Becoming a member of TK couldn’t be simpler! All you need to do is complete the online application form. If you are already a member of another health insurance fund, we will inform them about your switch to TK. Please also remember to tell your employer about your move to TK.
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To check the status of your online application for TK, please use our Service "TK Boarding". To use TK Boarding, please have your 7-character application ID at hand. You have received your ID after you have completed your membership application online.
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In Germany social security contributions are a set percentage of your earnings and are shared between the employer and employee. The numbers for 2024are given in the table below.
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In 2024, the TK contribution rate to health insurance is 15.8per cent of the gross income.It consists of the general contribution rate of 14.6 per cent and the health insurance fund’s individual supplementary contribution rate of 1.2per cent. For employees, the employer pays half of the contribution rate. You can calculate your personal rate with our easy-to-use calculator:
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As an employee, you are voluntarily insured if your regular income in2024exceeds the social security threshold of 69.300EUR. You are generally required to pay the contributions to health and long-term care insurance yourself. Your employer pays their monthly share to health and long-term care insurance together with your salary.
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If you receive Arbeitslosengeld I [unemployment benefit I], you are generally subject to compulsory health and long-term care insurance. This means that you automatically remain insured with TK. The contributions during this period will be paid for you by the Agentur für Arbeit [Federal Employment Agency].
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If you pay the contributions yourself and not your employer, the most secure and convenient method is to set up a SEPA direct debit mandate with TK. This allows us to deduct your contributions from your bank account so that they are always paid on time.
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If you are self-employed, you can get voluntary insurance cover with us. We calculate your monthly contributions based on your income - between 1.178,33(statutory minimum threshold) and 5.175,00(social security contribution assessment ceiling).
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This depends on a number of factors, e.g. whether or not your health insurance entitles you to sickness benefit and whether you have to pay a supplement for your long-term care insurance. The following table provides an overview:
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As a compulsorily insured student, you pay a standard contribution (applies throughout Germany) based on the maintenance need (requirement rate) defined by the BAföG [German Federal Education and Training Assistance Act] - regardless of whether or not you receive BAföG assistance yourself.
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If you are insured with TK, for instance as an employee, self-employed individual or retiree, you can take out insurance free of charge for your family members. To cover your family members for free, please use the form below and return it to us. Details of the exemptions to free cover for dependants are also given below.
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How much you have to pay depends on whether and how many children you have. The age of the children is also relevant. Higher contributions to long-term care insurance contributions were introduced on 1 July 2023 in order to provide better services for both those in need of care and their family members.
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German law requires that contributions be credited to the TK account by no later than the 15th day of the following month. This means that your contribution for April must be paid by 15 May at the latest.
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You are covered by your insurance in your home country if you are from an EU member state or from another state with a social security agreement. To get medical treatment and services in Germany, just present your European health insurance card (EHIC), your Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or your certificate of entitlement to the medical service provider.
Without confirmation of health insurance cover in your home country, you cannot enrol at university or a higher education institute. Even if you don't require a visa as an EU citizen, you have to provide proof of valid health insurance when enrolling.
Simply upload a picture of the front and back of your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and provide us with the necessary information using the online process below:
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You do not come from an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, the UK or a country with a social security agreement with Germany? In that case, before you can start your studies, your university requires confirmation of health insurance. Without this proof you cannot enrol. All students under the age of 30 require public health insurance as a student. Use the online process below to provide confirmation of your health care cover to your university:
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Use the online process below to be exempted from compuslory health insurance. You need to complete this process within three months from the start of compulsory insurance. You also have to prove that you are covered by another type of health insurance.
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If you start your PhD before completing your Master's or Diplom degree programme or the state examination, you may be insured with us as student. If you do not start your PhD until afterwards, then you may not be insured as a student. You will then need to be voluntarily insured.
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If you are completing a dual course of study, you are subject to compulsory insurance as an employee. This means you also have to pay social security contributions. Your employer pays the contributions for you together with its share.
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Yes if your degree programme is your main focus. Your paid employment therefore remains secondary in comparison to your degree programme. In that case, you continue to pay your health and long-term care insurance contributions as a student.
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If you undertake a mandatory internship as part of your degree programme, your health insurance will continue with TK. In the case of internships that are not mandatory, the same rules apply as to jobs alongside of degree programmes.
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At the end of your studies, you will no longer have health insurance cover as a student.
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