Key takeaways

• You can take time off from work to care for your sick child. You get 90% of the net loss wages from your health insurer during this time.
• Many employers in Germany exclude paying wages when you are on child sick leave. But you are still entitled to unpaid leave.
• Child sick pay is tax-free. But you must declare it in your tax returns.
• Families and single parents with one child can take up to 30 days of child sick leave in a year.

This is how you do it

• Inform your employer about the absence due to a sick child.
• Get a doctor’s certificate. 
• Fill out the child sickness benefit form and send it to your employer and the health insurer.

Table of Contents

What is the child sickness benefit (Kinderkrankengeld) in Germany?

Child sickness benefits (Kinderkrankengeld in German) are the benefits you receive when your child falls sick. The benefits you receive are

• leave from your work (up to 15 days per child)
• child sick pay for the days you didn’t work (90% of the lost net wages)

What is the legal basis for the entitlement of child sickness benefits?

Paid time off per § 616 BGB

As per the Civil Code (§ 616 BGB), employees are entitled to paid time off if they cannot work for a personal reason. The personal reason can be taking care of a sick child. 

The legal definition of paid time off is that the employer continues to pay the wages when the employee is on leave.

However, many employers in Germany exclude this right to paid time off via collective agreement or employment contract. It is when your health insurance company steps in to cover the lost wages.

Unpaid leave and child sickness benefits per Section 45 SGB V

Even if your employer excludes the right to paid time off, you have the right to unpaid time off per Section 45 SGB V. It means you can take unpaid leaves when your child is sick.

Moreover, you are entitled to receive sick pay (Kinderkrankengeld in German) from your statutory health insurance provider. The sick pay from the health insurer is also called wage replacement.

Who can claim child sickness benefits in Germany?

Whether you get child sickness benefits depends on your health insurance and employment status. The child’s health insurance also plays a role when claiming child sickness benefits. 

Public health insurance

To receive child sick pay from the public insurer, both the parent and child must be insured with statutory health insurance or part of family insurance.

• Employees: Every employee insured with statutory health insurance can apply for child sick pay. 
• Self-employed: The self-employed also receive child sickness benefits. The prerequisite is opting for sick pay when signing the health insurance contract. You can learn more about sick pay for self-employed in our guide on health insurance for self-employed.
• Mini Job: Parents working in mini-jobs usually don’t receive sick child pay from the public insurer. However, you are entitled to unpaid leave to look after your child.
• Working part-time while receiving parental allowance: You are entitled to sick pay. Moreover, receiving child sick pay doesn’t affect your parental allowance. You’ll continue to receive parental allowance as before.
• Unemployed: Unemployed people don’t receive sick child pay.

Private health insurance 

Private health insurance companies usually don’t offer child sickness benefits. However, you can opt for sick child pay while signing the contract.

Suppose your current private health insurance plan doesn’t cover child sick pay. You can also change your private health insurance tariff.

Civil Servants

Child sickness benefits don’t apply to civil servants as the state supports them. The civil servant parent who has to care for their sick child receives a full salary.

What requirements must you fulfill to receive child sick pay?

• You don’t get paid time off from your employer to care for the sick child.
• The child for whom you are claiming sickness benefits must be younger than 12. Children with disabilities have no age limits.
• The child must live in the same household. Of course, if the child is seriously ill and must be hospitalized, this rule doesn’t apply.
• You need a sick note from a doctor to prove your child is ill.
• No one else in the household can take care of the child. For example, if the child’s grandparents live in the same household, they can care for your child. In this case, you don’t receive child sick pay.

How do you apply for child sickness benefits?

Follow the following steps to apply for child sickness benefits.

• Inform your employer immediately that your child is sick. And you are unable to work as you must take care of the child at home.
• You should also inform the child’s daycare or school.
• Get a doctor’s certificate, also called “Muster 21.” You can get it from your child’s doctor (Kinderartz in German).
• The sick note also contains the application form for child sickness benefits. It’s usually on the back of the sick note or down below.
• Fill out the application form. Sign it and send a copy to your employer.
• You must send the original doctor’s certificate to the health insurance company. You can also submit the doctor’s certificate online on your health insurer’s website or mobile app.
• You need to fill in the following information in the form.
  • Your bank details
  • Whether you’ll receive wages from your employer
  • Are you a single parent?
  • Number of child sick days you have already taken in the current year.
• The health insurance company also needs proof of income to calculate the sick pay. Your employer will send it directly to your health insurer. So, you don’t have to do anything here.

