Child sickness benefits

You will receive child sickness benefits from SBK if:

• You are employed and are not receiving any remuneration from your employer,
• Your child is covered by statutory health insurance,
• Your child is under the age of twelve or is disabled and dependent on help from others,
• There is nobody else in your household who can look after your child,
• You also have an entitlement to sickness benefits (as an employee or self-employed person with entitlement to sickness benefits) and
• You are looking after your child, your child is ill or the nursery is school is closed.

Useful information: Your employer is generally required to release you from work and to continue to pay your wages or salary during this time. In this case, we cannot pay any child sickness benefits. If your employer does not pay your wages or salary, for example because this is stipulated in a wage agreement, you will receive sickness benefits from SBK.

Each parent with statutory health insurance cover can apply for 30 days per child in 2023, and a maximum of 65 days if there is more than one child. 
For single parents, this increases to 60 days per child, with a maximum of 130 days if there is more than one child.

The claim also applies to children who need to be looked after at home for the following reasons:

• Compulsory presence at school has been suspended.
• The requirements for support have not been fulfilled.
• The authorities recommend that the care services provided by childcare facilities that are open are not used if possible.
• Company or school holidays have been arranged or extended.
• The childcare institution has been closed by the relevant authorities.
• Entry to the childcare institution has been prohibited, e.g. in the event of an at-home quarantine order.

The following people are eligible:

• Parents with statutory health insurance, who are also entitled to sickness benefits and
• with children under twelve years old covered by statutory health insurance. 
• Another requirement is that there is nobody else in the household who can look after your child for you.

The entitlement to children's sickness benefits was extended from 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus protection measures expire on 07.04.2023 and thus the legislator also ends the pandemic-related children's sickness benefit.

You can complete the application for child sickness benefits due to the pandemic online. You can use the Meine SBK app or the website address meine.sbk.org/child-sickness-benefits. This means that we will receive your application immediately, you will save the costs of postage and can focus on looking after your child.

If you would prefer to make your application in writing, please contact your personal consultant.

If the care is needed because your child is ill, please send us the doctor’s certificate in the usual way. In this case you can also complete your application online – on the Meine SBK app or at meine.sbk.org/child-sickness-benefits.

As of 1 January 2015, child sickness benefits amount to 90% of the parent’s usual net earnings. If in the last 12 calendar months prior to taking time off work they have received lump-sum payments, the value of the child sickness benefits rises to 100% of the usual net earnings. The gross maximum amount of sickness benefits paid out for a sick child is €112.88 for each calendar day (2021). 

The sickness benefits paid out to help care for a sick child are generally subject to deductions for nursing care, pension scheme contributions and unemployment insurance. The SBK deducts these contributions prior to paying out the sickness benefits and transfers them to the relevant insurance provider along with the amounts to be paid by SBK.

Yes. This is possible if the other parent cannot claim their entitlement themselves due to personal or professional reasons.

A transfer is possible if:

• Both parents are covered by statutory health insurance,
• Both parents have an entitlement to sickness benefits,
• One parent cannot look after the child for professional reasons and
• The other parent has already used their full entitlement.

Please talk to your employer, since they will need to agree to you taking more time off work.

• The entitlement to take time off work to look after a sick child is often regulated by collective wage agreements, in which case you will automatically continue to receive your wage when your child is sick. Ask your employer for more details.
• If both parents have statutory health insurance but this is with different insurance companies, then the insurance company of the person caring for the child pays out the child sickness benefits. This applies regardless of which company the child is insured with.