Sick Leave in Germany: How to Call In Sick and Your Rights
Sick leave in Germany: how to call in sick, when you need a doctor's note, the eAU, six weeks of full pay, Krankengeld and what your employer may ask.
To take sick leave in Germany, tell your employer the same morning that you cannot work and how long it will probably last. If the illness lasts longer than three calendar days, you need a doctor's certificate (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, AU) by the next working day, and your employer may ask for one from day one. With statutory health insurance, the doctor sends it electronically (eAU) and your employer retrieves it. You get full pay for up to six weeks per illness, then sick pay (Krankengeld) from your health insurer. The eAU your employer retrieves does not show the diagnosis.
The rules below come from German statute law on gesetze-im-internet.de, the doctors' and insurers' official bodies and the Federal Government, checked in October 2026. Calling in sick is part of the labour law session in the course I teach. Since 2022 I have coached more than 2,000 adults starting over in Germany, many of them from Ukraine. See what else those groups taught me in employability coaching lessons.
Sick leave in Germany at a glance
| Question | Rule | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Who do I tell? | Your employer, without delay | § 5(1) EntgFG |
| What do I say? | That you cannot work and how long it will probably last | § 5(1) EntgFG |
| When do I need a note? | Illness longer than 3 calendar days: by the next working day | § 5(1) EntgFG |
| Can my employer want it sooner? | Yes, even from day one | § 5(1) EntgFG |
| Who pays? | Employer: full pay up to 6 weeks per illness | §§ 3, 4 EntgFG |
| When does that start? | After 4 weeks in the job | § 3(3) EntgFG |
| After 6 weeks? | Krankengeld: 70% of gross, max 90% of net | § 47 SGB V |
| How long? | Up to 78 weeks in 3 years for the same illness | § 48 SGB V |
| Sick on holiday? | Certified sick days do not use up leave | § 9 BUrlG |
How to call in sick in Germany, step by step
1. Tell your employer before your shift starts
German law says "unverzüglich": without culpable delay. In practice, that means the same morning, before you are due at work. The law does not prescribe a channel. Use the one your contract or team rules name: a call to your manager, an email to HR, a message in the team chat. If nothing is written down, call and follow up in writing, so you can prove you reported it.
A short message in German is enough:
"Guten Morgen, ich bin heute krank und kann leider nicht arbeiten. Ich gehe zum Arzt und melde mich, sobald ich weiß, wie lange es dauert."
In English: "Good morning, I am ill today and cannot work. I am going to the doctor and will let you know how long it will take."
You report two things: that you cannot work and how long it will probably last. The law asks for nothing more, so you do not have to name the illness.
2. See a doctor if you need a note
Check your contract first. Many employers ask for a certificate from the first day, which § 5 EntgFG (opens in a new tab) allows. Without such a rule, you need the certificate when the illness lasts longer than three calendar days. Weekends count: if you fall ill on a Friday and are still ill on Monday, Monday is day four and you need the note.
Doctors should not backdate a sick note. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) allows it only as an exception, after careful checking, and usually for up to three days. Go to the doctor on the day you fall ill.
3. Let the eAU do the paperwork
Since 1 January 2023, employers retrieve sick notes electronically from the health insurer. Your doctor sends the data to your insurer, you get a printout for your own records, and your employer downloads the certificate. The KBV (opens in a new tab) adds a condition: the employer can only retrieve it if you have told them you are sick. The eAU does not replace your call.
Paper certificates remain for private health insurance, sick notes from a doctor abroad and a sick child. In those cases, you hand in the paper yourself.
4. Report again if it lasts longer
If you are still ill when the certificate ends, get a follow-up certificate and tell your employer the new expected end date.
Sick notes by phone and video
As of October 2026, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) allows sick notes without a visit to the practice:
| Route | Who qualifies | Maximum first certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Patient known to the practice, no severe symptoms | 5 calendar days |
| Video, known patient | Illness does not need a physical exam | 7 calendar days |
| Video, new patient | Same | 3 calendar days |
For a follow-up certificate without a visit, the doctor must have examined you in person for that illness before.
What is changing in 2026
On 2 July 2026, the governing coalition decided to abolish sick notes by phone and to require a sick note from the first day of illness. The Federal Government (opens in a new tab) states that the existing rules stay in place until the measures are implemented. When I checked on 7 October 2026, § 5 EntgFG was unchanged and no bill had passed. Watch for the change before you rely on a phone sick note.
Sick pay in Germany: who pays and how much
The first six weeks: your employer
If illness makes you unable to work through no fault of your own, your employer keeps paying your salary for up to six weeks (§ 3 EntgFG (opens in a new tab)). You get the pay for your regular working time, so a sick day costs you nothing. Two conditions:
- You have worked there for four weeks without a break. Before that, the employer owes no continued pay. Statutory health insurance members can claim Krankengeld instead.