Since 18 December 2023, you can get a sick note for your child on the phone. Hence saving you the visit to the doctor with a sick child.

However, there are some limitations to getting the doctor’s certificate by phone.

• The maximum number of sick days you can get on the telephone is five. 
• Your child must be registered with the doctor’s practice.

The doctor’s office emails you the sick note or asks you to pick it up from the practice.

How many days of child sickness benefits can you receive?

Since 2024, the number of days parents can take time off work to care for a sick child has increased.

Number of child sick days in 2024 and 2025

Families with two parents

• Families with one or two children can take 15 working days off per child and parent in a year.
  • One child: up to 30 days off per year as a family.
  • Two children: up to 60 days off per year as a family.
• Families with more than two children can take up to 35 working days off per parent.
  • More than two children: up to 70 working days in a year as a family.

Single parents

• One child: up to 30 working days off in a year.
• Two children: up to 60 working days off in a year.
• More than two children: up to 70 working days off in a year.

Number of child sick days during the pandemic

• Families with two parents and single parents can claim up to 60 days per child in a year.
  • One child: 60 working days per year
  • Two children: 120 working days per year
• The number of sick days increases to 65 working days per parent for families with more than two children.
  • More than two children: A total of 130 days off to care for their children.

NOTE: The regulations for child sick days during the pandemic no longer apply.

How much is the child sick pay?

• As per Section 45 Para. 2 SGB V, you receive 90 percent of your lost net salary as gross child sickness benefit.
• There is a cap on the maximum child sick pay one can receive. The maximum child sick pay is 120.75 € per day as of 2024.
• You must also pay the social security contributions on your child sick pay. The social security contribution is 12.3% for employees with one child.
• The health insurer deducts social security contributions from child sickness benefits and pays the remaining amount.

Sickness benefits in case your child met with an accident.

Suppose your child met with an accident in kindergarten, after-school care, at school, or on the way to school or home. In this case, the statutory accident insurance pays the sickness benefit.

The child sick pay or injury benefit is 80% of your net salary. You apply for the injury benefit via your health insurance company.

What applies if the child is admitted to the hospital?

As per the Nursing Study Strengthening Act (Pflegestudiumstärkungsgesetz), you’ll receive child sickness benefits if admitted to the hospital with the sick child. 

The health insurer will pay you the child sickness benefits as long as you are in the hospital. There is no maximum number of child sick days in this scenario.

Moreover, the days in the hospital don’t count towards the regular child sick days. To be eligible for these benefits, you must fulfill the following conditions.

• The admission to the hospital is medically necessary. If the child is up to 8 years old, it’s assumed that admission is medically necessary.
• Your child is under 12 years old or has a disability.

The hospital or the inpatient facility certifies that the hospital admission was medically necessary and for how long.

What applies if your child is terminally ill?

You can take unlimited child sick days if your child is terminally ill and is expected to have a few weeks or months left.

Do you have to declare child sick pay in the income tax returns?

Yes, you must declare the child sick pay you received during the year in the income tax return. Moreover, you are legally bound to file an income tax return if you received more than 410 € of child sick pay.

Although the child sick pay is tax-free, but it’s added to your gross income to find the right tax rate. It could be possible that by adding the child sickness benefits, your tax rate increases.

Your health insurance company also sends you a letter stating the total child sickness benefits you received in the year for tax purposes.

References

• https://www.finanztip.de/gkv/kinderkrankengeld/
• https://www.tk.de/firmenkunden/service/fachthemen/jahreswechsel/2024-2025-neuregelungen-kinderkrankengeld-2160374
• https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/themen/praevention/kindergesundheit/faq-kinderkrankengeld
• https://www.kindergesundheit-info.de/themen/krankes-kind/recht/berufstaetigkeit/
• https://www.gew.de/gesundheit/freistellung-bei-erkrankung-eines-kindes