Calling in sick in Germany: sick notes, deadlines and your pay

If you are ill you do not have to work – and in Germany you usually keep getting paid. Two things matter: tell your employer straight away and, if needed, get a sick note (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, AU). The most common mistake is telling your employer too late.

Step 1: Call in sick straight away

• Tell your manager, or whoever your workplace names for this, before your shift starts. Without a set rule, a phone call is safest, plus a short message as a record.
• You do not have to say what illness you have – only that you cannot work and roughly for how long.
• For example: “Guten Morgen, ich bin leider krank und kann heute nicht zur Arbeit kommen. Ich gehe heute zum Arzt und melde mich, sobald ich mehr weiß.”

Step 2: When do you need a sick note?

• If you are ill for more than three calendar days, you need a sick note by the fourth day at the latest. Weekends count.
• Your employer may ask for a sick note from the first day. If your contract says so, see a doctor on day one.
• eAU: since 2023 the doctor sends the sick note electronically to your health insurer and your employer retrieves it there. You get a printout for yourself. You still have to tell your employer yourself.
• For minor illnesses you can get a sick note by phone for up to five days if the practice knows you, or through a video consultation.
• If you are still ill when the note ends, see the doctor again before it runs out and tell your employer the new dates.

Step 3: What happens to your pay?

• For six weeks your employer pays your full salary (Entgeltfortzahlung) – provided you have been employed for at least four weeks.
• If you fall ill in the first four weeks, your health insurer pays sickness benefit instead.
• After six weeks, your health insurer pays sickness benefit (Krankengeld): about 70 percent of your gross pay, at most 90 percent of your net pay – for up to 78 weeks within three years for the same illness.
• Minijobs also get sick pay.

While you are off sick

• Don't do anything that slows your recovery. Going to the shops or pharmacy is fine; helping a friend move with a slipped disc is not.
• Don't work another job – that can justify dismissal.
• Ill on holiday: with a sick note, sick days do not count as holiday. More: annual leave in Germany
• Being ill does not protect you from dismissal. You can challenge a dismissal at the labour court within three weeks – get advice from a union or an employment lawyer.

If your child is ill

If your child is under twelve, ill and nobody else can look after them, you can stay at home. Your health insurer pays child sickness benefit (Kinderkrankengeld); you need a certificate from the paediatrician. The number of days per year is set by law and changes from time to time – ask your health insurer for the current figure.