German sick pay rules for 2026

When an employee falls ill, a clear process applies. They tell the employer straight away, and from the fourth day of illness they need a medical certificate, the Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, which now flows to the employer and insurer electronically. An employer can ask for the certificate from the first day if it wants to.

• Notify the employer on the first day of illness
• See a doctor and obtain the electronic sick note
• Provide it by the fourth day, or earlier if the employer requires
• Keep the employer updated if the illness continues

Employer sick pay applies once the person has been employed for at least four weeks.

For the first six weeks of an illness, the employer pays the employee’s full salary. This is the Entgeltfortzahlung, and it means an employee off sick sees no drop in pay for up to six weeks, funded entirely by the employer rather than the state.

The six weeks run per illness. A short absence uses only part of the window, and the employee keeps the balance for later in the same period, which matters when an illness comes and goes.

If an illness runs past six weeks, the employer’s obligation ends and the statutory health insurer takes over with a benefit called Krankengeld. It is paid at 70 percent of the employee’s gross salary, but capped so it never exceeds 90 percent of their previous net pay.

Krankengeld can run for up to 78 weeks in total for the same illness, counted across a three-year window and including the six employer-paid weeks. So the employer covers the start and the insurer covers the long tail of a serious illness.

The six-week rule resets in limited circumstances. If a new, unrelated illness begins, a fresh six weeks of full employer pay applies. For the same illness returning, the employer only owes a new six-week period once the employee has been back at work for a set time, or enough time has passed since the first absence.

These rules stop a recurring condition from resetting the clock every few weeks, and they are the part most likely to be miscalculated in payroll if no one is watching the history of absences.

As the legal employer, we manage sick pay end to end. We apply the six weeks of Entgeltfortzahlung correctly, track the absence history so the six-week rule is applied right, and coordinate the handover to Krankengeld with the health insurer when an illness runs long.

For you, that means an employee off sick is handled compliantly and paid correctly, without your team having to learn the detail of German sick-pay law.

Sources: the Entgeltfortzahlungsgesetz (gesetze-im-internet.de) and statutory health insurer (GKV) guidance on Krankengeld. Rules reviewed July 2026.