, whether you run a team in Germany or work on one.
In Germany the employer continues full salary for up to six weeks of incapacity for the same illness, from the first day, once the employee has four weeks' service. After six weeks the statutory health insurer pays Krankengeld at 70% of gross pay (capped at 90% of net) for up to 78 weeks in three years. A doctor's certificate is required from the fourth calendar day unless the employer demands it earlier, and since 2023 it is transmitted electronically.
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How it works
Entgeltfortzahlung is one of Europe's strongest sick-pay rules: 100% of the regular remuneration for six weeks per illness, restarting for a new, unrelated illness. The four-week waiting period applies only to new hires. From the seventh week the Krankenkasse pays Krankengeld, subject to the contribution ceiling, for a maximum of 78 weeks within a three-year block for the same illness. Employees must report incapacity and its expected duration immediately. The doctor's certificate — the Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung — is now sent electronically by the practice to the insurer, where the employer retrieves it (eAU); the employee no longer hands in the yellow slip but must still tell the employer.
Worth knowing: The six weeks are per illness, not per year. A new illness after a gap restarts the clock; a relapse of the same illness within six months usually does not.
If you run a team in Germany
Continue full pay from day one for six weeks per illness, with no deduction for the first days. You may require a certificate from the first day by contract or individual instruction. Retrieve the eAU from the health insurer rather than asking for paper. Sick days do not reduce annual leave, and the employee's leave keeps accruing. Employers with up to 30 employees can reclaim most of the cost through the U1 levy scheme.
If you work in Germany
Tell your employer immediately that you are unfit and roughly how long for. See a doctor by the fourth calendar day at the latest — earlier if your contract or employer requires it. Your salary continues for six weeks; after that apply for Krankengeld through your health insurer. If you fall ill during annual leave, certified days are not counted as leave.
Sickness and annual leave
Certified sick days during annual leave are not counted against the leave (BUrlG §9), and annual leave keeps accruing during incapacity. Leave that could not be taken because of long-term sickness lapses only 15 months after the end of the leave year.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our Germany annual leave page — 20 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Sick pay rules turn on dates: the day the illness started, the day the certificate was due, the day the employer's obligation ends and the benefit takes over. In Germany those dates decide who pays and how much, and they have to be provable months later — to a payroll auditor, an insurer, or the employee. A shared spreadsheet rarely survives that; a tracker like Leavo records each absence with its dates and approvals alongside annual leave, so the record exists before anyone asks for it. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Sick leave in Germany: common questions
Can the employer demand a certificate from day one?
Yes. The default is the fourth calendar day, but the employer may require it from the first day, generally or for a particular employee, without giving reasons.
What is Krankengeld worth?
70% of gross pay, but no more than 90% of net pay, up to the contribution assessment ceiling, for a maximum of 78 weeks within three years for the same illness.
Am I paid if I fall ill in the first four weeks of a new job?
Not by the employer — continued pay starts after four weeks' service. Your health insurer pays Krankengeld from the first day instead.
What happens if I fall ill during my annual leave in Germany?
Certified sick days during annual leave are not counted against the leave (BUrlG §9), and annual leave keeps accruing during incapacity. Leave that could not be taken because of long-term sickness lapses only 15 months after the end of the leave year.
Source
Primary source: Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (EntgFG) §§3 and 5; SGB V §§44–48 (Krankengeld). Rates and caps change — often every January or April — and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme. Confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.