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German health and long-term care insurance for the self-employed — voluntary member contributions

Voluntarily insured self-employed people pay on their total income, at least on one ninetieth of the monthly reference amount per calendar day (2026: EUR 1,318.33 a month) and at most up to the contribution ceiling. Without opting in to sick pay the reduced 14.0% rate applies, with it 14.6%, plus the fund's additional rate in both cases. There is no employer share.

2026 rules — verified on September 23, 2026Free, no account

This content is part of the path: Social security cover as a self-employed person· Step 3 of 7· Next step: German status determination procedure (Statusfeststellung) — freelancer or employee?

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Sources and assumptions

Calculation assumptions

  • Voluntary membership of the statutory health insurance scheme is assumed; compulsorily insured people (for instance through the artists' social fund) and the privately insured are not covered.
  • The input is the monthly income on which contributions are assessed — the member's whole economic capacity, not just business profit. The provisional assessment on the last tax notice and the later final assessment (s. 240(4a)) are not modelled.
  • The 2026 health insurance contribution ceiling is an input: SGB V s. 223 as currently in force only sets it for 2027. The long-term care ceiling follows from SGB XI s. 55(2) and is calculated.
  • Not covered: pensions received alongside income (s. 240(3)), pension applicants (subs. 4, third sentence), benefit entitlements suspended abroad (subs. 4b), the spouse's income (subs. 5), and assessment at the ceiling where proof of income is missing.

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This result is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute personalised tax advice. Check your situation with the tax authorities or a professional.