Health insurance is an important and essential part of life in Germany.
When can one spouse’s statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung — GKV) also cover all the other family members (spouse and children), saving the family a considerable amount of money?
Familienversicherung — family insurance in the GKV statutory health insurance scheme.
Our service — take out a policy under the state health insurance scheme
Who can be added free of charge
- a spouse earning up to 603 € a month if that is a Minijob, or up to 565 €, if the income is of another kind — from their own business or from renting out, for example (2026 figures)
- children up to 18
- children up to 23 who do not work
- children up to 25 who are in education or doing a Freiwilligendienst (voluntary service)
The income limits are revised every year. A Minijob is measured against the Geringfügigkeitsgrenze (marginal employment threshold), other income against one seventh of the Bezugsgröße (social security reference value). From 2028 the member will pay a surcharge of 2.5 % of their own income for a spouse in the Familienversicherung, unless a child under 12 lives in the household or another exemption applies; children will remain insured free of charge.
When children cannot be added
Children cannot be added to your statutory insurance (GKV) if your spouse has private cover (PKV), their income is above €77,400 a year — the 2026 threshold — and it is also higher than yours. Both conditions have to be met at once.
Any questions? Write to us and we will reply in detail.
We have covered the important types of insurance in Germany in more detail in a separate article
GKV or PKV — which to choose
In the following video, we explain the difference between GKV statutory health insurance and private health insurance, and which one to choose.
What is the difference between GKV and PKV and which one to choose
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More information
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Could you please tell me if in Germany a working daughter can register her non-working mother on family insurance?
Hello.
No, unfortunately not.
Only children and non-working spouses may be included.
Hello, I have this situation: I haven’t lived with my wife for two years now, and the children moved in to live with me six months ago. They were insured under my wife’s insurance policy, but now I have received a bill for one child for a debt amount of 2’500, and I found out that she removed them from her insurance three months ago. I didn’t know about this, so they weren’t transferred to my insurance. The official divorce was finalised a month ago. What should I do now?
Hello.
If the insurance company does not have the data, they send an invoice with the maximum amount.
You need to try to apply to include the children in the family tariff of the state medical insurance from the moment the debt is formed or the official divorce.
Good afternoon
I have TK insurance. My husband has AOK, his employer registered him with this health insurance company. I worked for 14 months, and now I am not working. I am on unemployment benefit (but haven’t received anything yet). Can I switch to my husband’s insurance?
And what needs to be done for that?
Thank you.
Hello.
As long as you are receiving ALG1, you cannot be on your spouse’s family insurance tariff. As soon as it stops, you can switch immediately.
Hello, please could you advise me on what to do? I was on my husband’s family health insurance. My husband has worked continuously. I was informed the other day that on 20.04 I was removed from the family insurance and they are asking me to pay a bill of €8,100 by 15.12.2024.
Hello, I have the following question: I was on Big family insurance. My spouse works and paid for everything, and I have a Gewerbe [trade business] making €480. I was on the same insurance for two years, and now, 8 months later, I have been informed that on 20.04 I was removed from the family insurance. They aren’t stating the reason, they have chosen some tariff for themselves, and they are demanding that I pay €8,100 within a month.
My husband hasn’t changed jobs and everything was paid properly ;(( what should I do now (?
Hello Tatiana.
You need to contact the insurance company and notify them that you had secondary employment with an income of less than 505 euros.
You must report the amount of your income, as they have calculated your fee at the maximum rate. And you need to confirm your right to be on the family insurance policy.
Good afternoon. Please could you explain the situation. Our family consists of myself, my husband, and children aged 11 and 22 (who is doing an Ausbildung). We are all on family insurance through my husband. Now our son is doing an Ausbildung and health insurance contributions are being deducted from him personally. Can he remain on the family insurance while he is doing his Ausbildung? And will it not be the case that money for insurance is deducted from both the family insurance and the student child?
Good afternoon.
In the family tariff plan, children and non-working spouses are always included free of charge.
Since your son is earning a salary, he needs to have his own insurance. He wasn’t paying anything for the family one anyway.
Our family has VKK medical insurance, which also includes our adult children... I have a question: my daughter’s boyfriend has fallen ill, but he has been living here for a short time and hasn’t arranged health insurance yet... can she pass him off under our insurance?
Hello.
Generally speaking, health insurance taken out for an individual family member or for a family usually covers only those who are immediate family members and are named on the policy. This means that friends or other individuals not included in the insurance policy cannot typically use this insurance to receive medical services.
In the case of your daughter and her partner, who has not yet arranged his health insurance, it is likely that he will not be able to use your VKK family insurance. In such situations, it is usually recommended to seek medical attention directly, paying for the services yourself, or to arrange temporary insurance for him.
Thanks, that was very helpful!
Thanks for the feedback!