(Social) insurance

The statutory pension insurance scheme (SGB VI)

• protects surviving dependants through pension payments in the event of jeopardised or reduced earning capacity in old age and in the event of death.
• In addition to pensions, it also pays rehabilitation benefits.

You are compulsorily insured in the statutory pension insurance scheme if you are employed in return for pay. You pay a fixed percentage of your salary for this. Your employer also pays a fixed percentage. The money is paid directly from your gross income to the insurance company. You do not have to transfer any contributions. The amount of the contribution rate that is deducted from your gross salary depends on the type of employment you have:

Low-paid employment (mini-job)

As a mini-jobber, you are generally subject to compulsory insurance. In addition to the employer's flat-rate pension insurance contribution of 15 per cent, you pay your own contribution of 3.6 per cent. If you are in marginal employment in a private household, different rules apply. You can also be exempted from the pension insurance obligation. However, find out about the consequences beforehand.

More than marginally paid employment (working student activity)

You are subject to compulsory insurance. However, you pay lower pension insurance contributions in the low-wage sector. Depending on the amount of your salary, your share increases up to the full contribution rate of a maximum of 9.3 per cent.

Working during the semester break

You are subject to compulsory insurance if your monthly salary exceeds 538 euros. However, you pay lower pension insurance contributions in the low-wage sector. Depending on the amount of your salary, your share increases up to the full contribution rate of a maximum of 9.3 per cent.

You are exempt from insurance if the employment relationship is limited to a maximum of three months or 70 working days per calendar year (short-term employment). The employment must be contractually limited in advance. Several short-term jobs in a calendar year are counted together.

Employment as an employee

You are subject to compulsory insurance. Depending on the amount of your salary, your share increases up to the full contribution rate of a maximum of 9.3 per cent.

You can find more information about working on our page on working while studying.

Health insurance is compulsory, even for students. Find out more in the Finanztip article.

When you start your studies, you can choose between statutory health insurance (GKV) and private health insurance (PKV). This decision is then binding for your entire degree programme. All students are initially assigned to statutory health insurance.
When switching from statutory to private health insurance or remaining in private health insurance, it is possible to be exempted from compulsory insurance - up to three months after enrolment at the latest.

Make sure you find out what deadlines there are and which system suits you better in the long term.

The following regulations apply:

You are covered by statutory insurance...

Up to and including 24 years of age

• Free family insurance through your parents with statutory health insurance as long as they receive child benefit for you (extension for max. 1 year for military service or federal voluntary service)
• Prerequisite: you are in no more than marginal employment (mini-job) or regularly earn no more than 505 euros net income per month with other income

Up to and including 29 years of age

• You may be able to extend your student tariff (e.g. in the event of illness, disability, pregnancy, childcare, caring for relatives, military service or other statutory voluntary service (e.g. BFD, FSJ), etc.).
• If no extension is possible, you will pay the student rate, which is based on the current BAföG rates, the additional contribution from your health insurance company and your long-term care insurance contribution (around 120 euros/month).
• Prerequisite for the student tariff:
  • You use your time and labour predominantly for your studies, i.e. you do not work more than 20 hours per week (working student privilege).
  • The amount of your income is irrelevant.
  • If your job is adapted and subordinated to the requirements of your studies, it may be possible to work more hours per week (e.g. during lecture-free periods, evenings, nights, weekends).

Discuss this with your health insurance provider or ask us for advice.

From the age of 30

• You are covered by student health insurance until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. After that, you can take out voluntary health insurance as a student.
• The following requirements must be met for voluntary membership.
  • Before starting voluntary insurance, you must either have family insurance or
  • have been insured under the student tariff for at least twelve months or
  • provide evidence of a previous insurance period of 24 months in the last five years.

Your insurance tariff depends on your income, the additional contribution from your health insurance company and your long-term care insurance contribution.

If you do not work or only work a little, there is a minimum assessment basis on which your tariff is based. You must expect to pay a contribution of at least 200 euros per month.

