September 22, 2022

How to call in sick in Germany?

Paid sick leave in Germany is one of the many social securities you can benefit from as an employee who is part of the public healthcare system.

If you are sick and unable to work for up to six weeks, your employer continues to pay your full salary, known as continued remuneration (Entgeldfortzahlung). However, if you have just started a job in a new company and you fall sick within the first four weeks, your employer does not have to keep on paying you. In this case, you can request sick pay from your public health insurance.

If you are on sick leave for more than six weeks due to the same illness, publicly insured employees have the right to receive sick pay (Krankengeld). You can get Krankengeld for a maximum of 72 weeks. It does not matter whether your sick leave is due to physical or mental illness. If you are privately insured, you cannot claim sick pay; instead, you can claim your daily sickness allowance (Krankentagegeld) if it is part of your tariff. If you are self-employed or a freelancer, you will need to cover financial losses during your illness yourself. This is why it is even more important if you are privately insured to get a tariff with a daily sickness allowance.

By law, you need to provide a doctor sick note latest after three days of calling in sick, so on the fourth working day. However, companies can shorten this period in your work contract. So be sure to read the section talking about Arbeitsunfähigkeit, as it is common for the time to be reduced to one or two sick days. When you call in sick, your employer can also request a sick note for the same day; however, we have never personally experienced such practice.

Steps to call in sick for work in Germany

  1. You need to inform your employer immediately when you are unable to work. Most companies have a process for that, and it usually involves that you inform your supervisor or HR department. Legally, there is no one form to use; you could call, email, or text. Ideally, you ask your supervisor about the preferred method in your first months at work.
  2. Book a doctor appointment and visit a doctor.
  3. Send the sick note you get from the doctor to the employer and possibly to your health insurance.
References

Sick Leave Notes

Image Credits