- New illness, new six weeks. If the same illness comes back, you get a fresh six weeks only if you were not off with it for at least six months in between, or if twelve months have passed since that illness first kept you home.
Your employer may hold back pay as long as you fail to hand in a required certificate (§ 7 EntgFG (opens in a new tab)), unless the delay was not your fault.
After six weeks: Krankengeld from your health insurer
From week seven, your statutory health insurer pays Krankengeld (§ 47 SGB V (opens in a new tab)):
- 70% of your regular gross pay, capped at 90% of your net pay
- paid per calendar day, with a full month counted as 30 days
- for up to 78 weeks within three years for the same illness (§ 48 SGB V (opens in a new tab))
Keep your certificates without gaps. Under § 46 SGB V (opens in a new tab), Krankengeld continues only if the doctor confirms the continued incapacity no later than the next working day after the last certificate ends. Saturdays do not count as working days here.
What your employer can and cannot ask
| Your employer can | Your employer does not get |
|---|---|
| Ask for a certificate from the first day | Your diagnosis |
| Hold back pay while a required certificate is missing | Medical data from your doctor |
| Expect to hear how long you will probably be off | Anything beyond dates, certificate type and accident or hospital flags |
The statutory insurer Techniker Krankenkasse (opens in a new tab) lists what an employer can retrieve: your name, the start and end of the incapacity, first or follow-up certificate, and whether an accident or a hospital stay is involved. It states that diagnoses and medical data are not transmitted.
Special cases
Sick on holiday
Under § 9 BUrlG (opens in a new tab), days of illness proven by a doctor's certificate do not count against your annual leave. Without a certificate, the day counts as holiday.
Sick abroad
Tell your employer as fast as you can: that you cannot work, how long it will probably last and your address abroad. Your employer pays for the cost of that message. With statutory insurance, tell your insurer too, and report your return to both.
A sick child
In 2026, each parent with statutory insurance can take up to 15 working days per child under 12, and single parents up to 30 (§ 45 SGB V (opens in a new tab)). The cap is 35 days per parent across all children, or 70 for single parents. Your employer must give you unpaid leave, and the health insurer pays child sick pay of 90% of your lost net pay. You need a doctor's note for the child.
Mistakes newcomers make with sick leave
- Texting a colleague instead of the manager. Report to the person or channel your employer names.
- Waiting until noon. Report before your working day starts.
- Skipping the doctor on day one. If your contract asks for a note from day one, a missing note can cost you that day's pay.
- Coming in sick to make a good impression. A certified sick day is paid. Turning up with a fever helps nobody on the team.
- Working a second job while on sick leave. A certificate says you cannot work. Ask before doing anything that looks like work.
Sick leave is one of the rules I cover with people starting work in Germany, together with contracts, probation and notice periods in Germany. If the first months in a German workplace feel harder than the job itself, read about culture shock in Germany. And if you want help with the move into German work, from the CV to the first weeks, see my career coaching sessions or book a call.
Questions and answers
How many sick days do you get in Germany?
German law sets no annual number of sick days. You stay home as long as a doctor certifies you unable to work. Your employer pays your full salary for up to six weeks per illness, once you have worked there for four weeks. After that, statutory health insurance pays sick pay (Krankengeld) of 70% of your regular gross pay, capped at 90% of net, for up to 78 weeks for the same illness within three years.
When do I need a doctor's note in Germany?
By law, when the illness lasts longer than three calendar days: you need the certificate by the next working day. Your employer may ask for it earlier, even from the first day, and many contracts say so. Weekends count as calendar days.
Do I have to tell my employer what illness I have?
No. The law asks you to report that you cannot work and how long it will probably last. The electronic sick note (eAU) your employer retrieves shows the dates and whether it is a first or follow-up certificate. Diagnoses and medical details are not passed on.
Can I get a sick note by phone in Germany?
As of October 2026, yes, if your practice knows you and your symptoms are not severe: up to five calendar days. By video, a doctor can certify up to seven days if you are a known patient and three days if not. The government coalition decided in July 2026 to abolish sick notes by phone. Until a new law takes effect, the current rules apply.
What happens if I get sick on holiday?
Get a doctor's certificate. Under § 9 of the Federal Holiday Act, days of illness proven by a medical certificate do not count against your annual leave. If you fall ill abroad, tell your employer at once, with the expected duration and your address there.
Can my employer fire me while I am on sick leave?
After six months in a business with more than ten employees, the Protection Against Dismissal Act applies: a dismissal must be socially justified by reasons in your person, your conduct or urgent business needs. If you receive a notice, you have three weeks to file a claim at the labour court. Get advice fast.