More subsidies, new borders
That will change in 2026 for privately insured people
Updated on January 3, 2026 – 7:29 amReading time: 3 minutes
Switching to private health insurance, employer subsidies, social tariffs: many rules for privately insured people will change in 2026. An overview of the most important points.
Higher subsidies, new income limits and more digitalization: The year 2026 will bring some changes to private health insurance (PKV). t-online provides an overview of the most important innovations.
Anyone who wants to switch from statutory to private health insurance as an employee will have to earn more from 2026. The so-called annual salary limit rises to 77,400 euros gross per year. In 2025 it was still 73,800 euros.
Important for those who are already privately insured: Anyone who falls below the new limit in the future will not automatically be subject to statutory insurance again. In this case, you can be exempt from the insurance requirement. It is then possible to remain in PKV.
An important limit will also be increased for family members of civil servants who are eligible for benefits and are self-employed: for federal benefits, the permissible income limit in 2026 is 22,648 euros per year (2025: 21,832 euros). The values may differ for state officials depending on the federal state. Please note: If a family member is employed, compulsory insurance under the GKV applies regardless of the benefit.
Privately insured employees will benefit from higher employer subsidies in 2026. The maximum subsidy is then:
PKV pensioners also receive a subsidy: the German Pension Insurance Federation contributes to the health insurance contribution upon request. Since the average additional contribution in the GKV will rise to 2.9 percent on January 1, 2026, the subsidy for privately insured pension recipients will also increase slightly.
