You can include the following family members free of charge:
Your spouseYour registered civil partnerBiological and adopted children up to a certain age limitChildren of family-insured childrenStepchildren and grandchildren who live in your household or whose main financial support you provideFoster children, provided that fostering is not carried out professionallyChildren can be covered under family insurance until their 23rd birthday. Coverage can be extended until their 25th birthday or longer if certain conditions are met. There are no age limits for spouses or registered partners.
You can insure your children free of charge under the following conditions:
Up to their 23rd birthday if they are not employed.Up to their 25th birthday if they attend school, study, or participate in vocational training, a voluntary social or ecological year, or a youth volunteer service without pay.Beyond the 25th birthday if training was delayed by military or voluntary service (extension possible for the entire duration of service, up to 12 months).Without age limit if your child is unable to support themselves due to a disability that began during the family insurance period.There is also an income limit for co-insured family members.
Your family members can be co-insured free of charge if their regular monthly income does not exceed €535 per month. Those with a mini-job may earn up to €556 per month and still qualify for free family insurance.
Income considered for assessment includes, for example:
Gross salary, including expected one-time payments (e.g., vacation or Christmas bonuses)Severance payIncome from student employmentProfits from self-employmentRental incomeCapital gains such as interest or dividendsPensions, including survivor’s or foreign pensionsTaxable maintenance paymentsTax-free income such as child benefit, parental allowance, housing benefit, or pension credits for child-rearing periods are not included when determining the income limit. Applicable deductions for work-related expenses (standard or actual) may be subtracted annually.
Irregular income is also excluded for example, income from short-term employment limited to no more than three months or 70 working days per year, regardless of the amount.
Free family insurance is subject to certain restrictions. In addition to the income and age limits, family insurance is only possible if the family member primarily resides in Germany and:
is not already a member of a health and nursing care fund,is not self-employed full-time,is not exempt from compulsory insurance as an employee or civil servant, andhas not opted out of statutory health insurance.Children can be co-insured free of charge if:
your spouse or registered partner is not covered by statutory health insurance and their regular annual income does not exceed €6,150, oryour own income is higher than that of your spouse or partner who is not in statutory health insurance.To co-insure family members free of charge, we require a written application from you. The form is available here or in Meine SBK. Your personal SBK consultant will be happy to help you with any questions.
We are legally required to review eligibility for family insurance regularly. Usually, information must be provided once per year. For children under 15 whose parents are both insured under statutory health insurance, or for spouses/partners who have reached statutory retirement age, the review is required only every three years.
Even if there are no changes, we need up-to-date and complete information. Please return the requested information promptly. If we do not receive it, we are legally required to terminate the free family insurance. In that case, your family members would need to take out their own insurance coverage with contributions.
Please inform us of any changes regarding your family members’ education, income, insurance status, or marital status. These details help us determine whether free family insurance can continue.
It ends when the age or income limits are exceeded or other eligibility requirements no longer apply. If your family member starts their own insurance, e.g., through employment, family insurance is no longer possible. However, they can continue their coverage directly with SBK. Please contact us — we’ll be happy to advise you.
Yes. We still need your information even if your own SBK membership has ended. The review applies retroactively to the period since the last check.
We need information about your spouse’s or registered partner’s insurance whenever children are insured. Under certain circumstances, co-insurance for children may no longer be possible if your spouse or partner has private health insurance. Please provide complete details about your spouse/partner and their insurance coverage.
Family insurance can continue as long as your child meets the age and income limits. If the employment is subject to compulsory insurance, your child will need their own membership.
In principle, family insurance with SBK can continue if your child’s income and age limits are not exceeded. Whether it continues also depends on whether your child receives separate insurance coverage through the program abroad. Please contact us, we’ll be happy to advise you.
Free family insurance ends when your child starts vocational training or must insure themselves as a student after turning 25. Your child can find information on continuing insurance with SBK on the following pages:
Apprentices and pupilsStudentsWe’re happy to provide personal advice.
You’ll benefit from these advantages when using the online questionnaire:
It’s pre-filled with your and your family members’ personal details, saving you time.You can easily upload attachments and certificates — no need to mail documents separately.You don’t need to print or sign the form — you can save and submit it online.Your data is transmitted securely, saving you postage and a trip to the mailboxThe online application is used to newly add family members to your family insurance. You complete it online, print it, sign it, and send it to us. It’s available on this website or in the Meine SBK online portal.
The online family questionnaire is used to update and review the data of already insured family members. We’ll let you know when a review is due and send you a one-time password. You can then provide the required information securely online at familienversicherung.sbk.org.
