

If you are self-employed, you don’t get paid while you are sick. If you can’t work because of depression or burnout, you can do things that make you feel better. For example, you can go to the Baltic Sea to get rest and fresh air. If you can’t work because you are sick, you can still travel if it helps your recovery. For example, if you can’t work because of a broken arm, you can still have coffee with a friend. If you can’t work because of an injury, you can still meet friends, go shopping and travel. You can still do things that don’t hurt your recovery. When you are on sick leave, you don’t have to stay at home. If you have a mortgage, or if your family depends on you, you should get disability insurance. If you paid public pension contributions for less than 60 months, you can’t get a pension. If you can’t work again, you get a pension for the disabled ( Erwerbsminderungsrente). You will get very little money – about 835€ per month. You get unemployment benefits for the disabled ( Arbeitslosengeld bei Arbeitsunfähigkeit) until you get better. Temporary sickness: unemployment benefits.After 6 weeks of sick pay and 78 weeks of Krankengeld, you must go to the Agentur für Arbeit, and apply for disability benefits. You can get Krankengeld for 78 weeks every 3 years. You must get a separate Krankentagegeld insurance.

If you have private health insurance, you do not get Krankengeld. Krankengeld calculator (in German) – Techniker Krankenkasse

It’s 70% of your gross salary, up to 116.38€ per day. Instead, you get Krankengeld from your public health insurance. The next 78 weeksĪfter 6 weeks, your employer stops paying you. You don’t get paid sick leave for tattoos or plastic surgery. 13 For example, you don’t get paid sick leave for kickboxing, motorcycle racing or drunk driving injuries. If you do something really dangerous and you get hurt, you get unpaid sick leave. 12 You get paid for the days that you are supposed to work.
#Calling in sick after vacation full#
You still get paid when you are sick The first 6 weeksįor the first 42 days of your sick leave, your employer pays your full salary. The goal of sick leave is to get better, and go back to work when you are healthy. Your employer must leave you alone, except if they have urgent questions. You don’t have to join meetings, answer emails, or be online. When you are on sick leave, you do not have to do any work. If you have a sick note, you have the right to go on sick leave.

Your employer can get a digital copy of your sick note from your health insurer. Since 2023, you don’t need to give a sick note to your employer. You can also get a sick note for stress, depression, burnout, lack of sleep, and other mental health reasons. You can use an app like TeleClinic or instead of visiting a doctor. You can get it in person, with a phone call, or with a video call. 7 In the first month of your probation period, get a sick note on the first day. Some ask for a sick note on the first day that you are sick. Most employers ask for a sick note if you are sick for more than 3 days. Usually, you just need to call, email or message your manager. 6 Each team has different rules for this. Tell your employer and your team that you are sick as soon as you can. 4 For example, if you say that are too sick to work, but you go clubbing, you can get fired. If you take sick days when you are not sick, you can get fired. 2 To fire you, your employer must prove that you will not get better, that it’s bad for the company, and that there are no other options (like a transfer or reduced hours). If you take more than 30 sick days per year, you could get fired. Your employer can’t punish you because you take sick days. 1 You can take as many sick days as you need, even during your probation period. On average, German employees take 11 sick days per year. This guide explains how sick leave works. In Germany, if you are too sick or injured to work, you take a sick day.
