Insurance
Disability Insurance in Germany: Who Needs It
When occupational disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung) makes sense in Germany, what the state pays and what to check in the terms.
7 min read
Insurance in Germany: what you need and what you don't
Health insurance is compulsory, liability cover is expected, and offers for everything else arrive by post. I help you work out which cover protects your income and your family, and which contracts you can leave out.
Free and non-bindingPersian · German · English
Why it matters
Insurance in Germany for expats: where to start
If you came to Germany in your thirties or forties, you have a job, a flat and often a family, but not the insurance history that people who grew up here built over the years. Health insurance is compulsory. Almost everything else is your own decision, and offers will reach you from every side.
Having many policies is not the same as being well protected. Two contracts can cover the same small risk while the one that would really hurt stays open: losing your income through illness, or a large claim from someone you accidentally harmed.
Signing a contract in a language you are still learning is unsettling. So I start with your situation, not with a product: what you earn, who depends on it, what you own and what you already pay for. Then we sort your cover into what the law requires, what protects you from losses you could not carry yourself, and what is simply nice to have.
How I help
- We go through the policies you already have and note what each one really covers.
- I explain the conditions and the German terms before you sign anything, in Persian if you prefer.
- We separate the cover you need from the cover you can do without, based on your work, family and assets.
- When your life changes, with a child, a new job or your own home, we check whether your cover still fits.
Before any contract
Four principles I apply before we talk about any policy
A good insurance decision starts with the risks in your life. Prices come later.
Insure what you could not pay yourself
Cover the losses that would hit you hardest, such as a large liability claim or years without income. Small damage that your savings can absorb rarely needs a policy of its own.
Your income is your largest asset
Add up what you are likely to earn until retirement. For most people that is worth more than anything they own, which is why disability cover deserves attention early.
Read the conditions, not only the price
Two policies with the same premium can pay very differently. The sum insured, the deductible and clauses such as gross negligence decide what you receive when something happens.
Answer health questions completely
For disability or life cover the insurer asks about your health. Gaps in your answers can cost you the cover exactly when you need it, and treatment in your home country counts too.
German terms
The words in your insurance contract
German contract language is precise. Once you know these terms, you can read most policies on your own.
- Privathaftpflichtversicherung
- Personal liability insurance. It pays when you accidentally damage someone else's property or injure someone, and it defends you against unjustified claims.
- Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung
- Occupational disability insurance. It pays an agreed monthly amount if, for health reasons, you can no longer do your own job.
- Risikolebensversicherung
- Term life insurance. It pays an agreed sum to your family if you die during the term of the contract.
- Deckungssumme
- The sum insured: the most the insurer pays for one claim.
- Selbstbeteiligung
- The deductible: the part of a claim you pay yourself before the insurer pays.
- grobe Fahrlässigkeit
- Gross negligence. The contract states whether it still pays when you were very careless.
- Gesundheitsfragen
- The health questions you answer before cover starts. The insurer relies on your answers, so they need to be complete.
Read more
Articles on insurance in Germany
Longer explanations of the questions I hear most often.
Insurance
Personal Liability Insurance in Germany Explained
What you are liable for in Germany, what personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht) covers and leaves out, and what to check in your policy.
6 min read
Basics
German Payslip Explained: Gross, Net, Deductions
How to read a German payslip: Lohnsteuer, tax class, the four social insurances, and what to check every month and keep for later.
7 min read
Questions and answers
Common questions about insurance in Germany
Short answers to the questions people search for most. Your own situation is something we can look at together.
Which insurance is compulsory in Germany?
Health insurance is compulsory for everyone who lives here, and long-term care insurance comes with it. If you own a car, motor liability insurance is required too. Almost everything else is voluntary, so it pays to decide deliberately instead of signing whatever you are offered.
Is personal liability insurance mandatory in Germany?
No. But German law makes you liable for damage you cause to others, and that liability has no upper limit. This is why most people treat Privathaftpflicht as basic protection, even though nobody requires it.
What does personal liability insurance not cover?
Damage to your own belongings, damage you cause on purpose, and damage connected with your job or your car are usually excluded. Contracts also differ on things you rent or borrow and on lost keys, so these points are worth reading before you sign.
Do I need disability insurance in Germany?
If your household lives on your earnings, it is one of the first things to look at. The state only pays a reduced earning capacity pension (Erwerbsminderungsrente), measured against any job rather than your own, and only after a minimum period of insurance that newcomers often have not reached yet.
At what age should I take out disability insurance?
There is no fixed age. Acceptance and price depend on your health and your job when you apply, so it is usually easier while you are young and healthy. If you wait until there is a diagnosis, you may only be offered cover with exclusions.
How much does insurance cost in Germany?
That depends on the type of cover, your age, your job and the conditions you choose, so a general figure would mislead you. In a first conversation we look at what you already pay and what each contract actually gives you for it.
Do I need life insurance in Germany?
Term life insurance (Risikolebensversicherung) mainly matters when others depend on your income, such as a partner and children, or when a loan still has to be repaid. If the insured person dies during the term, the insurer pays the agreed sum to the beneficiaries. If nobody depends on you financially, it is usually less pressing.
Your contact
Questions about your own contracts?
Bring your current policies, or just your questions. The first conversation is free and non-binding, by phone or email. I am registered as an insurance agent (Versicherungsvertreter) under § 34d GewO and work as a self-employed sales partner of Horbach Wirtschaftsberatung GmbH.
The content on this page is general information and does not replace personal financial, legal or tax advice.
Free and non-binding
Let's talk about your situation
The first conversation is free and non-binding. Call or email me. We can meet in person in Stuttgart or talk online, wherever you live in Germany.
In Persian, German or English