Germany has a well-developed social security system. If you work in Germany subject to social security contributions, you are usually a member of these five statutory insurance schemes:
- Statutory health insurance pays the costs for visits to the doctor and for many medicines and therapy measures.
- The statutory long-term care insurance provides basic security in the event that you are permanently dependent on care due to illness. This mostly affects people in old age.
- The statutory pension insurance pays a pension to employees after they have retired. Roughly speaking, the amount of the pension is measured primarily according to the income and the number of years that one works in Germany.
- Statutory accident insurance covers the costs of medical treatment and reintegration into work after an accident at work or in the event of occupational diseases.
- Statutory unemployment insurance provides unemployed people with income for a certain period of time if they have generally been insured for at least one year in the past two years and are looking for work again. In addition, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) supports anyone looking for a job with counselling and placement services.
- As an employee, you have special social security conditions: you only pay about half. The other half is paid by your employer.
- As an employee you will receive a social security card with a social security number. Please inform your employer of the number. Keep the social security card safe, as you will need the number again and again. If you lose your social security card, you can request a replacement from the German Pension Insurance.
Source: German social security
Further information
German social security – European representation