• Alternatively, you can apply for exemption from compulsory insurance before your 30th birthday and take out private health insurance.
• Private health insurance companies offer various special student tariffs, which are based on
  • Your state of health,
  • your age when you take out the policy
  • and the benefits required by the insurance company.

Find out about the advantages and disadvantages beforehand! Pay particular attention to whether a deductible is included in the contract; in this case, you pay for all benefits yourself up to a certain upper limit.

You are privately insured...

Membership of private health insurance (PKV) is possible for civil servants, the self-employed, employees above a certain annual income and students.

If you were insured with private health insurance before enrolment, you can switch to statutory health insurance (GKV) when you enrol. However, you can also be exempted from compulsory insurance within three months of enrolment and remain privately insured. However, you must then remain in private health insurance until you accept a job with compulsory insurance. Even if you are doing a doctorate after your studies with a scholarship or are self-employed, it is not possible to switch to statutory health insurance.

If you receive an allowance from your parents in the event of illness, please bear in mind that your entitlement to an allowance ends when you turn 25 and that you will need to join a private health insurance scheme to be fully covered in the event of illness. Depending on the tariff, private health insurance can be considerably more expensive for you than the student tariff in statutory health insurance. Therefore, think carefully about whether it really makes sense for you to be exempted from the statutory insurance obligation and switch to private health insurance.

Accident insurance compensates for damage to health suffered by insured persons as a result of an insured activity. It provides more extensive benefits for medical care and aftercare than statutory health insurance (in addition to medical treatment, rehabilitation and psychological care, for example, also subsidies for home modifications or even a lifelong pension if the health damage cannot be cured)

If you are enrolled at a university in Schleswig-Holstein, you are covered by UK Nord insurance. You are automatically insured there and do not have to pay any contributions. The insurance premiums are paid from the state budget.

Insurance cover exists if the activity relates to your studies and takes place within the organisational area of responsibility (in terms of location and time) of the university.

Students are insured

• on the direct routes to and from the university,
• when attending study-related events such as courses, lectures, seminars or laboratory practicals at the university,
• on excursions and study trips,
• during study-related research and individual activities,
• during university sports activities,
• during practical activities in the context of final theses and dissertations and
• when visiting the university library.
  

Important tips

Report an accident

If you have had an accident at work or on the way to work, report it immediately to UK-Nord. This can also be done digitally.

Save documents

If you have been injured, keep a copy of the accident report. You should also keep x-rays, lab results and doctor's letters.

Inform doctors

Let your doctor know if the accident happened at the university or on the way there or back home.

Follow-up costs

The statutory accident insurance covers the consequences of an accident for the rest of your life.

You can obtain further information and advice from UK-Nord.

Long-term care insurance is compulsory for all those with statutory and private insurance. It serves to cover the risk of needing long-term care and includes home and inpatient care services.

People are in need of care if they are limited in their independence and abilities due to physical, cognitive or mental impairments or health-related burdens and are therefore dependent on help from third parties. As a rule, the restrictions must last at least 6 months (§ 14 Para. 1 SGB XI). 5 care levels indicate the need for support. The care or cash benefits vary depending on the level of care.

Students with disabilities and chronic illnesses are entitled to long-term care insurance benefits if they can prove their need for care.

Further information can be found at the German Student Services Organisation.

Unemployment insurance includes benefits

• Unemployment benefit, wage replacement during unemployment,
• vocational rehabilitation and
• Support for taking up employment and training.

Students do not have to be insured. However, this only applies as long as you are not working as an employee and your time and labour are predominantly taken up by your studies. Find out more on our page on working while studying.

An exception to this is the dual study programme: Unemployment insurance is compulsory here. Students are treated in the same way as employees in vocational training.

Liability insurance is not part of the social security system, so you are not automatically insured and are liable for any personal injury or property damage you cause.

The universities do not have liability insurance that covers damage caused by students. The university also does not indemnify you against liability. We strongly recommend that you take out liability insurance for the entire duration of your studies if you are not already covered by your parents' liability insurance. If you are spending a semester abroad, you should enquire with the insurance company whether the insurance cover also includes studying abroad. A call to your parents' insurance company will give you certainty.