Four routes, four sets of rules
| Your situation | May you go private? | The condition that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | Only above the income threshold | Gross salary above 77,400 € per year in 2026. From 2027 the threshold rises sharply, to roughly 84,600 €. |
| Self-employed, freelancer | Yes, freely | No income threshold applies. You are not compulsorily insured in the first place. |
| Civil servant, Beamter | Yes, and usually sensibly | The state pays a share of your medical bills through Beihilfe. You only insure the remainder. |
| Student | Yes, by exemption | § 8 SGB V. The exemption normally binds you for the entire degree and cannot be undone. |
77,400 € in 2026, and a jump in 2027
The threshold is called the Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze, usually shortened to JAEG. It is your regular annual gross salary including fixed extras such as a thirteenth month. In 2026 it stands at 77,400 €. For 2027 an unusually large increase to roughly 84,600 € has been announced.
Two consequences follow, and both are easy to miss:
| Above the threshold today | You may switch. You are not obliged to, and there are good reasons to stay. |
| Below it today | Full private cover is closed to you for now. That is not a judgement about you, it is a rule about income. |
| Already private, and the threshold rises past your salary | Nothing happens to your contract. Rising thresholds do not push existing private policyholders back into the statutory system. |
Being allowed to switch and being well advised to switch are two different questions. I answer the second one too, and the answer is regularly no. Ask anyone who tells you otherwise how they are paid.
Getting back out is hard
German law makes the way into private cover a matter of income and the way back a matter of luck. Returning to the statutory system generally requires either dropping below the threshold as an employee, or becoming subject to compulsory insurance for another reason. From age 55 the return is effectively closed, with very narrow exceptions.
This is why the decision deserves more than a premium comparison. A policy you cannot leave is a different product from one you can.
Common questions
I earn less than the threshold. Can I still go private?
Not with full private cover as an employee. The income threshold, in German Jahresarbeitsentgeltgrenze, is a legal condition, not a company rule. What is open to you are supplementary policies that close specific gaps, for example for dental work or a hospital stay. If your income rises above the threshold and stays there, the door opens.
I am self-employed. Is private cover automatically better?
No. Freedom of choice is not the same as the right choice. Self-employed people carry the full premium alone, with no employer paying half, and the premium does not fall when income falls. If your income is irregular, that matters more than any list of benefits.
I am a student. What should I know before opting out?
That the decision is effectively final. If you exempt yourself from compulsory student insurance under § 8 SGB V, the exemption normally lasts for the entire course of study and cannot be revoked, even if your circumstances change. That is the single most expensive mistake I see in this group.
Does an EU Blue Card or a work visa change anything?
Your residence status does not decide the question, your employment and income do. Anyone employed in Germany is subject to the same rules. What does matter in practice is how long you plan to stay, because leaving the country has consequences for a private contract.
Send me your situation, I will tell you where you stand
No form, no obligation, and an answer in plain English. If the statutory system is the better fit for you, I will say so. I only work on private health insurance, so I have no reason to sell you anything else.
This page is general information on German law and market practice as at September 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Figures are stated with their source and date in the German version of each topic.