ROUTE

Private accident insurance

The state covers work and the commute, nothing else. How payouts for lasting consequences work and what to look for when choosing.

✓ Checked: 01/08/2026

Most people living in Germany assume the statutory system protects them against accidents. That is exactly half true: accidents at work and on the commute are covered, while sport, home, holidays and weekends fall entirely outside — and that is where most accidents happen.

1

STEP

Where statutory accident cover stops

The statutory system covers work and the journey to it. Everything else — sport, home, holidays, weekends — falls outside, and that is the larger part of life.
2

STEP

How the payout is calculated

Private accident insurance pays not for days off sick but for lasting consequences. The amount follows a schedule mapping loss of function to a share of the sum insured.
3

STEP

What to look for and how to report a claim

The difference between policies lies in the definition of an accident, the exclusions and the deadlines. When something happens, timely medical documentation decides everything.

› More about this route

This three-step route covers the subject in full: where statutory cover ends and why your health fund does not fill that gap, how a private policy calculates its payout, and what to watch when choosing cover and when reporting a claim.

The logic of a private policy differs from what people expect: it pays not for days of incapacity but for lasting consequences — for what remains once treatment ends. The amount follows a schedule and a progression, and it is the second figure that shows real protection in a severe case.

WHERE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN LOSE MONEY AND TIME

Assuming your health fund closes this gap. It pays for treatment but not for income lost through lasting consequences — two fundamentally different things.
Comparing policies by the sum insured. Real protection is shown by the payout with progression at a high degree of disability, which is a markedly different number.
Not reading the definition of an accident. Basic cover requires a sudden external event, and an injury during ordinary movement may fall outside it.
Not having the link between injury and event documented medically. Six months later it is barely establishable, and without it the payout is in doubt.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ROUTE

What does statutory accident insurance cover?▾

Accidents at work and on the journey to and from it. The definition is statutory and narrow: detours for private reasons usually fall outside, and leisure time is not included at all.

Does my health fund not cover the rest?▾

It pays for treatment, which is substantial. But it does not pay for lasting consequences: once treatment ends and you cannot work as before, the loss of income sits entirely with you. That is the gap a private policy fills.

What does private cover actually pay for?▾

Permanent loss of function after an accident, not days of incapacity. The calculation follows a schedule assigning each body part a share of the sum insured, and progression raises the payout for severe outcomes.

WHAT USUALLY COMES NEXT

Workplace injuryAn accredited doctor instead of your own, the employer’s report, benefits beyond sick pay including rehabilitation — and one month to object.Switching Health Insurance FundHundreds of euros a year for one application: when switching pays, the special termination right after increases, and the procedure where the new fund does everything.Getting Liability InsuranceGermany first insurance from ~€5 a month: unlimited liability under §823 BGB, three tariff criteria and a 10-minute English sign-up.Car Accident: What to DoThe five minutes at the scene, not a word on fault, the central hotline — and the full claims list including a lawyer at the liable party expense.Occupational Disability CoverOne in four in Germany becomes unable to work before retirement, and state cover is minimal. How BU insurance works and which contract clauses truly matter.