Even in retirement, legally insured persons must continue to pay for the statutory health insurance company. How expensive this will be depends on the circumstances.
Once the retirement age has been reached, many pensioners get a fright. The reason: the pension is often smaller than expected after deduction of taxes and the contributions for health insurance.
Especially pensioners who do not make it into the so -called health insurance of the pensioners often have to accept losses. Unlike the name suggests, health insurance for pensioners is not a separate insurance, but only the insurance status. Pensioners with this status remain with their health insurance company, but pay a lower contribution than the voluntarily insured pensioners.
Only the pensioners who were insured in the statutory health insurance (GKV) during the second half of their professional lives come to the health insurance of the pensioners (KVDR) during the second half of their professional life.
It is not important whether they were insured as a mandatory member or a voluntary member – for example if they have worked as a self -employed or freelancer. Also eliminated are times of family insurance and insurance in the former GDR.
Also times of remaining in statutory health insurance abroad can be credited – if it is states of the European Economic Area (EEA) or countries with which a social security agreement exists.
It is therefore particularly important to be in statutory health insurance, especially in the second half of the working life, since only this period for classification in the insured status is really evaluated.
New pensioners, who were privately insured in between, still have a chance to get into the KVDR. For every child of the pension applicant, three years are counted – also for foster children.
- Example: Suppose a mother of two children submitted a pension application in 2025 after she was employed between 1975 and 2025. Most of the time she was legally insured, only during the last five years of her working life she has privately insured.
In order to get into the health insurance of the pensioners, it should have been legally insured at least 90 percent of the second half of their working life, i.e. the past 22.5 years. Because she has been in private health insurance for five years in recent years of her working life, the time in statutory health insurance is actually not enough.
However, since she has two children, she gets three years per child, so a total of six years. So she still makes it into the cheaper health insurance of the pensioners.
If seniors do not meet the criteria for admission to the health insurance of the pensioners, they can voluntarily insure themselves if they were at a statutory health insurance before retirement.
The problem: Unlike the pensioners in the health insurance of the pensioners, those who have voluntarily pay for all their income to health and long-term care insurance. In addition to the pension, these income also includes pension payments, earned income, income from renting and leasing as well as from capital assets.
- Health insurance: The most important facts at an overview
It is therefore advisable to work on a membership in the KVDR at an early stage and to stay in statutory health insurance from the age of 40 – or to alternatively choose private health insurance.
The amount of the contributions varies depending on whether they are accepted into the health insurance of the pensioners or the voluntary insurance. In addition, the amount of the percentage rates differs according to health insurance. In principle, as with all other health insured persons, the currently normal contribution rate of 14.6 percent applies to pensioners, but half of the pension insurance takes over.
Regardless of whether you are voluntarily insured or within the framework of the KVDR, you therefore pay 7.3 percent to your crediting income, i.e. the income from the statutory pension.
- Pension question: How is the KV contribution calculated as a pensioner?
- Pension question: Can I switch to KV for pensioners if I still work?
Differences only occur in other types of income. Anyone who is in the health insurance of the pensioners pays the full 14.6 percent to pension payments, like a volunteer. This also includes the company pension. A higher allowance has been in effect since 2024 (of 187.25 euros).
Unlike pensioners in voluntary insurance, however, you do not have to pay contributions to income from rent, capital gains or private pension insurance in the health insurance of the pensioners.
