GKV contribution calculator 2026

Find out what you pay for statutory health insurance (GKV) and long-term care insurance in 2026, with your Krankenkasse's actual additional contribution rate. The calculator also shows what your employer pays and how much you would save with the cheapest Krankenkasse open in your state. Rates as of 9 October 2026.

How the calculator works

The calculator follows the contribution rules that apply in 2026:

1. Income that counts. For employees, contributions are charged on the gross salary, up to the contribution ceiling of €5,812.50 a month (€69,750 a year). For self-employed people, they are charged on all their income: self-employment income, investment income, dividends, rental income and so on. The minimum contribution base for them is €1,318.33 and the maximum is €5,812.50 a month.
2. Health insurance contribution rate. All Krankenkassen in Germany charge a general contribution rate of 14.6%. On top, each Krankenkasse has their own additional contribution rate. Employees and employers each pay half. Self-employed people pay the full amount themselves. Self-employed people have the option of choosing 14.0% over 14.6% as their general contribution rate, in case they don’t want sick pay (Krankengeld).
3. Long-term care insurance rate: 3.6% of the same income. If you are 23 or older and have no children, you pay a surcharge of 0.6%. For the second to the fifth child under 25, your rate falls by 0.25% per child. Employers pay 1.8% (1.3% in Saxony); the surcharge and the discounts only change your own share.
4. Rounding. Each part is rounded to the cent, as on a payslip.

Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to us or stored.

Methodology and Assumptions

• You enter all your income, which is subject to contributions. Voluntary members, including self-employed people, pay contributions on all income types including rental income, dividends and interest.
• The calculator only works for employees who earn more than €2,000 a month. Up to an income of €603 a month (Minijob), you don’t pay own contributions. Between an income of €603.01 and €2,000 (Midijob), a reduced employee share applies. The calculator does not cover this transition zone yet.
• The state is where you work. It decides which regional Krankenkassen you can join and, in Saxony, how the care contribution is split.
• Include all children in the calculator - biological, adopted, step and foster children. Any child, at any age, removes the childless surcharge. Only children under 25 count for the discount from the second child.
• Self-employed income is your profit as assessed for income tax. Your Krankenkasse sets provisional contributions from your estimate and corrects them once your tax assessment arrives.
• Not covered yet: students, pensioners (KVdR) and people in the transition zone.

The 2026 values we use

Value	2026
Contribution ceiling	€5,812.50 a month (€69,750 a year)
Minimum income for self-employed members	€1,318.33 a month
General contribution rate	14.6% (14.0% without sick pay only for self-employed)
Additional contribution	Set by each Krankenkasse; 2.9% on average
Long-term care insurance	3.6%
Surcharge for childless members aged 23 or older	+0.6%, paid by the member
Discount for the 2nd to 5th child under 25	−0.25% per child, from the member’s share
Employer’s share of long-term care insurance	1.8% (1.3% in Saxony)

Sources: Federal Government (contribution ceiling), GKV-Spitzenverband (average additional contribution), Federal Ministry of Health (long-term care insurance).

Where the Krankenkassen’s rates come from

Each Krankenkasse’s additional contribution, and the states it is open in, come from the official list of all statutory health insurers published by the GKV-Spitzenverband. The date under the calculator shows which version of the list it uses. Most Krankenkassen change their additional contribution on 1 January, and some change it during the year, so we update the rates every January and whenever a Krankenkasse announces a change.

The calculator lists every Krankenkasse open to the public. Company health insurance funds that only accept a company’s own employees (betriebsbezogene BKKs) are not included.

Frequently asked questions