Guaranteed pay during illness

If you fall ill, your employer continues to pay (most of) your wages for the first 30 calendar days: the guaranteed pay. After that you fall back on a mutual insurance benefit of roughly 60 percent of your capped gross pay.

How does the first month work?

As a white-collar employee on a permanent contract you receive 30 calendar days of full pay. As a blue-collar worker it runs in steps: first full pay from the employer, then a combination of a reduced employer share and a mutual insurance benefit, together at roughly the same level. Since the unified statute there is no unpaid waiting day: the first sick day is paid too.

Your duties when ill

Notify your employer immediately (per the work regulations, usually before your shift starts) and deliver a medical certificate within the set term (often two working days). For one-day absences, no certificate is required up to three times a year in companies of 50 or more employees, unless the work regulations state otherwise. A control doctor may visit; being available at the agreed hours is part of it.

After the first month

From day 31 the mutual insurance pays roughly 60 percent of your gross pay, capped at a ceiling, which means a serious drop for higher wages. Shift workers also largely lose their premiums. Hospitalisation and guaranteed income insurance (through the employer or privately) absorb that; check what your employer provides in your pay package.