If you are ill and therefore unable to work, in Germany you have a right to take sick leave and stay home.
In contrast to many countries, taking time off when you are sick is not frowned upon in Germany but accepted; you are not expected to struggle on through, but to take time to recover (and avoid infecting your colleagues!), although this attitude towards sickness may be different if you work for an international company rather than a German one.
In 2022, employees in Germany called in sick for an average of 15 working days, according to Destatis. However, your employer may want (and indeed is legally entitled to) see proof of your illness from a doctor. Here’s how the process of calling in sick and taking sick leave works in Germany.
If you are ill on a working day, you must report it to your employer at the beginning of the first working day on which you are unwell. Most companies will have a designated process for calling in sick which usually involves contacting your manager or, sometimes, someone from the HR (Personal) department.
You are not obliged to tell your work what is wrong with you, but if you have an idea how long you are likely to be unable to work, you should let them know. You can inform your employer by telephone, text or email, but it’s best to follow the procedure preferred by your company.
Your company is allowed to ask for proof that you are ill on the first day that you call in sick. However, in practice, most employers only ask this if you have called in sick for several days in a row, or multiple times over a short period. Many companies will have a policy in place, for instance you will need a sick note if you call in sick for more than three days in a row.
To obtain a sick note (known colloquially as a Krankschreibung but officially called an Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung or AU), you’ll need to contact your doctor. Your GP will decide based on your situation how long you will be signed off sick for, and issue you with a sick note.
In the past, this had to be done in person at the doctor’s office. As of December 2023, however, doctors are allowed to issue sick notes after having just a telephone consultation with you.
The sick note used to be a yellow piece of paper (giving it the nickname Gelbe Schein) that consisted of three parts:
As of 2023, however, the sick note is processed digitally. This means that your doctor will send a digital copy of the certificate to your health insurer, who will then inform your employer on your behalf. Nonetheless, you still need to inform your employer that you’re calling in sick, even if you are obtaining a sick note.
Note also that your sick note needs to cover your entire absence from work. So if you only speak to the doctor on day three of your illness, your doctor may not write a sick note that covers days one and two. To avoid uncertainty, it’s better to contact your doctor on the first day of your illness.
Your employer will not receive any details of your illness or diagnosis on your sick certificate. They are also not permitted to ask you what is or was wrong with you.
If your employer has any questions or doubts about your absence, they will address themselves to your health insurer, who may ask the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Companies (MDK) to carry out a review of your case.
The length of your sick leave will depend on the doctor’s diagnosis. Calling in sick every now and then should not be cause for concern, but if you call in sick very frequently, your employer could move to terminate your work contract.
According to IG Metall, one of the largest workers’ unions in Germany, your employer has to accept up to 30 sick days per year, but any more than this is generally considered unreasonable.
Most employees will continue to receive their regular salary, even if they call in sick. This depends, however, on how long you are sick for, and what kind of health insurance you have:
If you are signed off for less than six weeks, you will continue to receive your regular full salary, so long as you have been working for your employer for at least four weeks before you fall ill. If you have private health insurance, you’ll only receive sick pay if your policy includes it.
If you are signed off for more than six weeks, you will receive your salary for the first six weeks. After that, your employer will stop paying your regular salary. You will instead receive sickness benefits from your health insurance company (if you are publicly insured; if you have private health insurance, you’ll need separate sick pay cover).
Sickness benefits are capped at 70 percent of your gross salary and last for a maximum of 78 weeks over a period of three years. If you are still sick after 78 weeks you will need to apply for disability benefits from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. If you are temporarily unwell and still likely to make a recovery, you will receive unemployment benefits. If you are permanently unable to work, you will get a pension, so long as you have paid contributions for at least 60 months.
To ensure that they can continue to pay their mortgage or provide for their family or other dependents should they become permanently unable to work, many people take out disability insurance.
In Germany, sick leave is paid for by the employer for the first six weeks, and by the statutory health insurance company, in the weeks after that (up to a maximum of 78 weeks in three years).
If you are self-employed in Germany, you are your own employer, and so you are expected to provide for yourself for the first six weeks if you are ill and unable to work. Many freelancers, for instance, factor this into their day rate so they can put aside money for holidays and sick days.
After six weeks, you will qualify for sick pay from your health insurance company, so long as you are publicly-insured. If you are privately insured, you should consider taking out a policy that also provides sick pay.
Burnout is a type of chronic stress linked to work and, with the rise of home working and demanding jobs, has become an increasingly prevalent issue in recent years. It can present itself variously as a kind of emotional, mental or physical exhaustion, with common symptoms including long-term fatigue, feelings of detachment, loneliness or helplessness, and difficulty with completing tasks.
In Germany, burnout is recognised as a legitimate health concern and a reason for taking sick leave. However, the usual rules apply: to get burnout sick leave, you will need to consult with a medical professional - usually your GP but perhaps a psychologist - who can evaluate your symptoms and write up a formal diagnosis for a sick note.
Employees in Germany are also entitled to take time off following the death of a close relative. Usually, two days are given for mourning and attending the funeral, but your company may have a different policy.
If your child is unwell and you need to take care of them, you are also entitled to stay home from work, thanks to Germany’s so-called “child sickness benefit law”. It stipulates that parents have a right to benefits, paid for by their health insurer, if a doctor confirms that their child is ill and needs to be taken care of.
Each parent can take up to 15 days of child sickness leave per year to take care of their sick child. Single parents can take up to 30 days per year. If you have more than one child, you can take a total of 35 days per parent (70 days for both parents or single parents). You can find out more about claiming the child sickness benefit on our dedicated page.
In Germany, you are also entitled to take up to 10 days off work to care for close relatives who are in need of care. This leave is usually unpaid, unless otherwise stated by your employer.
You can also take nursing care leave of up to six months for a close relative. If you take long-term care leave you need to give your employer at least 10 days’ notice. You may also need to provide proof, such as a letter from a doctor. During this time you are protected from dismissal.
Note that only employers with more than 15 employees are subject to nursing care leave obligations.